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Duty In The Aeneid

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Throughout the ages, authors have offered their opinions on what important qualities and defining characteristics a leader needs to posses by manifesting these critical qualities inside of their characters. One such book, the Aeneid by Virgil, offers such a scenario where Virgil argues that duty to gods should take precedence over everything, and he does not shy away from showing the consequences of when one neglects his or her duty. Virgil accomplishes this idea through his presentation of Aeneas, the main character of the story, as he routinely evidences to the reader that devotion to duty takes precedence over everything-even life itself. Aeneas, for example, even though he often suffers in the moment, he trusts the promptings of the gods, …show more content…

Palinurus, for example, is the helmsman of Aeneas ship, and when they encounter difficulty, Virgil specifically chooses to paint him as a dutiful character saying that he was “Duty bound” to keep their ship on course (Book 6, ln 473). Surprisingly, despite his best efforts, Palinurus, while trying to stay at the helm, is swept off the ship into the sea. If this consequence for staying true to one’s duty does not seem harsh enough, Virgil continues to show the great sorrow that encompasses Aeneas as he takes care of Palinurus’s body. This idea of personal loss, while following one’s duty, proves critical as the story progress because Virgil’s …show more content…

Additionally, while none of the characters achieve this idea of duty perfectly, Virgil points out that it is the devotion behind the duty that counts (Halloran). Simply put, Virgil heavily foreshadows that those who fail to follow their duty end up disgraced and dead, while those who follow their calling, even if it does not appear so at the time, will end with glory and honor to their name. Despite this paper barely scratching the surface of this incredibly complex theme, hopefully it has provided new light to the thoughts behind each characters actions, and further expounded upon the overlooked aspect of Virgil’s development of duty within his

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