Aeneas Hero

Aeneas, the Devoted Hero

In Virgil's Aenied, he illustrates the hero and central character, Aeneas, as a man who

presents piety and duty. This human emotion piety, pietas in Latin, is duty towards family,

country, and gods. Aeneas always fulfills his duty to his family, his fated city, and his gods.

This piousness is what keeps him going through the grueling journeys and challenges, even

when things are not going perfectly. Pietas is the characteristic that makes Aeneas stronger

through each trial as he makes personal sacrifices and never wavers from his duties to his

family, his country, and most of all to the gods.

The complete devotion to Aeneas? family is a commendable trait of piety. Aeneas? love for

his kin is exemplified in his fleeing of falling Troy. He was recalling his story to Dido about

how when he realizes that there was no use fighting any longer, and that he must leave Troy;

he hurries off to find his family. Once he reaches his family, he has his father, Anchises, on

his shoulder, Iulus, his son?s little hand in his own, and Creusa, his wife close behind as they

head off for the ships. When he reaches his destination at the funeral mound, he realizes that

his wife was missing. Aeneas ?turn[s] back alone into the city? nothing for it but to run the

risks again ? comb of all Troy, and put [his] life in danger as before?(975-979 II). His

devotion to his wife was worth risking his life in order to bring her to safety. As he frantically

searches ?in endless quest from door to door?(1001 II) for Creusa, her ghost appeared to

him and told to him that she cannot go with him because she was longer living, but to go

back to the family and that a special mission is ahead of him. Personal loss is a tragedy that

Aeneas must face as he ventures on to reach is fate. His pious personality is the characteristic

that saves his family and leads him on his journey to the future founding of Rome.

Every battle that Aeneas fights, is a battle fought for his country. In book II, during his

recollection of the end of Troy, he tells Dido that even though he was told to flee, he did stay

back for a short while and fought. The reason for this action could be that he could not stand

to see the destruction of his home. After his escape of Troy, Aeneas endures journey after

journey of unsuccessfulness. His pieta here is what kept him going through the grueling time.

As he was telling his heartfelt story to the queen, Dido, she was falling helplessly in love with

Aeneas. During the stay at Carthage, the love between Dido and Aeneas bloomed. The stop

at the city turns into a yearlong settlement. Jove, ruler of the gods, began to get angry

because Aeneas is not fulfilling his destiny. He sends out his messenger to scold Aeneas and

remind him that he has duties to accomplish. Aeneas must now choose between his fate or

his love for Dido. As he fought down his emotion for Dido, Aeneas makes the decision to

carry out the gods? instruction. After making the personal sacrifice of losing Dido to the

future of Rome, Aeneas exemplified that he is worthy of the term piety. After he leaves

Carthage, he eventually arrives at Cumae where at battle against the Italians breaks out.

During the fighting, Aeneas kills many enemies, but one incident glorifies his piety to his

country. As he was fighting young Lausus, the ?drove his tough sword through the young

man?s body,?(1142