Aenied

Aenied

Many argue that throughout Aenied, Virgil develops Aeneas to be a boring and unheroic character; always acting as he should with apparently no power to act in any other way. Occasionally sidetracked, Aeneas is prodded and redirected by the gods toward his destiny. Aeneas’ mother, Venus, constantly interjects to lead Aeneas toward his fate. It is she who leads him away from the fallen city of Troy “ I had twice-ten ships, and my goddess-mother showed me the way.”(I, 541-542) Mercury also sets Aeneas straight from his deviating course by telling him to leave his love Dido “What are you pondering or hoping for while squandering your ease in Libyan lands.” (IV, 362-363) Mercury criticizes Aeneas for ignoring the importance of his empire, and again Aeneas obeys. It is further argued that Aeneas’ makes no significant effort to advance his empire’s fate. He is “handed” all that is needed such as immortal vessels as well as weapons and armor provided by Vulcan and other gods. At first glance this would seemingly prove that Aeneas is in fact a boring character.

Upon deeper investigation of the text the true value of Aeneas’ character can be revealed. Not all of what Aeneas does is driven by the gods. There is in fact a humanistic aspect of Aeneas creating physical and emotional strife which he must endure by himself “I sing of arms and of a man: his fate had made him fugitive.” Virgil is quick to show that Aeneas is but a mortal man with human qualities. It is these human aspects of Aeneas: his leadership, his emotional strengths, and his heroism that make him a crucial and interesting character in the Aeneid.

Leadership is one of the first humanistic qualities that Aeneas is given to create a sense of...

... middle of paper ...

... of a boring character.

When it is argued that Aeneas was just “handed” everything by the gods, the fact that not all of the gods were in support of him is often overlooked. Although many gods steer Aeneas toward his destiny, Virgil adds complexity to his character by introducing gods who wish not to see Aeneas succeed along with a slew of obstacles. He does this in order to spark the reader’s interest in his hero's successes, which may not necessarily be set in stone. The dangers that Aeneas and his crew face are real, even if it is know that he will survive them. There is in fact a humanistic aspect of Aeneas that is revealed by creating physical and emotional strife, which he must endure by himself. It is these human aspects of Aeneas: his leadership, his emotional strengths, and his heroism that make him a crucial and interesting character in the Aeneid.