In the labyrinth of human existence, the search for meaning reverberates across cultures and epochs, transcending boundaries of time and geography. From the majestic landscapes of ancient epics to the gritty realism of modern narratives, characters have grappled with the existential quandary: "Why?" In this exploration, we delve into the responses of Aeneas, Beowulf, Daru, The Prince, and Clov, dissecting their interpretations of life's meaning and discerning which character presents the most compelling argument. The ceaseless quest for meaning has been a cornerstone of human inquiry, driving individuals to seek purpose and significance in the face of life's mysteries. Through the lens of literature, we traverse the depths of human experience, encountering characters who confront the existential abyss with …show more content…
Firstly, in Virgil's magnum opus, the "Aeneid," the indomitable hero Aeneas emerges as a paragon of duty and destiny, navigating the tumultuous seas of fate with unwavering resolve. For Aeneas, the question is "Why?" finds resonance in the echoes of divine mandate and the imperatives of history. As the chosen progenitor of Rome, Aeneas embodies the archetype of the epic hero whose life is intricately woven into the fabric of cosmic design. The Roman concept of duty and piety is summarized in one's dedication to his gods, his country, and his family. The Aeneid portrays Aeneas as having respect in all three categories. In book 2, Aeneas desperately begs his father to come with him, showing love and dedication to his family. In Book 4, Aeneas leaves his (debatably) newly-wed wife at the request of Mercury, showing obedience to his
For a year, Aeneas delayed his destiny and departure to Italy by settling down with queen Dido in Carthage. The gods deliver a message to Aeneas and to his dismay he must leave “the land of his love” and resume his destiny (Aen. 4.). Though his parting from Dido is emotional, and he leaves her broken and suicidal, Aeneas remains level-headed and strong-willed, a noble quality known as gravitas to the Romans. By Aeneas having to leave Dido, he is overcoming a very emotional obstacle; he is leaving despite a chance of stability and love, the first since the death of his wife.
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
In both characters loyalty and dutifulness is a central ideal that they stick to. In The Aeneid Aeneas’ loyalty and sense of duty is seen in many instances, such as when they arrive on the shores of Italy and takes refuge Dido’s city of Carthage. While there, Aeneas and his people feast and live well, and Aeneas has the opportunity
Aeneas feels great pride and energy regarding his role in history and is anxious to continue on his journey. The gods are trying to convince Aeneas to value duty to his city and family, a kind of affiliation or relation by virtue of descent as-if from a parent, above duty to a lover by mere affiliation, or arbitrary association. This perspective on an appeal to authority still hinges on a relationship between Aeneas' desire for affiliation and public authority as the authority of filial priority. We learn early on in this epic that Aeneas is a very important character because of his divine parentage. After all, his mother is the Goddess Venus and his father's brother was the King of Troy.
The Aeneid by Vergil is a long-standing epic poem with brief historical connections that was contributed to the Roman people’s beginnings. Of course, the main character, Aeneas has to have had some turning point within the poem that he became Roman rather than Trojan, at least within the eyes of the readers and listeners. This turning point is within Book IV when Aeneas has remembered his fate of creating a great city in Italy, and has to leave Dido and Carthage behind. This scene contributes to Aeneas now becoming a true Roman, at least in the ideals of one, because he has continued to be ‘Pious Aeneas’ and is securing his son’s future with following his fate. As an extra factor, Aeneas is also persisting as a heroic character by putting
... prominent source of his weighty troubles. They are helpless to withstand the gods, restrain Aeneas from advancing towards Italy, and burn at women’s torches. Yet, his ships are invaluable to the overall success of his journey and the expression of his character. Aeneas is a ship, chugging toward western shores and providing refuge for his people. However, this extended analogy has greater importance to Virgil and the rest of human society. After the destruction of Troy, Aeneas has no country to protect or call his home. The cargo and soldiers aboard his ships are the remnants of his past civilization, but they are also the seeds for a new empire. Aeneas, just as his ships, is the invaluable carrier and protector of one of the greatest empires in all of human history – Rome.
Many people seem to be under the impression that the Aeneid is a celebration of Roman glory, led by the hero of fate Aeneas. I find these preconceived ideas hard to reconcile with my actual reading of the text. For starters, I have a hard time viewing Aeneas as a hero at all. Almost any other main characters in the epic, from Dido to Camilla to Turnus, have more heroic qualities than Aeneas. This is especially noteworthy because many of these characters are his enemies. In addition, Aeneas is presented as a man with no free will. He is not so much bound to duty as he is shielded by it. It offers a convenient way for hum to dodge crucial moral questions. Although this doesn’t necessarily make him a bad person, it certainly makes him a weak one. Of course some will argue that it takes greater moral conviction to ignore personal temptation and act for the good of the people. These analysts are dodging the issue just like Aeneas does. The fact is that Aeneas doesn’t just sacrifice his own personal happiness for the common good; he also sacrifices the past of the Trojan people, most notably when he dishonors the memory of his fallen city by becoming the men he hated most, the Greek invaders. The picture of Aeneas as seen in the end of the Aeneid bears some sticking resemblances to his own depiction of the savage and treacherous Greeks in the early books.
