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The story about Aeneas
The story about Aeneas
The story about Aeneas
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In The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, the author states that to be a ruler, a ruler must follow certain rules to maintain his power. Machiavelli proposed that to be a successful leader, a prince must be feared rather than loved, if you cannot be both. Feelings and emotions interferes with tough decisions. Although Aeneas and Turnus in Aeneid by Virgil are both successful leaders, neither fully represents Machiavelli’s theory because they are both feared and love A leader who is feared does not have a sincere relationship with people unlike love enables a mutual relationship between the people and their leader. When you are feared, people will avoid any negative consequences. Nevertheless, when you are loved, people will adore your loyalty …show more content…
Aeneas was the protagonist hero and a central character who presents his devotion and responsibility as a leader. Turnus, on the other hand, was an antagonist character. He was the leader of the Latin militaries who was against the settlement of Trojans in Latinum. Both characters show Machiavelli’s theory on how to be a powerful leader but with different characteristic traits. They show great leadership styles however, one character did not fully follow Machiavelli’s main …show more content…
As Machiavelli pointed out, it is better to be scared than to be adored. However, Aeneas failed Machiavelli’s concept because Aeneas was both loved and feared. Aeneas was a leader and people were feared of him although, he was loved because of his likable character. Aeneas was a protagonist hero who was able to achieves his duty to his family, his city and to the gods. Aeneas and his fellow Trojans such as his friends, his father and his son were the few people who not killed when Trojan war fell. The crew decided to leave the city of Troy and sailed to Italy where Aeneas was bound to find Rome. He recalled his conversation with Dido, a ruler of Carthage and had an intimate relationship with Aeneas, about the uselessness to continue fighting any longer, and that he must leave Troy to find his family. In the following quote of Book II, Aeneas found his father, Anchises, in the burning fire of Troy and try to save him. “Did you suppose, my father, that I could tear myself away and leave you? Unthinkable; how could a father say it? Now if it pleases the powers about that nothing stands of this great city; if your heart is set on adding your own death and ours to that of Troy, the door’s wide open for it.” Aeneas tried to convince his father to leave in the fire, but Anchises refused since he has lived and suffered long enough. Aeneas was able to save his family. He carried his father, Anchises, on his shoulder and his son, Iulus, and
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is portrayed as the Messiah, a heroic figure for the Jews, and in The Aeneid, Vergil creates Aeneas as the ideal Roman hero, a manifestation of the highest Roman virtues, such as military leadership, pride, and pietas. Although both men are depicted as heroes by their respective authors, they embody completely different sets of ideals. Aeneas, representing the Romans, would heavily disagree with Jesus because of his actions, being a servant-king instead of a ruler to his people and being captured and executed at the hands of his enemies, and because of his teachings to value the immaterial over the material. This contrast between the values represented by Aeneas and the values taught by Jesus reflect the larger conflict between Roman and Christian virtues.
Machiavelli believes that a government should be very structured, controlled, and powerful. He makes it known that the only priorities of a prince are war, the institutions, and discipline. His writings describes how it is more important for a prince to be practical than moral. This is shown where he writes, "in order to maintain the state he is often obliged to act against his promise, against charity, against humanity, and against religion" (47). In addition, Machiavelli argues that a prince may have to be cunning and deceitful in order to maintain political power. He takes the stance that it is better for the prince to be feared than loved. His view of how a government should run and his unethical conduct are both early signs of dictatorship.
I believe that the ending of the Aeneid shows that Aeneas is very heroic. According to Webster’s New Dictionary, “a man of distinguished bravery” and “admired for his exploits.” Aeneas is very brave when he fights Turnus, especially because it is known that the gods are on his side. He successfully killed Turnus, which is an achievement that calls for admiration.
According to Machiavelli's view of how to be an effective leader, a ruler should be one who is feared but not hated. Machiavelli states that fear is better than love because love is unreliable. All of the reasons that Machiavelli gives relate to how human nature controls men and drives them to commit crimes in order to reach their goals and satisfy themselves.
Niccolo Machiavelli stressed that “one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved…for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.” He felt that a true leader must be cunning and deceptive, winning the hearts of his people through power and influence. If he could not be liked, he could at least get by knowing he has intimidated these below him into submission. However rash or cruel this may seem, Machiavelli’s argument is not one to be countered easily.
Machiavelli in his famous book “The Prince” describes the necessary characteristics for a strong and successful leader. He believes that one of the most important characteristics is to rule in favor of his government and to hold power in his hands. Power is an essential aspect of Machiavelli’s theory, and a leader should do whatever it takes to keep it for the safety of his country because “the ends justifies the means.” To attain and preserve the power, a leader should rather be feared than loved by his people, but it is vital not to be hated. As he states, “anyone compelled to choose will find far greater security in being feared than in being loved.” If a leader is feared, the people are less likely to revolt, and in the end, only a threat of punishment can guarantee obedienc...
