Re: VIRGIL: Aeneas' Character

[Melanie Austin]

I suspect that Virgil intended Aeneas to be a hero Augustus would have viewed as ideal.  The degree to which his epic is ironic has been the subject of much debate.  I was taught (by a prof who ignored the irony) that Creusa dies so that Aeneas may found a new Troy via a new marriage.  It was not wrong of Aeneas to tell Creusa to follow him; rather, it was an assertion of the patriarchal notion of male power, control, and continuity.   One can always find another wife, after all. Creusa seems to cooperate with the patriarchal order when she appears to Aeneas after her death.  She does not accuse him, as Dido will; she just points him in the direction he must take to fulfill his mission.

At 06:07 PM 5/28/2005 +0100, you wrote:

Do you agree that Aeneas is "a brave but bewildered man, suffering often through his own fault"?

I think this is a fairly accurate assessment of him and is seen especially in the section on Creusa and his desperate search for her after she has disappeared. If he had not had told her to follow from behind, the chances are she would not have gone missing.
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Melanie Austin
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