What is a hero? We would like to think that a hero is someone who has achieved some fantastic goal or status, or maybe someone who has accomplished a great task. Heroes find themselves in situations of great pressure and act with nobility and grace. Though the main character of Virgil's Aeneid, Aeneas, is such a person, it is not by his own doing. He encounters situations in which death is near, in which love, hate, peace, and war come together to cause both good and evil. In these positions he conducts himself with honor, by going along with what the gods want. Only then goes on to pave the way for the Roman Empire. His deeds, actions, and leadership would never have come to be if it were not for the gods. The gods took special interest in Aeneas, causing him misfortune in some cases, giving him assistance in others. On the whole, the gods constantly provide perfect opportunities for Aeneas to display his heroism. Without them, Aeneas would not be the hero he is. This gift does not come without a price, though; he must endure the things heroes endure to become what they are. Despite his accomplishments and the glory associated with his life, Aeneas only achieves the status of hero through divine intervention, and this god-given position causes him just as much grief as it does splendor.
Virgil's heroes bear a strong resemblance to the heroes of the earlier works of Homer, however there are some differences that are not merely the result of differences in character. Virgil is depicting his ideals through the traits of his heroes and villains, and some of these traits are different from the Greek traits from The Iliad and The Odyssey. The best way to identify the specific traits that Virgil is trying to plant in the mind of his readers is to look at the main hero, Aeneas. Through Aeneas we see a slightly different variation on the Greek hero. Aeneas is strong and deadly in battle, but fa...
“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle,” Norman Schwarzkopf. In the epic poem, Beowulf, an epic hero from Geats travels far out of his way to help the Danes with their fight against the nasty Grendel. However, in the story Beowulf encounters three monsters that he takes into his own hands and defeats them all. In doing so, Beowulf is rewarded greatly and becomes king and is looked up to by all. In his last battle, Beowulf defeats the dragon but dies soon afterwards, he is given an honorable burial. This poem was told throughout the era of the Vikings and was later written down as the first actually hard copy of the story. It was Burton
The Aeneid is a Latin poem written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. This is a story where a group of survivors who leave their destroyed city, which was destroyed by the Greeks, to search for another home in a faraway country, is about rebirthing, life jumping forth from ruin and death. “We'll take their shields and put on their insignia! Trickery, bravery: who asks, in war? The enemy will arm us.' (2.516-518)”, in these lines Aeneas is talking about how low down and dirty the Greeks are for destroying his city. The theme of this poem is duty, because he have a lot of responsibilities to do throughout this poem and this is mainly Aeneas
In Virgil’s poem, The Aeneid, the ideal Roman hero is depicted in the form of Aeneas. Not only does Aeneas represent the Roman hero, but he also represents what every Roman citizen is called to be. Each Roman citizen must posses two major virtues, he must remain pious, and he must remain loyal to the Roman race. In the poem, Aeneas encompasses both of these virtues, and must deal with both the rewards and costs of them.
... wife and home as well as his place in Carthage in the name of the gods, in the name of a quest that does not directly benefit him. From this pursuit, he does not stand to gain spoils, and the most that could be said of his fame would be drawn from his descendents. It is this moral stance, this understanding of universal placement, of purpose, that sets Aeneas apart from other heroes.
From the ashes of Troy, the light of Rome was born through an act by a man who would be deemed both courageous and cowardly by those who once protected it. The early Roman army was one of the most feared and capable armies in ancient times in part due to their strict code of loyalty and punishment of those who betray said code. One of the most reviled crimes was the act of cowardice and the Roman Empire enforced loyalty among its ranks. To betray Rome was to essentially betray the gods. The hero of Aeneas is a rare character in Ancient Roman history that both forsake the gods he serves but also abides to their will. In defying the code of the Roman soldier, Aeneas would help found a city that would outlive the fallen city of Troy.
... attempts they do just the opposite. With Venus’ many interventions, Aeneas is prevented from making mistakes and is guided to his fate, from not killing Helen [book 2] to leaving behind the old and the weak for Italy [book 4] . He is shown enough times to be the puppet of their play: from obeying the will of the gods while enduring the wrath of other gods, all this in order to set the wheels in motion for the far off future Roman race. However, there are also times when he is also shown to be exerting his won free will. For example, in book 12, killing Turnus when he is begging for mercy, something not heroic and which Susanna Braund debates the positive and negative aspect of in her essay on Virgil and the Meaning of the Aeneid [1.17-18]. nonetheless, this act demonstrates that even the gods and the fates require his cooperation to fulfil his destiny.