“I sing of arms and of the man”: Virgil’s Aeneid

Article by Marie Stirling. Edited by Emma Carmichael. Additional Research by Danielle Coomer.

First off, forget Dickens, Scott and Stevenson and don’t even mention Austen. If you want a proper classic you’ll have to turn your history books back almost two millennia, where you will find, unsurprisingly, the Aeneid. This epic poem has it all; fights with monsters, love stories, godly disputes and of course the compulsory dramatic suicide on a pyre. Yet the Aeneid symbolises so much more than a good read. This article will explore the propaganda and long lasting influence which makes this epic poem ever relevant to contemporary historians

Virgil, or Pubulis Vergilius Maro, was born in 70BC, a turbulent time in Rome as the republic was undermined by numerous internal squabbles and wars. He was educated in philosophy and rhetoric in Rome during a period which was marked by the presence of other notable writers, including Horace, Ovid and Livy. He stretched his literary skills in 37BC when he wrote Eclogues, a pastoral poem. Political events, however, took over when civil war broke out and Virgil was forced to flee from Rome. Following Augustus’ victory at the Battle of Actium, and stability being regained under one ruler, Virgil’s situation improved and the Georgics, published in 29BC, two years after Augustus’ victory was widely popular. It even earned him the interest of the emperor, an important point as the Augustan regime was heavily censored. The emperors’ support therefore allowed Virgil to tackle his next project, the Aenied.

The epic poem, probably started around 29 BC was based on the myth of the foundation of Rome. According to legend, Aeneas, the son of Venus, escaped the destruction of Troy and after numerous adventures arrives in Latium, Italy, to found Rome. These adventures ranged from journeying to the underworld, where he meets heroes of the past, to interventions from the gods, whether to help or hinder. The style of the book was heavily based on Homer, both in the style of writing and content of both the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Yet behind the story, many have seen the Aeneid as the ultimate piece of imperial propaganda. After years of civil war the new emperor made it his ambition to restore the spirit of old Rome and install Roman virtues and traditions to unite the people. Throughout the Aeneid, Virgil supports these virtues, particularly through the character of Aeneas. In many ways Aeneas is presented as the ideal Roman, particularly through his emphasis on family and piety. This can be seen when he refused to desert his father in a burning Troy, ‘Did you think I could run away and leave my father here?’ He even abandons his love affair with Dido, the Queen of Carthage, visited by Aeneas on his journey to Rome, for the sake of his son’s future, ‘You owe him the land of Rome and the kingdom of Italy.’ This again raises the issue of the importance of family which Aeneas seems to value as he leaves Dido to fulfil his destiny. Augustus also placed an emphasis on destroying the extravagant lifestyle of Romans, which he argued led to corruption and the civil war. This is again supported in the Aeneid as Virgil showed and glorified the simple origins of the Romans.

Virgil also foreshadows political triumphs and the glory of Rome. Dido, the lover of Aeneas is portrayed as the foreign corrupting Queen, comparing her with Cleopatra who had seduced Antony leading to the Battle of Actium with Augustus. The Greeks, the cultural rivals to Rome, are also portrayed negatively, through Neoptolemus for example, who ruthlessly slaughters Priam, the aged King of Troy, at the beginning of the epic. Further, Virgil constantly proclaims Rome’s greatness, for example through the shield, which was made by the gods and gifted to Aeneas. Wrought upon it was ‘Italy’s story and the triumphs of Rome,’ recounting Rome’s victories to Virgil’s time. Virgil also elevates the Roman destiny, proclaiming it was their duty to ‘guide nations... and wage war against the haughty’. Virgil even offers support for Augustus’ personal rule: Aeneas was the son of Venus, and as Augustus was said to have descended from his line, he had ‘divine lineage,’ and thus legitimacy to rule.

Virgil’s Aeneid, however, was not just influential with its contemporaries. Its place in the centre of Latin education has been sacred for the last four hundred years and apparently inspired the works of Milton and Dante. Its importance has been compared to the King James Bible and the works of Shakespeare. Virgil has even been called a prophet by Christians, as some of his writings can be interpreted as predictions of the coming of Christ. Further, just as Virgil used Aeneas’ story to give Rome a great heritage, it inspired English chroniclers to follow suit as they linked the medieval royal family, rather hopefully, to Brutus, a fellow Trojan.

There is, however, a sad note to end upon as Virgil never completed the Aeneid. Having spent ten years on his masterpiece he died in 19BC. Interestingly, it seems Virgil wanted the Aeneid to be destroyed on his death, a request which was obviously refused by Augustus. Still, at least the modern world was not deprived of his work, which provides us with both an escapist adventure into the mythical realm but also a real insight into the complicated and dangerous world of Rome.

Bibliography

Virgil’s The Aeneid, ed. and trans. W.F. Jackson Knight, (Harmondsworth, 1956).

K.W. Grandson, Virgil. The Aeneid, (Cambridge, 2004).

*****

Aeneas on himself: ‘I am Aeneas, duty bound (translation of the Latin ‘pious’), and known above high air of heaven by my fame, carrying with me in my ships our gods of hearth and home, saved from the enemy. I look for Italy to be my fatherland, and my descent is from all-highest Jove...I followed the given fates.’ (Book I, 500 -505.)

Virgil’s The Aeneid, ed. and trans. W.F. Jackson Knight, (Harmondsworth, 1956).

K.W. Grandson, Virgil. The Aeneid, (Cambridge, 2004).

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