How is aeneas not a hero

Dutiful is a better translation than pious here. In fact, as Susanna Braund points out in her fantastic and free Stanford lectures on the Aeneid , Aeneas uses a more telling phrase:.

It seems that we like heroes to be strong and weak, tough and tender, but that we need to believe that they are free. Subtle but interesting. To be continued. I agree with your analysis.

Plus more human heroes are more realistic to us—if they share characteristics that we have e. Perhaps the hero has to be just enough like us and just enough not like us. The jury is indeed still out.

Do we or do we not have free will? In fact, Dafna, try to think of a modern hero or heroine who does not have free will. What makes stories interesting is the point at which the hero or heroine, acting with free will, suddenly finds themself narrowly circumscribed by the results of their actions so that it seems as if they no longer have free will.

The story of Perseus and the Medusa was once explained to me as being about free will and decision-making. The snakes on the head of the Medusa represent choices — so many choices that paralysis ensues. Well done, Dafna. The concept of free will vs destiny was also explored quite well by James Clavell in Shogun and Tai Pan. It may be a common theme in sagas and even novels and short stories. It certainly permeates myths and legends and religious stories and texts.

Interesting poser… I am trying to think of a modern hero or heroine that does have free will. In the end, most are bound by destiny or its modern counterpart a strong moral code. They struggle against great odds to right wrongs and restore order but it seems they arrive on the scene at the moment they are most needed and do things they must, regardless of a desire to move on.

But that reluctance is part of what makes the hero, is it not? He could just walk away, ride out of town, mind his own business, if he really had free will. Does any political leader present himself as an individual of free will, there to seek power and impose his will? Or does he present himself as the man of the hour, there at the right moment in time to deliver the nation from the troubles they are experiencing?

In effect, a man of destiny? Thoughtful point. The made-for-TV film adaptation actually sort of projects this on him to a degree.

I never thought of the Odyssey in that way. Then again, your students are probably too young to suspect that the Odyssey is really a story about a midlife crisis. Interesting comment. What age are your students? Consequently, the Telemachus story plays a prominent role here. Part of character complexity is that they often change as a result of their experiences — as, broadly speaking, do people.

His behavior in the hall, among other things, seems to confirm that. But again, this is probably too subtle a point. Perhaps Homer or the oral tradition encompassed by him considered him plenty complex already, and did not know how to make him even more complex. Does he do anything of his own volition? Blog master no give verdict. Blog master try keep day job. Blog master today drive editor in car all day. Big topic Andreas. You tend to do this, you know.

Throw out a little idea that takes one away from her duties and train of thought. I am wondering about the Greek heroes as opposed to the Roman ones.

Granted, some of the Roman heroes are just Greek deities renamed and shrink wrapped made in Rome. The Greeks, and thus their heroes, were internal, that is…reflective. The Romans, and perhaps their heroes, were more external, that is…Follow the orders of the person of higher rank or of your powerful God.

Does that obedience lessen the heroic qualities of brave Aeneas? Not in my book. Perhaps having a hero like Aeneas, who tethers himself to the will of the Gods, validates the Roman way of doing things. By the end of the poem, Aeneas has developed a certainty that he will be the founder of Rome.

Sometimes the Gods knew what they were doing. The Aeneid is years younger than the Iliad, as distant as we are from Dante. Thank you, Andreas, for seeking to share your insights. You are enthusiastic and prolific and no-one doubts your authenticity. Your explanations are works of art in themselves. You write with felicity, facility and scholarship. Yet I remain unmoved. You endeavour to teach what you know, generously and risking much.

I have studied those special excerpts and throw-away lines backwards, forwards and inside-out. I resent it. I resent that the Ancients talk to others and not to me, particularly at my age when time is short. It is sheer greed and envy. You will keep trying and I will keep reading, but forgive me if I retreat, clutching my small volume of Zen stories, to my very small corner of Paradise a prosaic life dismissed by Phil Phogg, God bless him , so that I may face whatever awaits me in peace.

I have reached my zenith: it is nix. That should worry neither you nor me, Richard. I sympathize because I feel the same way about, say, opera. So, no sense fighting it, because life is short. I thought I was the only one in the world whom the Ancients never talked to. See how varied life can be. I may seek psychiatric help because of months blogging on the ancients.

Shall we wait in the pub, RM? But even as I do, I squint at the target. So think of that question as a gauntlet thrown to the experts who may chance upon this blog. My goodness.

You are on your best behavior. Remember when we used to fantasize that we would all go to Morocco for a field trip? Remember, when he was super busy, you and I who are still working our bums off would log on late at night and pretend that he was too busy to notice our comments? We I too find it alien because we are individualistic in the West.

To these non western people — you might know better than me — family, clan, neighbourhood, tribe etc. Just one example behaviour among many: the majority possibly of marriages in the world are arranged by families.

So, basically, the extreme altruistic type is a bit of a mirror image of the sociopath with the opposing points being moral positions but sharing the adrenalin rush and the indifference to danger.

