Virgils Great Epic Poem Aeneid - Essay Example

One could liken the sense of duty of Aeneus to that of Augustus. This is particularly true concerning the filial piety shown by Aeneas, as illustrated by “his care for and deference towards his aged father Anchises.” (Whitehorne, 2005, p.1) The epitome of Aeneas’ sense of duty is the scene where he leaves the destroyed city of Troy by carrying his father on his back. After his father’s death, Aeneas will pray to the Gods to invoke divine honors for the deceased soul – an act reminiscent of Octavia appeasing the departed soul of his father Julius Caesar after the completion of the civil war. Aeneas’ sense of duty is also witnessed in his relationship with his son Julus. For example, during the funeral games for Anchises, Aeneas leads the boys’ equestrian event in the first celebration of the Lusus Troiae, the Game of Troy. The death of his father is a crucial event in the moral development of Aeneas, whose sense of responsibility and resoluteness in accomplishing his objectives increases after the event. His sense of piety and duty thus transforms for the good. For example, during the later half of the poem, we witness how Aeneas is brave and willing “to put duty before his feelings, however great the cost personally as when he obeys the gods and leaves Dido” (Whitehorne, 2005, p.1).

The view that Aeneid is a political poem is given credence by the details of his life and adventure. For example, Aeneid illustrates Aeneas’ ability as a politician and “a maker of alliances as well as his valor (and vengeful ruthlessness) which we see come to the fore in the second half of the Aeneid. There is his foundation of cities and his scrupulous observance of religious rituals.” (Whitehorne, 2005, p1) Since in Ancient Rome, the message and moral content of classic literary works were respected by the ruling elite, the subject was used as a vehicle for politics and propaganda. For example,
“The subject furnished political advantages. The legend unfolded in the Aeneid justified Rome’s complex relationship with the Hellenic world, which involved military and political domination coupled with a certain cultural dependency. Representing Rome as a resurgence of a Troy destroyed by the Greeks gave the Roman conquest of Greece the coloring of legitimate revenge. Virgil did not miss the opportunity to put into the mouth of Jupiter, in a lengthy prophecy addressed to Venus, a proclamation that Rome would destroy the most renowned cities of Greece, which were responsible for the fall of Troy” (Brisson, 1989, p.22)

Moreover, the view that the Aeneid has propagandist elements in it is learned from how its author, Virgil, panders, and praises Augustus, the then emperor of Rome. In his book Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos, author Robert Kaplan criticizes Virgil for his assumed role as an Augustan panegyrist. But this characterization of the author and his work is contested as it overlooks centuries of critical comment on Virgil’s works, questioning his “role as a state-sponsored propagandist”. (Harper, 2008, p.117) To narrow down Virgil to a mere propagandist and to equate his work to hyperbole is to be philistine. Such a position undermines an appreciation of the great literary merits of the narrative verse.

In conclusion, there is consensus among scholars that the image of Aeneas leaving Troy's ruins with his beloved father on his back and young son in hand
“is an emblem of the Roman virtue pietas or duty. But it is too easy to read Aeneas as a model hero or to follow Kaplan in critiquing Virgil for pandering to his political masters. While the epic holds lessons on duty and Virgil does praise Augustus, the public voice is balanced by another voice-one perhaps growing louder as it resonates in our present.” (Harper, 2008, p.117) Read More