Character Analysis of the Main Character in the Aeneid - Essay Example

Analysis of Aeneid Question The “Aeneid” is a story by Virgil that brings out the character of Aeneas who is the main character in the story. Aeneas, as the son of the goddess of erotic love and beauty enjoyed maximum protection. Due to his maximum protection, he was given the responsibility to lay foundations in Italy for the glory of the Roman Empire. The writer of the play constantly points out the Aeneas’s heroism as the story develops. Although they encountered challenges like the terrible weather and plagues, Aeneas’s was determined to lay a foundation in Italy for the glory of the Roman Empire. Aeneas’s dedication to the Roman Empire depicts the concept of the duty of the Republic, and obedience to Caesar, a factor that foreshadowed what prevailed in the Roman society. Aeneas, as the leader in the in the establishment of the Roman Empire, had to sacrifice his own happiness to make sure that the Roman Empire was established. The trials, which he encountered during the journey, and how he overcame depicts his character, he is portrayed as a leader and a hero. During his journey in the story, he falls in love with Dido. This showed his loving character, because even after leaving her to undertake his core mission his heart felt regrets for hurting her. Aeneas showed kindness even to his enemies. For instance, during their sailing mission, he showed compassion to Danaan sailor, although the sailors were enemies of the Trojans. By doing this, Aeneas acted as a role model to his followers. In another occasion, a Latino son dies at the hands of Aeneas; he expresses pity to him, although Latinos was their enemy. He even promises to take the boy’s body to Latino people so that he may receive a proper burial. With the two encounters in the story, Aeneas is portrayed to be merciful and kind. Odyssey is the Hero of Homer’s, and in this story, the writer portrays him as the captain of the army. Just as Aeneas, he makes a long voyage before he finds his way back to his home. The contrast between the two is clearly defined. For instance, Aeneas is the Roman Hero because he makes sure that the Roman Empire is established. On the other hand, Odysseus is the Greek Hero. They all obey their gods to make sure that all is accomplished. In their differences, the reader gets the difference in values of the Romans and Greeks. Odysseus actions show how cunning he is. For instance, he defeats Polyphemus, and destroys Penelope’s suitors. He represents the Greek ideal warrior. Odysseus, in his actions, shows appreciation for love and friendship. On the other hand, Aeneas rejects his love for Dido in response to his core mission. His great mission is on the establishment of the Greek Empire. By rejecting Dido’s love and embarking on the core mission, he demonstrated the Roman virtues of military strength. Aeneas is loyal to the Roman Empire, as he makes sure that the Empire is established under all cost. He does not only celebrate Roman virtues, but also fully recognizes the enormous personal and national cost of achieving them. This is evident in the Virgil story ‘The Aeneid” he is shown as a good example of the Roman people in the post- Republican period. By his feelings and behaviors, he stands for the Roman culture. For instance, he sacrifices his own happiness to make sure that, the Roman Empire is established. During his mission, he encounters different trials but he encourages the people to focus on the main mission that is to establish the Roman Empire. The actions, which Aeneas takes, show his loyalty to the Roman Empire. He does not only celebrate Roman virtues but undergoes personal cost to achieve them. His behavior during the mission portrays a Roman character. For instance, he helps his enemies knowing very well that the Trojans are not happy with the action. Showing compassion for his enemies and being a role model to the rest of the group shows his Romanic character. During the mission, he undergoes personal loss to make sure that the empire is established. For instance, he loses Dido so that he can make sure that the mission is accomplished. This is an example of personal loss, which Aeneas encounters. In addition, during the battle Aeneas is wounded in the thigh. At the end of the battle, Aeneas slays Turnus and the Roman Empire is established. Trojans benefit from this war because of the establishment of the Empire. Question 2 Gods and goddesses in Aeneid play a major role. For instance, Aeneas got the confidence to undertake his mission because of the maximum protection given to him by his mother Venus who was a goddess. She is