Manhood and Glory in the Aeneid - Essay Example

It is also a recount of the bloody civil war that pitted two main characters in the epic poem, however, I think Virgil deplored the bloodshed caused by the war. First, his most distinct themes are conflict and violence and they affect the eventual conquest and survival of most of his characters. This is exemplified by the troubled voyage of Aeneas when he is confronted by the ugliness of the Trojan. According to Virgil, this demonstrates the consequential destruction that emanates from war especially the total annihilation of Troy. A manifestation continues when Aeneas witnesses the suicide of Dido during his journey. From Virgil’s context, the shedding of innocent blood is an inevitable phenomenon that only elicits sadness and pain in those involved (Virgil, 98). It also causes anguish because it generates hatred against purported enemies as noted by Dido when she asks her people hate the enemy. Integration of propaganda is equally a negative step that fuels war hence making Virgil abhors the celebration of war heroes. In retrospect, while he praises the strength and heroism of Aeneas, he detests his reign which is not only progressive but bloody and full of vengeance.

Second, Virgil hates the historical civil war based on the hatred that results during the Trojan between the protagonist and antagonist namely Aeneas and Turnus respectively. These two characters are consumed by a desire to control their territories while slaying enemies with reckless abandon. The wanderings of Aeneas, for instance, in Italy are directed at capturing the Latins and this causes a massive dispute. According to the poet, Romans’ addiction to resolving only caused the unnecessary loss of life as demonstrated by the suicide of Dido and the bloody killing of Turnus. As a result, in seeking divine intervention, Virgil attests that most of the characters have only accepted a violent fate. A case in point is Juno’s decision to intermediate between Aeneas and Turnus in their first confrontation. The intervention is also meant to deter the death of Pallas from striking either of the characters (Virgil, 108). Instead, only a bloody conflict is meant to distinguish between the warrior and loser in the imminent fierce battle to recover Troy and Latins. Contrastingly, the essence of fate is geared toward casting Virgil’s displeasure with Rome’s obsession with killing members of other nations in the quest to gain glory and fame.

It, therefore, is integral to observe that Virgil’s hatred for bloodshed was caused by the unnecessary loss of life. Overall, while conquests were important, they were not worth the bloody vengeance found in Aeneid.