But a sociopath will typically try to hide his actions, whereas an altruistic person may prefer a thorough examination of his actions and motives. This difference could turn out to be one of many such differences in behavior and character — so the extent to which one can mirror the other may be limited. Still, the idea that altruists may weigh the dictates of their conscience against the dictates of the law is logical — the Founding Fathers can be seen as altruistic lawbreakers.

That is fascinating, if slightly disturbing. As for journeys, in every person more than a metaphor maybe. Just as the external journey is metaphor for the internal, the internal is influenced by the external. We observe and experience the external and then, of course, internalize the lessons. I think we, humans, seek linkages and relationships to everything external and internal. I have no theory. Pius Aeneas … difficult today to portrait something appealing out of it. It takes knowledge, intense poetry, a good feel of the public.

It is hard silent toil both in battle and out of battle Romans soldiers were never idle, had to build roads etc. I was wrong. Aeneas is not an alien, he is in us. Many folks are pii. And possibly a McCaine is closer to this … reverence, but I am a fan of Obama.

There is something of the pius Aenea in Maximus Meridius, the Gladiator. It took a cultured genius like Ridley Scott and a script writer like David Franzoni to accomplish it.

Maximus is pius to his butchered family, to penates he brings the tiny sacred objects everywhere, caresses, reveres them; Aeneas brings the Dii Penates of Troy to Latium: this is profoundly religious. Maximus is pius towards Rome, to emperor Marcus Aurelius, to his former comrades. He was a great soldier, a great soldier of Rome! I get goose-flesh, not because of Rome well, also but because it is a great universal feeling.

It was not like that in the 50s 60s, and Hollywood in fact produced much greater films. So while Aeneas is not an alien to our mind, it takes both great love and knowledge to make a person of years ago look alive and not a silly puppet. Fellini in the end could make no movies, he did cost too much, times were changing or he was crazier. Most people today are good specialists — excellent 3d animators, excellent special effects people, good script writers and directors — but not too good to represent Antiquity.

Aeneid by Virgil is an epic war poetry written in the 19 B. E based on the Trojan War. Despite the god 's cunning behaviors, their actions end up putting destiny back on its proper course. Gods, future, and fate are essential aspects of Greek epic poetry. The king of all deities, Jupiter, the divine antagonist of the destiny of Aeneas, and Venus, his main protector and his mother are the main Gods. Lesser Gods such as Mercury, Neptune, and Aeolus serve as instruments for the main Gods to interfere with during the story.

The role of the Gods in The Aeneid play a major part in intervening in certain events and delaying Aeneas journey, but nothing can change what Jupiter. Societies refer to such stories as a reference or guide through spiritual and religious origins. In time myths and their intended purpose evolve to accommodate an ever changing society. I will further analyze how a myth develops alongside its.

Wars have always offered many opportunities for heroes to prove themselves. Most of the characters in the Aeneid are seen entering the war enthusiastically in the hope of honoring and glorifying their names. However, Aeneas demonstrates heightened responsibility toward the people he leads.

At no point does he show selfishness in the wish for his name to be glorified and honored at death. In essence, Aeneas is committed to the destiny of his people. This uniqueness makes Aeneas an epic hero unlike previous heroes such as Odysseus. Aeneas is duty-bound and he follows nothing but fate. Every culture has different qualifications and no certain one is right or wrong.

Most of the time the hero is always brave and courageous, but cultures will differ on other details relating to a hero. Aeneas and Odysseus are both great courageous men and are seen as heroes in their culture, but they differ greatly. Odysseus is praised for deceiving others, but Aeneas is looked upon because of his selflessness and love for his country.

They are both admired in their own cultures and are hated by other cultures because their perception of a hero is different. Satisfactory Essays. Open Document. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Thesis: Despite his accomplishments and the glory associated with his life, Aeneas only achieves the status of hero through divine intervention, and this god-given position causes him just as much grief as it does splendor.

What is a hero? We would like to think that a hero is someone who has achieved some fantastic goal or status, or maybe someone who has accomplished a great task. Heroes find themselves in situations of great pressure and act with nobility and grace. Though the main character of Virgil's Aeneid, Aeneas, is such a person, it is not by his own doing.

He encounters situations in which death is near, in which love, hate, peace, and war come together to cause both good and evil.

In these positions he conducts himself with honor, by going along with what the gods want. Only then goes on to pave the way for the Roman Empire. His deeds , actions, and leadership would never have come to be if it were not for the gods.

The gods took special interest in Aeneas, causing him misfortune in some cases, giving him assistance in others. On the whole, the gods constantly provide perfect opportunities for Aeneas to display his heroism. Without them, Aeneas would not be the hero he is. This gift does not come without a price, though; he must endure the things heroes endure to become what they are.

Despite his accomplishments and the glory associated with his life, Aeneas only achieves the status of hero through divine intervention, and this god-given position causes him just as much grief as it does splendor. Aeneas is the son of Venus. This fact alone brings about much of the hero in him.

Venus, a concerned mother, always looks out for her son.