Hebdomas decima - Week X -- Vergil's Aeneid

“The Aeneid” 

“The Aeneid” is the story of an exiled Trojan prince, who founds the first settlement in Italy after the destruction of Troy by the Greeks in the 12th century BC. It is the story of the earliest days of Rome, a national epic honoring Rome and prophesying the rise of the Roman Empire. 

The hero, Aeneas, deliberately embodies the Roman ideals of loyalty to the state, devotion to family, and reverence for the gods. Virgil believed that these virtues would help secure Rome's place in history. 

Past and present 

“The Aeneid” therefore has a double time scale: the story itself tells of the very earliest days of Rome through the actions of the hero, Aeneas. But Virgil also writes of the destiny of Rome “to impose peace and morality” ; the work reflects his own enthusiasm for the new Rome that Augustus had promised and the stability that the new emperor brought.

But “The Aeneid” does not just praise imperial rule. Although he preferred order to chaos, Virgil’s writing showed he knew there were costs, as well as benefits, in any political system. One reason why “The Aeneid” is considered a classic was that it did not just beat the drum for Roman virtue. It dealt thoughtfully with the complex relations at the heart of the Roman Empire. 

Source: PBS The Roman Empire in the First Century

Aeneas has been judged by some to be more of an anti-hero than a hero. He suffers much, witnesses much suffering, and causes much suffering in the process of founding Rome. He makes mistakes, loses control of his emotions and experiences much sadness. He has doubts and regrets. Part of Vergil's intent in writing his epic is to underscore the (high) price of founding Rome and building an empire, as well as to recall the ideals that Romans wished to claim as their own. Winning and ruling could be a nasty business. Vergil never lets us forget this for long. There is ambiguity in what looks like "triumph."

Keep this in mind as you read Edith Hamilton's synopsis of the the epic.