No Subject

[awph]

Aeneas is a person in a story, devised by an author, based on a legend. Whether you think he is a good person depends to a certain extent on who you are. If you rate highly decisiveness, forceful conduct, dashing heroism and concern for women, you might not think that Aeneas was much good. To see him as a good person you have to admit that, overall, he does what he has to do rather than what he wants to do. He wants to kill Helen; he is shownthat it is wrong andhe does not do it. He does not want to leave Troy; he has to. He wants to stay with Dido; he leaves because he has another job to do. He accepts the guidance he gets from the gods and follows it. He is not a particularly keen warrior but he takes the lead against Turnus. He takes moral decisions, rather than ones which will suit him. He does what he ought to do, not what he wants to do. Some people think that this makes him a second-rate person; I think that he is more like most of us: we are faced with choices all the time: what do I want to do? What should I do? He is set up as an example to the Romans of the best way to behave as a human being.<br><br>This does not really account for his killing of Turnus. here he seems to give in to his human passions instead of doing the decent thing. <br><br>I think the question is one well worth asking.

[A pity people dont understand]

The epic of the Aeneid was created as a reminder of the people of Rome of Pietas, duty to you family, your country and god(s).<br><br>Aeneas is Virgil's embodiement of this, and throughout the epic, he acts in a pious way. He carries from Troy his Father, his son, and his idols, and he leads his wife. He obeys the direction of the Gods and shows duty to his country by founding a new country in Italy.<br><br>Aeneas cannot be judged by our morals, for he was a reflection of the Pietas of Roman times. Whether or not he was good or bad can only be judged by the Romans themselves, as they were the audience of the epic.

[Phool]

The Romans are hardly the audience of the Aeneid,its is still studied now, clearly modern theories and interpretations can be applied to the text, even though they didn't exist at the time! He was essentially a good person, dutiful to his family and people, caring for thoose important to him and eventually sacrificing his own desires for the good of others. He may not have the attributes of a Homeric hero,but his flaws only serve to make him all the more relevent to 'normal' people.

[Unregistered]

Is Aeneas is good person?