Aeneas as a leader

Aeneas as a Leader

Virgil 's epic poem Aeneid tells the tale of the great leader Aeneas His greatness was inevitable considering his parentage . He was the son of the goddess of sexual love , Venus and a mortal Trojan , Anchises . He has angered Juno because she knows that Carthage , her favorite city will one day be destroyed by the Trojans . Aeneas survived the destruction of Troy . Virgil portrays Aeneas as a courageous , persistent man destined for greatness . He must now lead the other survivors to another land . This journey will one day

lead to the establishment of the mighty Roman Empire . To become the father of such an illustrious and grand empire , Aeneas had to be a great leader

Aeneas was destined to become a leader from the beginning of his life A great leader must always face adversity to stand the test of time and that is exactly what happens to Aeneas . Aeneas was a man fill with goodness , strength , and courage . These characteristics gave him the skill to rescue his men by confronting enemies . He has a persistent foe , Juno , whose jealousies cause her to follow him even after he has left the homeland that he loved so much . He does not only contends with an enemy that is pursuit of him , but he face the wrath of one with supernatural powers . The fact that he does this only adds to his greatness

Aeneas is a driven man . Most people feel a need to be in control of their fate , but instead , he is driven by his . He realizes that his life has a purpose and that is to go to Italy and establish what is to be one of the greatest empires . To do this , Aeneas must set his sites on the future and his fate instead of what he wants . This was extremely difficult for him since his mother was Venus , the goddess of erotic love which is her blood rushed through his veins , yet he resisted it for the good of others . Aeneas comes to recognize his historical task with greater precision . His sympathy for the distress of his people , while having a single-minded loyalty to his obligation , is another characteristic of his great leadership

Right from the start , Aeneas motivates the men who have followed him He inspires them when they first reach land in Libya , by reminding them of worse situations that they have overcome in the past

He halted and , weeping "What place now " he said "Achates

what region on earth is not full of [the story of] our hardship

Behold Priam . Here too are the rewards of glory

there are tears for things , and what is mortal touches the mind (Virgil . Book 1 , lines 459-462

A true leader will forsake his /her own desires and wishes for the good of his /her people and that is exactly what Aeneas does . He and Dido fall deeply in love and even though they have not been ceremoniously married , they consummate their love . In...