I've always loved the closing lines of the Aeneid, simply because it DOES seem to reflect the Augustan triumph. Remember the prominence that Augustus has on the shield of aeneas (the twin rays of light coming from his temples (I think- going from memory). I don't think it is too much to suggest that the final conflict between Aeneas and turnus represents the end of the civil wars, whether you see it as representing Actium (of course this was already described).
Remember, too, that Virgil is using homer as well- is he also linking this final duel with the single combats seen in the Iliad? My thoughts (not based on scholarly argument, but based more on a gut feeling, is that Virgil would not have been out of place as a Vietnam protestor of the 1960s- read those last two lines carefully- I think Virgil is saying the wars were a waste of Rome's valuable resources.
Just my two cents (or three mal, since I'm in China)- again, gut feelings only.
James Stewart Northeast Normal University Changchun, China _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
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