Trojan War In The Aeneid

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On a quest to compose a story that would become the great epic of Rome, writer Virgil created The Aeneid, a poem following the journey of Aeneas, an epic hero. In “Book II” of The Aeneid, Virgil portrays the Trojan War in such a way that makes the Trojans appear less foolish than what The Odyssey, its Greek predecessor, depicted. Virgil emphasizes the Trojans’ good character, love, and sympathy while exposing the Greeks deceitful and untrustworthy ways. “Book IV” describes Queen Dido’s inability to find love after the loss of her beloved husband. After escaping the Greek’s attack on Troy, Aeneas arrives in her kingdom, and Dido instantly falls in love with the great warrior who washed up on her shores. Faced with a decision, he must choose…show more content…
Virgil highlights the Greeks’ duplicitous approach to winning wars when the reader realizes the massive wooden horse contains all the Greek troops Sinon claimed had deserted him. ”Sinon stealthily lets loose the imprisoned Grecians from their barriers of pine” (272-274). Armed and ready for battle against the unknowing Trojans, the Greeks quickly cause Troy to fall to ruin. Hector, a slain leader of the Trojan army, startles Aeneas in his dream when he comes to alert him of the bloodbath happening outside his home. “They invade the city that’s drowned in sleep and wine, kill the watchmen, welcome their comrades at the open gates, and link their clandestine ranks” (284-286). Aeneas’s emotions quickly transition from sympathy for Sinon into outrage towards the phony man he chose to believe. When feeling as if he has lost all control of something he assumed he had total command of, a sense of urgency to redeem himself appears. Aeneas and his men rush to the scene of the battle and attempt to disprove their ignorance towards letting the horse inside their gates. Placing his sympathetic emotions before his duty to protect Troy lead to him having to counteract his actions by leading the battle against the Greeks to prove his loyalty to his city. Triumphing over emotional decisions, duty prevails a great deal when faced with…show more content…
Many suitable men have come forward, pleading for Queen Dido's hand in marriage, however, Aeneas is the first man she has been able to feel any affection towards since the death of her husband. The goddesses Venus and Juno coerced the couple into a cave to informally wed them. From Dido’s point of view, the ceremony is as official as any other while Aeneas feels that it is bogus. Their conflicting perspectives revealed to cause an issue in their relationship. When confronted by Apollo and advised to journey back to ((Troy)), he forces Aeneas to decide whether to leave the woman he loves or to risk angering the gods and disappointing his people. “I never held the torches of a bridegroom, never entered upon the pact of marriage.” (467-468) He attempted to make his leaving seem more reasonable to Dido while also seeking to anger her and make her want for him to leave. He failed in his pursuit to reason with Dido but did an excellent job in infuriating her. Putting his duty before the emotions of Dido proves that obligations trump feelings in many situations. “I should look after Troy and the loved relics left me of my people” (984-985). Though he loved Dido just as much as she loved him, his loyalty to his city comes before his feelings towards her. With love obstructing his decisions, it took divine intervention to remind Aeneas of the task he

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