Aeneid and Roman Civilization

Running Head : Aeneid and Rome

Aeneid

And its connection

To the

Roman Civilization

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Abstract

The Aeneid is one of the greatest epics from the Roman poet Virgil . It was journey of the escaped hero from Troy who went out to fulfill his destiny of finding the land of Romans in Italy

Through out the poem , Rome has been mentioned many times and some allegories were made regarding the usage of gods and Aeneas ' soldiers in comparison with the Roman

Senate or with the Roman Soldiers . In addition to this , assumptions were made that Aeneid was made for Augustus , a part of his scholarly , brilliant plan to get himself more known to the people . As with the close relationship of Virgil and Augustus , one can not help but wander if Aeneid was truly an artistic poem inspired by events surrounding the author ? Or merely a historical , allegorical document presided over by Augustus as Virgil tried to translate it into a poem

In this , various interpretations and connections with Aeneid and the Roman civilization was cited . Passages from the poem were also used to best describe these associations

Introduction

It is universal that artists get inspirations for their works of art from their surroundings , the people close to them , their experiences their religious and political beliefs , and their own point of view with things . It could be said that these factors could somehow limit an artist 's imagination and the scope of his works . However , in Virgil 's case , he went beyond these factors and soared outside of the pre-set criteria and came up with a masterpiece to epically chronicle the events around him . Virgil is one of the best poets of the Augustan age , along with Horace , and through his writings , we , in the contemporary period are enlightened and informed about his time

The Augustan age , as we all know , is the golden age of the Roman Empire . Where Octavian , claimed his inheritance to the power of Caesar became the Augustus and the First Emperor of Rome . However , his rise to power was so controversial that he had devise some ways to make his fellow citizens of Rome , accept his rule and , well , love him , the way they loved Julius Caesar . It was said , that Virgil , on his deathbed ed the epic Aeneid to be burnt and destroyed as it was not finish yet but , after the three readings that he had provided to Augustus , the pseudo-citizen of Rome liked what he had heard and the depiction of events in Aeneid , that he did not see through his friend 's death wish but rather , published Aeneid after Virgil 's death

Virgil 's Opinion of Rome through Aeneid

In to further understand the meaning of Aeneid and its connection to Rome , we must first arrest the character and personality of the man responsible for the epic . How Virgil 's feelings towards Rome are always evident in his writings . Even before Aeneid , in his Eclogues...