the goddess of love and protects her son Aeneas when Juno tries to hurt him. The gods and goddesses play a vital role and their functions are irreplaceable. They determined the destiny of the living. They had different gods and the king of the gods was Jupiter. Jupiter had supreme control and power even over the other gods and goddesses. Jupiter ensures that Aeneas focuses on his core mission of establishing the Roman Empire. The other god was Juno who was the queen of the gods. Juno hated the Trojans because of their judgment against her in a beauty contest. Due to this, she shows her anger against Aeneas mission due to her hatred to the Trojans. Neptune is the god of the sea, who helps Aeneas in the accomplishment of the mission. For instance, during the voyage he gives Aeneas safety. He does this by calming the storms in the sea. The other god was mercury, who was also referred to as the messager. The other gods send mercury to communicate with Aeneas during the voyage. Aeolus was another god who was against the Trojans in their voyage. He coordinated with Juno to make sure that they did not succeed in their voyage. Because he was the god of wind, he created a bad weather for the Trojans during their voyage. Cupid was another god who was the son of Venus. He is the one who caused Aeneas to fall in love with Dido. Allecto, a god who avenged sins of the people, coordinated with Juno against the Trojans. The writer of the book portrays him as the one who incited the Latin people to wage war against the Trojans. The god of fire and the forge was Vulcan. He was the husband of Venus, Venus urged him to make a superior set of weapons, which served Aeneas in the battle between the Trojans and Turnus. Aeneas succeeded in the war because of the weapons that were crafted by Vulcan the fire and the forge god. The other god was Tiberius, who was called after the Tiber River in Rome. Aeneas sailed in the river with his protection to make allies with Arcadians who helped him in the war. This was the father of the gods because he was the father of the supreme god Jupiter. Jupiter overthrew him becoming the father of the other gods. Minerva was a god who protected the Greeks against the Trojans during the Trojan War. He coordinated with Juno to fight against the Trojans. His efforts did not yield fruits because the Trojans emerged victorious against the Greeks. The last god was Apollo, who was the sun god. He was the son of Jupiter and helped Trojans during the voyage mission. The gods were of great benefit to the Trojans although most of them were against the establishment of the Roman Empire. As stated above, the character of Aeneas depicts his inner life. He respects the gods and tries his best to accomplish the mission. He is full of compassion and sorrow as he tries to lead the people in the voyage. His full commitment to accomplish the mission to establish Roman Empire shows his loyalty and submission. Aeneas’ affair with Dido geared towards making sure that Aeneas did not accomplish his mission of establishing the Roman Empire. As stated above, the affair was facilitated by the Cupid god, who was against the establishment of the Roman Empire. Although at first Aeneas was trapped by the love spell, he later discovered his mission and turned back to it. The Aeneid by Virgil explains how Aeneas came to Italy, becoming the leader during the Trojan War. He shows the early life of the Italians before the Trojan War. He shows how they underwent a series of adventures around the sea, under the leadership of Queen Dido. They later settled at a strategic place in Rome where Aeneas the Trojan leader married Lavinia, the King’s daughter. Turnus was not happy about this marriage because of this Aeneas started the Trojan War and Aeneas emerged the winner. Because of the victory in the war, the Trojans had the right assimilate the local people. Afterwards Aeneas son, Ascanius filled the chronological gap between the Trojans and the Roman Empire, which existed in the 8th century. Conclusion Briefly, the essay above gives the character analysis of Aeneas who is the main character in the Aeneid. It also shows how by his feelings and behavior, Aeneas stood with the Roman ideal. The essay also brings out the contrast between Aeneas and Odysseus. The essay also brings out that Aeneas is not merely a pasteboard figure but a real character in flesh and blood. The essay discusses the role of gods. In addition, it describes how the gods helped Aeneas overcome the battle. Lastly, the essay brings out the state of the Italian people before and after the arrival of the Trojans based on the inner life of Aeneas the Roman Hero. Read More