Virgil Aeneid

The Aeneid by Virgil is an attempt to demonstrate through its noble characters the lofty vision of the Roman imperial agenda. The actions of the characters stand as the voice of celebration of all things Roman. The author's narration often serves as opposition for anyone not wholly embracing such a patriotic celebration. Through textual evidence we will explore the portrayal of women in The Aeneid. The purpose of the evidence chosen is to support the fact that Roman imperialism was mandated by Roman patriarchy. Women were expected to reflect this ideal in their demeanor, actions and beliefs, however, it was an extension of the prevailing male identity of the time, solely dependent not only on Roman ideology but, consequently, male ideology.

Aeneas is the hero of The Aeneid because he is portrayed to embody the Roman ideals of the socio-political environment in which he lived. In the relationship between Aeneas and Dido we see the classic profound love but a female who is a heroine because she embodies the ideal qualities necessary to be a useful mate to a Roman hero. She is the classic "good woman" behind the successful man, and she will have to sacrifice the love of her husband for duty, but it is his duty to Rome for which she must do so. Nonetheless, Dido is devastated by the loss, which further underscores her deep loyalty to Rome because she could make such a personal sacrifice for a community cause, "But now for some while

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ey often suffer much more. One example is Anna, who is filled with remorse and guilt because of actions that helped cause the death of her sister Dido. Filled with remorse and inconsolable, she becomes hysterical and tries to mutilate herself in some kind of physical attempt at cleansing her soiled spiritual being, "Anna�ran through the crowd, tearing her cheeks with her nails, beating her breast�Did I build this pyre with my own hands, invoking our family gods, so that you might lie on it, and I, the cause of your troubles, not be there?" (Mack 600). In The Aeneid, which has Rome more as its main character than anyone in the story, woman are seen mainly as an extension of the men in their environment. The true woman in Virgil's epic would gladly support the love interest in her life abandoning her for the good of the state, albeit not without reproach. We also see the female gods have similar emotional outbursts and are extensions of their male counterparts. Juno, the daughter of Saturn, is told by Jove there is no need for her "violent emotion." Likewise, we see the sister of Turnus, Juturna, complain of her "much-tried heart." We see her empty when she loses the main male influence in her life, but this time it is not h

Category: Literature - V