To answer questions about
The Aeneid,
please sign up.
Cassandra
Not very often. He's mostly just a 2D character whose actions are only chosen because they are the most pietas. Virgil rarely shows Aeneas' actual thoughts and feelings - basically the only thing Aeneas does for himself is to be with Dido, and even then you barely get to see what Aeneas thinks about the whole thing.
One moment when he shows human feeling: Book 1, giving a rousing speech to his men saying stuff like 'we have long been no strangers to affliction' despite that he was 'sick at heart, for the cares which he bore were heavy indeed'.
One moment when he shows human feeling: Book 1, giving a rousing speech to his men saying stuff like 'we have long been no strangers to affliction' despite that he was 'sick at heart, for the cares which he bore were heavy indeed'.
James Hanbelt
Like Achilles and Odysseus, Aeneas follows a clear heroic character arc. That means he holds on to upright core human values throughout the story and doesn't need to morally develop as a human--only be accepted. That is, it is not him but the world around him that must change. Those that do not accept or follow this value, gets wasted. So if I compare Aeneas to real historical people, such as Alexander the Great, Jesus of Nazareth or Martin Luther King Jr, in such a light as this, I can see how Aeneas is portrayed realistically.
Heather Purri
Aeneas is a very sympathetic character. He's crushed when his brothers in arms fall, and even betrays his own morals to avenge a young soldier (it would be a spoiler to say who). He compliments and rewards his fellow soldiers for their individual strengths and pays attention to their different approaches and personalities. He asks them for advice, and asks the gods for advice. When an enemy is defeated, he usually welcomes them as an ally and part of his family.
I strongly disagree with the comments on here about his Fate being set in stone. The book talks non-stop about humans and gods changing Fate. Since Aeneas has a very important destiny, unless he doesn't go through with it, the gods have a vested interest to try to nudge him towards his Fate (as in the case of Venus/Aphrodite) or nudge him away from his current Fate (as in the case of Juno/Hera).
I strongly disagree with the comments on here about his Fate being set in stone. The book talks non-stop about humans and gods changing Fate. Since Aeneas has a very important destiny, unless he doesn't go through with it, the gods have a vested interest to try to nudge him towards his Fate (as in the case of Venus/Aphrodite) or nudge him away from his current Fate (as in the case of Juno/Hera).
Rhianna
Aeneas has been put in an impossible situation - he is a refugee mourning the destruction of his home and his people who has been given the undesired fate of travelling to Italy to found the future Roman nation. In Dido's curse, she ensures that Aeneas will die shortly after conquering Latium, and I think that this is symbolic of Aeneas' personal struggle, and that ultimately he is no more than a pawn of the gods. That Dido has the power to do this proves that the time he spent with her is the most important in the epic. I think that Aeneas is a fascinating psychological character because of his emotional difficulties, his struggle to reconcile his inner will with the will of the gods, and I think Virgil acknowledges these difficulties through portraying a man defined by fate, and yet beset by inconsistencies and heroic failures. What's so brilliant about myths and epics is that one of the things we can explore is the struggle of realistic characterisation in a situation so contrary to our experience of reality.
About Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
