Comparing Virgil's Aeneid-Passion, Emotion, And Fur

Passion, emotion, and furor influence almost all action of epic literature heroes—this distinguishes heroes from men. The hero, Aeneas, stands out from all other epic heroes with his gift of pietas. Virgil’s The Aeneid juxtaposes pietas and furor to describe the heroic attributes of Aeneas. The gods give Aeneas the special virtue of pietas. This virtue grants emotional loyalty to men or the gods. Either Aeneas’s pietas could fall to his own personal desires and emotions when Mercury attempts to motivate him with the reputation of his son (4.370-73), or Aeneas’s pietas could steer clear of his own aspirations and instead fight for the will of the gods in respect for his mission. This problem affects not only Aeneas, but the people around him

Aeneas sees the destruction of his city through the work of the gods. This tangible sign teaches Aeneas to leave Troy and start the journey to found Rome. Aeneas would stay and continue to fight for Troy, but the sign furthers the pursuit of his mission. His actions become impersonal toward his own family members when he loses his wife, Creusa. Aeneas never looks back or gives a second thought to his family around him until he stops at the funeral mound (2.960-968). Aeneas focuses too much on leaving Rome and his mission, until he returns to his house where Creusa’s ghost confronts him with the reminder of his mission (2.985-1040). His wife reminds him of what is important—his mission and Rome—so Aeneas returns to the funeral mound and turns toward the future. After adventure and hardships, the ships land on Italy and the men begin to feast. Iulus reminds the crew of a prophecy and Aeneas

Turnus’s love for Lavinia sways his thinking to be selfish and personal. Aeneas’s passion for the gods and his mission influences his thinking to be future-oriented and impersonal. Similarly, Aeneas’s men do not submit to Fate; personal emotions and gain influence their actions. To fight the Trojans, Coroebus tells the men to put on the Greek armor in order to fight the Greeks from the inside (2.514-523). The belief that the gods are on the Trojan side, his own terror of the Greeks, and his own pride and strength motivate him to convince to act in this manner (2.511-514). These selfish incentives are contrary to what Aeneas tells and shows his men through his own actions and thoughts. Eventually, Coroebus and his men realize that they are “protected by the gods now no longer” and the Greeks attack them (2.525, 546-547). The men’s love for themselves and love for their city influence their submission to fate and Aeneas’s mission. Turnus and Aeneas’s men have a lot in common, mainly in their analysis of the signs granted by the gods. They use the signs for their own personal advantage, while Aeneas sees the signs as holding a special meaning that must be decoded. Aeneas’s devotion conquers his own emotions, so that he can honor the gods and maintain his