NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Virgil spent a substantial amount of time and research on his masterpiece, The Aeneid. His goal was to create a piece of literature that would be praised by King Augustus Caesar of Rome. In order to properly display his devotion and gratitude towards his gracious leader, Virgil wrote The Aeneid as an adoration of Rome. The book was designed to exalt the country ruled by Augustus, while simultaneously giving a sense of the new, ordered society. The features and virtues of Rome were indirectly personified through Aeneas.
This was proven by the background and roots of the creation of the book, the main characters similarities to Augustus, and his dedication to duty and responsibility, which resembled that of Rome and its people. Virgil first befriended Octavian, or future emperor Augustus, when he was studying law and rhetoric in Rome. During the reign of Augustus, poetry and prose flourished in Rome. Both the king himself and his close advisor, Marcenas were patrons of influential poets and writers of that time.
As a result, the relationship between Augustus and Virgil became one of respect for each other and their duty to society. With this is mind; Virgil took on the task of creating an epic poem that would embody the characteristics and hardships of what was historical Rome to him at that time. Virgil took on this task with pride and dedicated years of his life to research and refinement of The Aeneid. Virgil visited various landmarks and sites that me writes about in his depiction of Rome. Upon reaching Athens, and ultimately facing declining health conditions, he came across King Augustus and was asked to accompany him to Italy. The trip was not beneficial to the health situation at hand, and Virgil was not able to survive the voyage.
As a final request before his untimely death, Virgil asked that his work up until that point on The Aeneid be destroyed. Such a request was due to the fact that he did not want to present Augustus with an unfinished piece. However, Augustus disobeyed his dying wish and, instead, put two of Virgil's friends on the job of finishing his epic. Augustus decision to put others on the job of finishing The Aeneid hints at the idea that the additions and editing could have been manipulated to glorify Augustus and Rome more so than Virgil intended. Obviously, such a comment is only speculation, however it is also insightful to the possible corruption of the epic on behalf of Augustus. Accusing the Roman King of corruption is a bold statement, and quite possibly very untrue, yet at the same time it is not inconceivable that Augustus may have been involved in glorifying himself through the contents of Virgil's work.
Rather than comply with the authors dying wishes, he took his own route with the situation and chose who would finish the book. Such a decision and his close ties with every aspect of it, may insinuate that Augustus was involved in manipulating parts of The Aeneid as to give a positive, strong outlook on Rome at that time. The King was fully aware that such literature could have influential impact on its readers as to the trials and content of the Roman Empire for many years to come. The similarities between Aeneas and Augustus are blatantly portrayed in The Aeneid.
The main character shared an array of heroic and patriotic qualities with the King of Rome. Both were courageous and willing to face battle by any means. Just as Aeneas was forced to confront battle and death in order to salvage the strength of his country, Augustus was courageous to rebuild Rome after years of civil war that seemed to wreck their society. There was also the connection in the lineage of Augustus and Aeneas.
As legend told, Augustus is a distant heir to Aeneas. Such a fact could interpret The Aeneid to be a direct praise and account of the reign of Augustus. One particular parallel relating to that would be that Aeneas was indirectly the founder of Latium, which was later Rome. Augustus, on the other hand, was often portrayed as the second founder of Rome. This was in reference to the fact that he redeveloped their society and helped them to recover from the distraught of civil war. The sheer notion that the two heroes are related in any sense helps to support the fact that the character of Aeneas was a reflection of King Augustus and his empire of Rome.
Augustus and Aeneas also shared the quality of being dedicated to the duties and responsibilities of the given time, particularly their devotion to the gods. As written in the epic, Aeneas abandoned his love for Dido to follow the command given to him by Mercury, who was sent by Jupiter. Aeneas was informed that the duty given to him by fate was to discover a new homeland. He had strayed away from that while pursuing his minds desire to be with Dido. Mercury informed Aeneas that he must sail from Carthage immediately and seek out the destiny that he was sent to. Due to his devotion to fate and the gods, Aeneas acted immediately upon Mercury's request, and set his ships to leave.
All of which was done without informing Dido. She eventually discovered the truth on her own, and was not happy with the decision of Aeneas. As a result, she committed suicide and prayed for eternal hostility between her people and those of Aeneas (Virgil, 4: 97 - 118). Augustus, too, felt similarly in his devotion to the gods. He put fate and destiny above all else. Such dependency on the will of the gods was a crucial part of leading Rome.
Augustus recognized and exemplified just that. Aeneas personified Rome and its emperor Augustus in nearly all aspects in The Aeneid. Virgil purposely wrote an epic to depict the triumphs and tribulations of Rome through a legendary character that even traced back to Augustus. The obvious connections involved the background facts having to do with the creation of the book, the evident associations between Aeneas and Augustus, and the dedication to duty and responsibility that can easily be linked back to the Romans and their king. Rome proved to be a stout country that would live on and create the basis for countries to come. Such a task required countless amounts of devotion, courage, direction, and strength on behalf of the individuals that inhabited it and lead it.
All of the above also proved to be true of Aeneas; the man that initially took homage on the grounds that would later be Rome. His valor and heroism in war directed the path of the Roman Empire and arranged a firm grounding for what was to come for its people. Aeneas set the foundation for Rome; Augustus helped to build the strength of the empire. Bibliography: Africa, Thomas W. Rome of the Caesars.
John Wiley & Sons, 1965. Knight, W. F. Jackson trans. The Aeneid. Virgil.
Penguin Books, 1956. Kuttner, Ann L. Dynasty and Empire in the Age of Augustus. University of California Press, 1995. Mackie, C. J.
The Characterisation of Aeneas. Scottish Academic Press, 1988.
Free research essays on topics related to: virgil, aeneas, civil war, augustus, roman empire
Research essay sample on Roman Empire Civil War
