Aeneas as a Roman Hero in The Aeneid

Aeneas as a Roman Hero in The Aeneid

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.

In the poem, Virgil says that all Romans ought to have two certain virtues: he must remain a pious Roman citizen, and he must remain loyal to the Roman race. In Virgil’s poem, he uses Aeneas as a portrayal of not only a roman hero, but also as the ideal Roman citizen. For a man to be pious, he must do what he is called to do and follow his destiny. Aeneas is above all pious. He follows the will of the gods, even when it makes him suffer. Aeneas’ destiny is to lead the Trojan people to the new land of Rome. Although this is tough for him to do and he runs into difficulties along the way, he keeps on striving towards his final goal. Aeneas also, throughout the entire poem, remains loyal to the Roman race. there are times that it would be easy for him to go against the Romans, but he remains loyal and keeps on fighting for the empire. Aeneas is used to represent the ideal roman citizen and the ideal Roman hero, but these characteristics do not surface until the poem is nearly over. As the poem is coming to a close, Aeneas begins to explain how it is his duty to fight Turnus. He does not have the desire to have the battle with Turnus, but he has the desire to follow his destiny and do what he has been called to do. He says, “Hold back your anger! Now the t...

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... opposite way. It can be said that in remaining pious andgoing through all the hardships that he did, he single handedly prevented civil war. Everything that Aeneas went through was for the good of the commonwealth and was rewarding for the people. Because his view can be looked at in two ways and is rather unclear, Virgil's verdict is equivocal.

In Virgil’s poem, The Aeneid, a picture is painted of a very virtuous roman hero who remains pious and loyal to his people. This is the picture of Aeneas’ life. It is shown in the poem, that the costs that come with holding these virtues greatly outweigh the rewards. The rewards, although small, are on the inside of the hero and the costs are large and are on the outside. It is critical to follow your destiny no matter what it is, but that is a virtue that not only Roman heroes, but also all Romans must possess.