In The Aeneid, Virgil writes “Roman, remember by your strength to rule // Earth’s peoples-for your arts are to be these: // To pacify, to impose the rule of the law, // To spare the conquered, battle down the proud.” As Aeneas is looking at the fate of Rome in the underworld (1151-1154). Aeneas is destined to found Rome, but he must overcome violent deaths, loss, and suffering before he makes it to the end of his journey to eventually find
In Virgil’s The Aeneid, Aeneas is cast into the main role as the leader of what’s left of the Trojan people. Many people in his position are presented as heroes like Odysseus and Hercules, accomplishing and doing great deeds, but can Aeneas be considered a hero? Taking into consideration the parts of the Aeneid, book six and book twelve, can give some insight and examples into why Aeneas may just be an indirect hero and a pawn used by the gods. When first reading book four I saw Aeneas in a negative light. They way he left Dido, breaking her heart, to go to Italy after they had been married (in Dido’s eyes) just seemed cruel and uncalled for.
The gods told Aeneas that he has to go to Italy to be their ruler. Aeneas loved Dido he wanted to “calm and comfort her in all her pain” (The Aeneas Line 523). “In sickness from his sight and the light of day, Leaving him at a loss, alarmed, and mute With all he meant to say. The maid in waiting Caught her as she swooned and carried her To bed in her marble chamber” (The Aeneid 516-520). Dido was heartbroken and filled with anger.
Apollo was also an oracular god, as he was the prophetic deity in the Oracle in Delphi and the island of Delos. As already mentions, Apollo was also considered as the god of healing and medicine, either through himself or through his son. At the same time, however, he could also bring forth disease and plague with his arrows. According to the myth, Apollo was a handsome, strong and youthful god with impressive golden hair. I wanted to have a research about Apollo because I thought he gave us a lesson.
Apollo was the god of many things; of which include: poetry, music, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light and knowledge. Artemis, on the other hand, was the goddess of the hunt, forest, moon, archery, forests, and hills. While Leto was in labor she could not push out Apollo because she had became very weak while running and hiding from Hera who had banned her from giving birth anywhere light touched. As an infant, Artemis helped her mother push until Apollo was born. As the twins grew, Zeus favored them more and more for their extraordinary talents.
Amor obeys his dear mother’s instructions and now sheds his feathered.” (Virgil, Aenied, 29 and 19 BC, p. 15). The gods not only intervene with the humans’ routine and actions, they also have the power to control the very love they possess. Aeneas’ mother, Venus, is the goddess of love and compassion, and Cupid, her son, is the god of erotic desire. These two characteristics are the core elements of pleasure. It is love that sets sail a thousand ships.
As a result, it made Aeneas stay until Mercury reminded him of his fate. Juno started the war between the Trojans and Latin by telling Allecto to disguise himself and provoke Turnus. Despite everything that Juno did to Aeneas he managed to reach Italy and win the war. This relate to Horace themes because Aeneas fate is unique since the gods
Athena-The True Hero of The Odyssey After Odysseus blinds Cyclops Polyphemus, the wrath of his father, Poseidon, falls on him. Odysseus painful journey to Ithaca would have been possible, if it was not for Athena. She takes her plea to Zeus, to save Odysseus. Athena is the true reason that Odysseus succeeds in his journey, because she plays the role of a protector, mentor, and collaborator, as her actions prove this throughout Homer's story. Athena shows her role as Odysseus's protector in Book V. Poseidon brings a hurricane and tsunami, when Odysseus is out at sea, Athena protects him through his ordeal.
It is known that all gods should be perfect and infallible, and should represent justice and equity, but with Oedipus, the gods decided to destroy him and his family for no reason. It might be hard to believe that gods can have humanistic traits, but in fact they do. The gods, especially Apollo, are considered evil by the reader because they destroyed an innocent man’s life and his family. They destroyed Oedipus by controlling his fate, granting people the power of prophecy, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of Apollo, and finally afflicting the people of Thebes with a dreadful plague. Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his
After a few blows, Turnus’s sword hilt breaks off and the gods get involved. Once Juno finally accepts the fact that Trojans will be victorious and stops intervening, Aeneas batters Turnus down to the ground and in revenge for Pallas’s death “plants his iron sword” into Turnus’s heart (Virgil