Virgil\'s Epic Poem the Aeneid Is Often

Virgil's epic poem "The Aeneid" is often described as the poet's response to Homer's epics "The Iliad," and "The Odyssey" in that it details the Trojan War and its aftermath from the Roman perspective. It is a Roman claim to great and far-reaching origins, and because of this apparently patriotic purpose, many classical scholars have attributed the poem's inspiration as Virgil's attempt to praise the emperor Augustus. However, to ascribe this simple purpose to such a complex text is somewhat problematic, as this paper will make clear.

In ascribing reasons for its author's motivation, a literary analysis of "The Aeneid" presents itself with some problems not present in a similar analysis of Homer's inspiring works. Although the actual status of Homer as either a poet or a collective name of several poets is uncertain, Homer's works formed the basis of virtually all of Greek classical literature. "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" became the cornerstones of Greek culture, something all Greeks could refer to as a common source of moral values, of rhetoric, and of mythological history. However, as the work of a single individual at a fixed and relatively later point in time and culture, "The Aeneid" does not have a similar quality of assembled stories, but of a work of more clear design than its Greek predecessors do.

This sense of linear clarity gives a certain amount of credibility to the thesis that "The Aeneid" was written in praise of the emperor. After all, unlike the heroes of either "The Odyssey" or "The Iliad," the hero of the Roman epic seems destined for success. He will not be separated from his family for twenty years or die like Achilles surely will after "The Iliad" comes to a close. Aeneas is destined to found Rome, and even when he appears most reluctant to do so, in the various places he attempts to call home along his way, events always propel him forward. This sense of manifest destiny seems in keeping with a poem that was designed to praise a leader. Aeneas was said to be the ancestor of Augustus, and the fact that he was destined to found Rome gives the Emperor's reign through this work of literature a religious and a historical validity many supporters of the republic believed it lacked in actual fact.

However, there is a subversive quality in the attractiveness of some of these alternate homes that are provided for Aeneas over the course of the narrative. It is interesting that, in comparison to Homer's works, individuals from foreign lands other than Greece or Troy have a humanity and a depth of character not present in, for instance, the queen of the Amazons, who figures briefly in Homer's epic "The Iliad." In contrast, the Queen of Carthage, Dido, is one of the most complex female characters in ancient literature. Although she goes mad after Aeneas is forced to abandon her, her existence and her willingness to listen frame the story from its inception. She both subverts Aeneas yet calls upon him to speak. The poet takes on her voice as well as the voice of his hero.

In fact, some of the most interesting and clearly characterized individuals in the "Aeneid," are those characters that fail, including Dido and Turnus, and are foreign-born. For a poem that is an ode to a success story, namely the founding of Rome, it contains many tales of failure. Dido and Turnus, for the brief times they dominate the stage, command the reader's attention in a way that Aeneas does not. Their tales of failure are not used merely to make the protagonist of the tale look better. Rather they develop Aeneas' character and sharpen his sense of purpose by acting both as foils and also for provoking moments of crisis that force the protagonist to draw upon reserves within himself he was unaware existed. For instance, when Taurus kills the young, brave warrior Pallas, Aeneas becomes like a different person. "Hot, he cuts a broad path through the Latins / with steel; for Turnus, he is seeking you- / you, insolent with your fresh killing. Pallas... / Evander... all are now before his eyes..." (X.708-711) Similarly, in the earlier incident with Dido, Aeneas must learn that he cannot always satisfy his own personal desires. He must leave this remarkable woman he loves. He also learns about of the cruelty of the gods, as Venus has caused Dido to fall madly in love with Aeneas. Venus does this even though the goddess knows that Dido's passion will be doomed.

It is important to remember that, for all of the greatness of his destiny, the "Aeneid" is a book that chronologically begins with a failure and a crisis on the part of the hero, namely that of the fall of Troy. Aeneas, in essence, begins with nothing. He has no home to return to, unlike Odysseus, and no great prowess in battle to resort to, unlike Achilles. He begins as a virtual nonentity, and the book tells the tale of his ability to rise up from failure and to carve out a new life in a world that has apparently abandoned his people.