Aeneid

A detailed Summary of Aeneid

The Aeneid, by Virgil, is an epic that attempts to give the Roman Empire an illustrious founding. As the story progresses, Virgil presents two very real human emotions: pietas, and impious furor. Pietas is duty towards the Gods, country, and family. Impious furor, in contrast, is the feeling of fury and passion. These two emotions are consistently at odds with each other. Many characters within the epic, such as Juno, are consumed by their own fury, a trait which Virgil sheds negative light on. Aeneas, the hero and central character, on the other hand, is a man who is presented as pious and dutiful. He obeys the Gods and journeys to Rome. However, at the end of the novel, Aeneas himself is overtaken by rage, and he kills out of vengeance. Virgil's goal in writing the Aeneid is to present Aeneas as a pious individual, and thus giving Rome a glorious founding. By closing the novel with an act of rage, however, Virgil portrays Aeneas as a ruthless killer. The ending is inappropriate because it casts doubt on the very reason for which Virgil wrote the Aeneid.

Aeneas is presented as someone who is the model of pietas. A Roman must show piety towards his family, his country, and above all, piety to the Gods. When Aene

One different point of view that can be presented against Aeneas's piety is his killing in the war against the Latins. Aeneas kills many of Turnus' men in the course of the battle. However, Aeneas, in his battle with Lausus, feels compassion for the man he has beaten. "Poor boy, for such an act what can the pious/ Aeneas give to match so bright a nature?/ Keep as your own the arms that made you glad;/ and to the shades and ashes of your parents I give you back-" (Aeneid, 10:1132-1136). Aeneas has mortally wounded the man, but he still shows compassion towards him. Instead of taking Lausus's weapons, Aeneas allows him to keep them, and he gives the man his blessing. For this reason, Aeneas displays piety, even when he takes the life of a man.

Aflame with rage-his wrath was terrible-

the causes of her bitterness, her sharp

Turnus, a great warrior and himself the leader of a kingdom, begs Aeneas to spare him. Turnus knows he is "beaten," and he asks that Aeneas turn aside his "hatred." Aeneas, however, is full of "rage" at the death of his comrade, Pallus, and chooses to enact vengeance. Thus, he kills Turnus in an act of cold blood. This is not the same Aeneas that Virgil presents in the earlier portions of the Aeneid. In addition, he is not showing piety towards the Gods by killing Turnus and eliminating his enemy. Turnus admits defeat, and is begging for forgiveness. However, rather than honoring the Gods and showing nobility in sparing Turnus, Aeneas indulges in his own fury.

This description illustrates to what extent Juno loathes the Trojans. Juno is extremely upset because Paris denied her the golden apple. For this reason, she harbors "bitterness" against the people, and she plans to make their journey to Italy long and arduous. Virgil also uses strong words, such as "hate" and "savage," to describe Juno's anger towards the Trojans. Her rage only continues to grow, and Juno asks Aeolus, god of winds, to destroy the entire Trojan fleet in one great storm. "You Aeolus-/...Hammer your winds to fury/ and ruin their swamped ships, or scatter them/ and fling their crews piecemeal across the seas" (Aeneid, 1:95-103). Juno's anger is so great that she wants

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Approximate Word count = 1485
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English