Life is made of decisions and these same decisions imply making sacrifices. We Humans are forced to give up on current attainable pleasures to focus on our main goals and objectives that may turn out to be otherwise unattainable. We are challenged every day to surpass those obstacles that hold us back, knowing that they can be very meaningful. In the epic of The Aeneid, written by the Roman poet, Virgil, we come across Aeneas, who is marked by his loyalty and devotion, his pietas. This epic also raises the controversy of weather Aeneas wrongs Dido. However, his unquestionable obedience to the gods cannot possibly be blamed for Dido’s heartbroken soul.
In the early books of the Aeneid, Aeneas is presented as the son of gods, a valiant, brave …show more content…
If we compared him to Dido, he does not behave heroically in this particular book. Aeneas could’ve left a better impression of himself if he had somehow shown more care. Virgil has him behave in a cowardly manner; he almost chose to flee the city leaving no trace. Even though Aeneas does talk to Dido before he leaves he has a lot to show for. As they conversed about his departure, Dido questioned Aeneas calling him a “traitor!” She asked him if he “actually hope to conceal this crime and sneak away” without telling her and then questions what their love meant (book 4, pg.87). Aeneas could’ve been more sentimental about leaving, but he chooses what we call today a “playerish” move to wash his hands and practically abandon Dido. But the way Virgil writes this epic, it seems as if Aeneas is not to blame and leaves it all to the gods. In contrast of the loving way Aeneas spoke about his dead wife, Aeneas’s attitude towards Dido is far different than the one which he displayed towards his first wife, of who he says "was taken from me by some evil fortune" (book 2, pg.51). Aeneas seems cold, detached, and almost cruel, to the passionate …show more content…
But to his defense, it is clear that gods play an important role in the plot and dictate his fate. Virgil doesn’t appear to blame Aeneas. It is not his fault that he must leave Dido; he is following orders delivered by Mercury sent down by the gods. Virgil illustrates that Aeneas is not wronging Dido by leaving her. He points out that Aeneas is obeying divine orders as he said “the oracles of Gryneian Apollo, of Lycian Apollo, have commanded with one voice that the land of Italy is my journey’s end" (book 4, pg. 88). In Aeneas's speech to Dido, and we can see that he seems to suppress own guilt by invoking his responsibility to the gods. Even if we want to blame Aeneas, it is obvious that Virgil the gods to determining the course of events in this epic. He writes that Aeneas “sighs heavily, and although great love has shaken his soul, he obeys the gods’ will and returns to the feet” (book 4, pg. 90). Aeneas was basically an obedient race horse that was being led by his jockey, in this case the