Karsan Tindol
Dr. Kaylor
ENG-2207
September 6, 2016
The Roman System of Values in The Aeneid
The Aeneid is a poem about fate and freewill, yet it seems as if Aeneas is being dragged into his destiny until he finds the Roman value fides in Dis. He is a hero of some sort, but not one of validity. Instead, he is but a piece of putty, being stretched across the poem as he is the seas. The secondary characters in this poem are as, if not more important than the main character Aeneas. Juno, his antagonist, is well-defined, powerful, and consistent, whereas Aeneas loses his consistency along the way. There is a clear line that shows when Turnus changes his mindset, but not so much so for Aeneas. However, all three of these characters show very distinct values from the Roman system of values. In book 1 of The Aeneid, furor is very prominent. Juno channels the furor she feels for Paris into her wrath taken upon Aeneas. Granted, she wants to disrupt fate and not let Aeneas take Carthage, but she has a burning desire for revenge against the Trojans because of Paris 's choice. When Neptune calms the seas that are raging because of the winds that Juno gets Aeolus to create, the sea itself is described in a furor state. "All the while Neptune / sensed the furor above him, the roaring seas first and / the storms breaking next" (Virgil 145-147) Juno initiates this storm because of her own hatred, telling Aeolus to create the storm. …show more content…
Her furor is then in the form of the storm, as said by Virgil in the line. The storm embodies Juno 's wrath and only because of Neptune is it stopped before all of Aeneas 's ships are taken. One would assume that a goddess as great and as powerful as she would not succumb to temptations this trivial, but Juno acts upon her human-like rage and desires. A lost beauty contest sends her into this hatred for the people of Troy, so when fate decides that the people of Troy will take over her favorite city, it drives her mad. The storm is the starting point of the many times Juno tries to change fate, and because of this book I is based around her furor, the storm, and its Page Break consequences. Juno cannot create the storm herself, and because of this she is forced to get other gods involved. This shows the level of which she is willing to go to satisfy her need of revenge against the Trojans. Book VI is the entire journey that Aeneas takes in Dis. He sees familiar faces, but most importantly he learns of the importance of the quest he is on; not only because of what he does, but because his father tells him of the great things that his lineage accomplishes. The entirety of the empire is dependent on Aeneas, and once he steps out of Dis, he has a much clearer perspective. "Once Anchises has led his son through each new scene / and fired his soul with a love of glory still to come," (Virgil 1024-1025) Fides is now shown through Aeneas. He has a newfound appreciation for his family and his Page Break nation, because they are one in the same. It is as if he steps out through the Gates of Ivory with a false dream, yet a dire passion to see his family and his nation prosper the way that his father said they both would. He does not yet realize that going through that fate will cause his nation to assimilate instead of control, but at that point it does …show more content…
"The fear of God" is a saying that goes well with this. Turnus has absolutely no problem admitting to his greatest foe that he fears the gods, which proves that he is loyal to them. People fear those that are greater, even great warriors such as Turnus. Society has a ladder of respect, and the gods are at the very top. The commoners fear Turnus and he fears the gods. Fear and respect go hand in hand because a person must respect someone 's capabilities in order to fear them. Virgil shows the ultimate respect of the gods through this quote by Turnus, proving that even the most feared humans must still respect higher
Dr. Kaylor
ENG-2207
September 6, 2016
The Roman System of Values in The Aeneid
The Aeneid is a poem about fate and freewill, yet it seems as if Aeneas is being dragged into his destiny until he finds the Roman value fides in Dis. He is a hero of some sort, but not one of validity. Instead, he is but a piece of putty, being stretched across the poem as he is the seas. The secondary characters in this poem are as, if not more important than the main character Aeneas. Juno, his antagonist, is well-defined, powerful, and consistent, whereas Aeneas loses his consistency along the way. There is a clear line that shows when Turnus changes his mindset, but not so much so for Aeneas. However, all three of these characters show very distinct values from the Roman system of values. In book 1 of The Aeneid, furor is very prominent. Juno channels the furor she feels for Paris into her wrath taken upon Aeneas. Granted, she wants to disrupt fate and not let Aeneas take Carthage, but she has a burning desire for revenge against the Trojans because of Paris 's choice. When Neptune calms the seas that are raging because of the winds that Juno gets Aeolus to create, the sea itself is described in a furor state. "All the while Neptune / sensed the furor above him, the roaring seas first and / the storms breaking next" (Virgil 145-147) Juno initiates this storm because of her own hatred, telling Aeolus to create the storm. …show more content…
Her furor is then in the form of the storm, as said by Virgil in the line. The storm embodies Juno 's wrath and only because of Neptune is it stopped before all of Aeneas 's ships are taken. One would assume that a goddess as great and as powerful as she would not succumb to temptations this trivial, but Juno acts upon her human-like rage and desires. A lost beauty contest sends her into this hatred for the people of Troy, so when fate decides that the people of Troy will take over her favorite city, it drives her mad. The storm is the starting point of the many times Juno tries to change fate, and because of this book I is based around her furor, the storm, and its Page Break consequences. Juno cannot create the storm herself, and because of this she is forced to get other gods involved. This shows the level of which she is willing to go to satisfy her need of revenge against the Trojans. Book VI is the entire journey that Aeneas takes in Dis. He sees familiar faces, but most importantly he learns of the importance of the quest he is on; not only because of what he does, but because his father tells him of the great things that his lineage accomplishes. The entirety of the empire is dependent on Aeneas, and once he steps out of Dis, he has a much clearer perspective. "Once Anchises has led his son through each new scene / and fired his soul with a love of glory still to come," (Virgil 1024-1025) Fides is now shown through Aeneas. He has a newfound appreciation for his family and his Page Break nation, because they are one in the same. It is as if he steps out through the Gates of Ivory with a false dream, yet a dire passion to see his family and his nation prosper the way that his father said they both would. He does not yet realize that going through that fate will cause his nation to assimilate instead of control, but at that point it does …show more content…
"The fear of God" is a saying that goes well with this. Turnus has absolutely no problem admitting to his greatest foe that he fears the gods, which proves that he is loyal to them. People fear those that are greater, even great warriors such as Turnus. Society has a ladder of respect, and the gods are at the very top. The commoners fear Turnus and he fears the gods. Fear and respect go hand in hand because a person must respect someone 's capabilities in order to fear them. Virgil shows the ultimate respect of the gods through this quote by Turnus, proving that even the most feared humans must still respect higher