Essay
Heroism in the Aeneid
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A* Essay - analysis about the theme of heroism in the Aeneid by Virgil OCR A-level World of the Hero course
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The Aeneid HeroismIn the grand Roman empire, pietas became the quintessential belief of how a transcendent
ruler ought to endure by formulating and establishing an enlightening environment for their
community. As an important virtue of Roman tradition, pietas became defined as a leader
who is dutiful, mindful, and accepts their duties to the gods, their family, and most
necessarily their empire. Moreover, heroism intertwines with pietas which demonstrate the
ability to make sacrifices for the benefit of an empire. Hence, in the epic poem of Virgil’s The
Aeneid, the protagonist Aeneas is a well-known leader who is also simultaneously an
apprehensive and dynamic character that agonizes with fully committing himself to the
ideology of heroism and pietas. Afflicted in the seams of what his heart hungers for and what
his rationale thrives for, Aeneas can still perceive that his actions generate the future of the
founding of Rome that will ensuingly become his son Iulus’ tenure, and a home for all of the
Trojan generations. Therefore, in this essay, I will analyze the passage where Aeneas became
confronted by Mercury about his disillusioned state of mind after marrying Dido and decides
it is most logical to leave her. The passage from book four, page 137, is the embodiment of
what the order of human experience is because it exhibits how Aeneas continuously became
depleted of almost everyone he loved and risked his quality of life and physical comfort to
serve others at any cost. Thus, the order of human experience becomes delineated by the fact
that a community needs a leader to thrive under and that leader needs to continually sacrifice
their personal desires and become deprived of their individuality that can induce inner
conflicts but has the capability to find a new form of themselves that benefits all. So, it may
become defined as the leaders who choose to prevail for the prosperity of the community and
to discern its future; moreover, it is the synopsis of acknowledging and applying humility
within the power to construct a vast empire. Hence, Aeneas cedes his individuality to obtain a
new idea of himself guided by the gods and to constitute the rebirth of Troy. Above all, the
human order is the antecedent of pain and sacrifice, but the consequent of evidently
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