FREE ESSAY ON AENEAS, A DEVOTED HERO

AENEAS, A DEVOTED 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 X) the death
on his pale face made Aeneas "grown in profound pity... and rung his heart"(1151-1152).
After he kills Lausus, Aeneas faces Mezentius, the young dead soldier's father, and was
driven to slay him too. Aeneas kills the father and son duo with pity in his heart as he
fights for his country. He does his duty, to fight for his destiny with devoutness to his
gods. 
Aeneas' duty to the gods exemplifies his piousness. Through his journeys and challenges,
he prays to his gods and asks for blessing. He has total devotion to the gods maybe
because of his half divine. With Venus as his mother, she always watches over him,
intervenes with trouble to help out her son. In book III, Aeneas prays at a shrine of
Apollo for "a home and walls"(117-118 III) for his weary men. As Aeneas stay in the home
and walls of Carthage, Mercury sent by Jupiter, reminds him that he must remember his
fate, and that he should leave immediately. Knowing that he will hurt Dido and leave his
happiness, he is being dutifully follow the words of Mercury, who represents the Jove.
While following the gods' command in Cumae, Aeneas "spoke out his vows"(236 XII) to the
"almighty Father, and his lady-thou, Saturnia, more kindly to us goddess, now, I pray;
and thou, too, famous Mars,"(239-243 XII) and "call[s] on springs and streams, and all
the powers both of high heaven and the deep blue sea."(244-245 XII) Even during the
suspense of his battle with the Italians, he glorifies the gods and prays for peace to
come. Aeneas displays piety to the gods at times of battle and war. His duty and devotion
to the gods leads him to the victory over the Italians and to the land. 
Aeneas' victory at the end venerates his piousness. His ability to keep going through
endless heartaches and disappointments strengthens him as a hero and as a leader. This
admirable trait is shown through the love he has for his family, the devotion of reaching
his fate of finding the new city, and the duty to his gods as he ventures through his
mission. His pietas was confirmed when he put aside his heart to comply with the wills of
the gods. Virgil idealizes Aeneas as a model of great leadership, firm on his beliefs,
but also a compassionate person. He is a symbol of the great Roman virtues of pietas.