For much of the story, Virgil presents Aeneas as a
pious being, one who does not indulge in his own rage. However, as the epic
nears its end, even Aeneas succumbs to his own impious furor. In the battle with
the Latin’s, Aeneas does not heed the pleas of his enemy. “O Trojan hero,/…spare
me my life;with pity hear/my prayer…Aeneas cut/him off…/Then with his sword, he
opened Liger’s breast” (Aeneid, 10:820-826). Liger, a Latin warrior, begs Aeneas
not to kill him.
He asks Aeneas to “pity” him and “spare” his life. As a noble
individual, Aeneas should comply and set the man free. However, he chooses to
indulge his rage, and thus he sinks his sword into “Liger’s breast.” This sudden
change in Aeneas is seen even more clearly in the final act of the book, when he
faces a pitiful Turnus. For you have won, and the Ausonians Have seen me,
beaten, stretch my hands; Lavinia Is yours; then do not press your hatred
further. Aeneas, Aflame with rage-his wrath was terrible- Cried:”How can you who
wear the spoils of my dear comrade now escape me? Relentless He sinks his sword
into the chest of Turnus. (Aeneid, 12:1249-1269) Turnus, a great warrior and
himself the leader of a kingdom, begs Aeneas to spare him. Turnus knows he is
“beaten,” and he asks that Aeneas turn aside his “hatred.” Aeneas, however, is
full of “rage” at the death of his comrade, Pallus, and chooses to enact
vengeance. Thus, he kills Turnus in an act of cold blood. This is not the same
Aeneas that Virgil presents in the earlier portions of the Aeneid. In addition,
he is not showing piety towards the Gods by killing Turnus and eliminating his
enemy. Turnus admits defeat, and is begging for forgiveness. However, rather
than honoring the Gods and showing nobility in sparing Turnus, Aeneas indulges
in his own fury. The change in Aeneas presents a dilemma at the end of this
epic. Virgil intended the Aeneid to be a justification of Rome’s greatness. He
wanted to detail Rome’s history and give it an illustrious founding. Initially,
Aeneas is presented as a pious individual, and because of this he is someone who
is worthy of founding the Roman Empire. However, Aeneas’s final act indicates a
man consumed by his own impious furor, and rather than providing a noble
conclusion to the epic, it suggests that Rome was founded by an enraged man. For
this reason, Virgil’s intended message and his apparent message are at odds with
one another. Thus, the ending of the Aeneid is left unresolved.
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