Aristotle argues that friendship is a vital part of life. It serves not only as a means to bond individuals together, but also a necessity in achieving overall happiness. Aristotle comments on the various types of friendships that exist, and the role they each play in society. He explains three overarching types; utility, pleasure, and complete friendship. Yet, with family, friendship is different than it is with companionship. As Aristotle states in his piece, Nicomachean Ethics on friendship in families, “they all seem to depend on paternal friendship” (Aristotle, 1161b18). In The Aeneid, Aeneas and Anchises’ relationship, perfectly embodies this. The father son bond does not distinctly resemble one of the three types, rather it is a friendship in of itself; a paternal friendship.
As Aeneas tells his story he portrays himself as a hero, which makes Dido even more infatuated with him. The couple immediately finds that they have many things in common as well, both Aeneas and Dido fled from their homeland. "I, too am fortune-driven, Through many sufferings; this land at last/ Has brought me rest. Not ignorant of evil, I know one thing, at least - to help the wretched." (664). At this time Aeneas notices that Dido is fair and just to her people which is the way he would like to be seen as a ruler of the Trojans.
As the story goes on, we learn that a few things about Aeneas. He is not only considered to be an escapee, by which was led out of war by the god’s, but he is now also the leader to those that also fled Troy for Italy.
Machiavelli wrote The Prince in which he states “it is better for a new political ruler to be feared than loved”. Machiavelli stated that rulers should be loved and feared but at the end to remain safe it’s better to be feared than love. Being virtuous plays a major role in securing a state and gaining the support of the citizens but virtue or love doesn’t guarantee the safety of the ruler and or state. Therefore this essay will argue It is better for a new political leader to feared than loved, which would allow the leader to have the state secure or under control, also instilling fear in people would make them obey the rules and regulation and would allow The Prince to be safe and protected.
Aeneas was able to use the same components that Catiline used when he spoke to his conspirators including relating to them, with their history of victory or hardship, and providing a single goal of the group. For Catiline and his men their shared goal was their desire for wealth, while Aeneas and his men to save faith and continue on their journey. Similarly Turnus was able to rally up the opposition against Aeneas and his allies with similar motives and style as Catiline and Aeneas. He starts his speech with: “… peace be damned, ordered his captains to march on Latinus, His battle cry rang out: ‘For Italy! Drive the enemy out! Turnus is here, a match for Teucrians and Latins alike!’” (7.562-566). The following passage is on the Rutulians’ response to Turnus’ speech. These people were brought together and followed him due to Turnus’ good looks, ancestors, and his courage they have seen on the battlefield. This collaboration of men can be contributed to Turnus’ usage of rhetoric, his message of the homeland, and this society’s thoughts on nobility and
... that must be wise in general. An avoidant of hatred or despise prince cannot be lead a nation that hates him. Keep faith at a minimum trust is good and well but can be broken over the smallest of greed. Bravery and strength is necessary for any great man. All of these characteristics will build a strong and amazing prince in the eyes of Niccolo Machiavelli.
Through his many years of experience with Italian politics Machiavelli wrote “The Prince”; a how-to guide for new rulers. We are given descriptions of what a leader should do to effectively lead his country. A leader should be the only authority determining every aspect of the state and put in effect a policy to serve his best interests. These interests are gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power. Machiavelli’s idea is that a ruler should use a variety of strategies (virtues) to secure his power. Machiavelli lists five virtues that a ruler should appear to have; being compassionate, trustworthy, generous, honest and religious. A ruler should possess all the qualities considered good by other people.
If a prince can not be both feared and loved, Machiavelli suggests, it would be better for him to be feared by the citizens
According to Niccolo Machiavelli “if you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved” (225). Machiavelli was the first philosopher of the Renaissance, and wrote The Prince which argued that leaders must do anything necessary to hold on to power. The main reason it is better to be feared is because men are evil, rotten and will only do things that benefit themselves. Men only think of themselves and it is for this reason fear can control them and keep them loyal to a leader. Since loyalty through love can be easily broken because it involves no punishment, loyalty through fear is the better choice because it involves the “dread of punishment, from which [the subjects] can never escape” (Machiavelli 226). Machiavelli goes on to say that the great leader Hannibal took control of his immense army, because the soldiers saw Hannibal as a fearsome and cruel person, thus, making them loyal to him. Machiavelli in addition gives an example of a leader who chose not to be feared and cruel: “Scipio, an outstanding man not only among those of his own time, but in all recorded history; yet his armies revolted in Spain, for no other reason than his excessive leniency in allowing his soldiers more freedom than military discipline permits”(226). Failure to be cruel and fearsome will cause a leader to lose control of his soldiers, and it will cause the leader’s soldiers to revolt. Hannibal was the better leader; even though he was cruel, he was more merciful in reality than Scipio because he did not allow any disorders to happen.