The Aeneid

Publius Vergilius Maro, more commonly known as Virgil, was born on October 15, 70 B.C. in a small village near Mantua in Northern Italy. He was born into a relatively “well-to-do” family, as his parents were farm owners with a hefty amount of land to their name. Virgil was provided with an education that quenched his thirst for knowledge. He showed a particular interest in mathematics and medicine, but also studied in law and rhetoric. Quickly after his first law case, he gave up his studies of law and turned his interests to philosophy. Due to civil unrest, Virgil was forced to flee his home in 49 B.C. He traveled to Naples and began his career as a poet. With sponsorship from his friend, Augustus Caesar, Virgil was able to enjoy the benefits of having a powerful friend. Aeneas was important to imperial propaganda, and the Aeneas of Virgil epitomizes the same virtues and qualities important to Rome and his patron, Augustus. On his deathbed in 19 B.C., Virgil asked that his unfinished Aeneid be destroyed, but Augustus would not let this happen. The Aeneid was later completed by two of Virgil’s friends, that fixed the minor grammatical errors and published the poem. This decision affected the track of literary history and the development of western culture. In fact, the Bible and the Aeneid were probably the two most consistently read books in Western Europe for hundreds of years. (“Virgil and the Moderns”)

The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem that was written in the late first century. It tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of Romans. The protagonist, Aeneas, was already known to legend and myth, as he was a character in Virgil’s rival’s poem, the Iliad. Virgil used the t...

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...rophe will come close after.

Virgil uses some of the characters in Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad to create connections that will assist the readers in understanding the plot line. He also uses irony and constant themes of warfare and struggle with the gods in his writing to create a timeless classic. He uses a fast-paced action that keeps the readers attention, and ties history together.

Works Cited

“Aeneid Explained.” Everything.Explained.At. 2009-2010. Web.

“The Aeneid: A Study Guide.” Cummings Study Guides. 2003. Web.

“The Aeneid by Virgil: The Aeneid Writing Style.” Shmoop Beta. Shmoop University, Inc. 2011. Web.

O’Hara, James J. “Death and the Optimistic Prophecy in Vergil’s AENEID” 1990. Print.

“Patron Augustus-Client Rome.” The Roman Empire. Web.

“Virgil and the Moderns.” Princeton University Press. Princeton University. 28 Oct. 2010. Web.