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Human Rationality In Virgil's The Aeneid

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The Highest Good: Human Rationality in Virgil’s The Aenied Human identity has often been separated into two components that can be at times conflicting, the rational and the emotional components. The rational and the emotional parts are affected, indirectly or directly, by different factors like education, family, religion, community, and culture. Even though these similar factors affect the two components, the importance of the two parts are contingent on the values that a particular culture or era holds. This is the case in both ancient Roman and ancient Greek culture. However, Virgil’s book four of The Aeneid and excerpts from book one and two of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, both portray the rational portion of human identity as not …show more content…

The inferiority of the emotional part of human identity to the rational component, an idea similar to that of Aristotelian philosophy, is depicted through the main character Aeneas and solidifies Virgil’s portrayal of the highest good in individuals. Aristotle considers the highest good of humanity as happiness. However, Aristotle does not define happiness as an emotion but instead defines it as “an activity of the soul in conformity with a rational principle” such as virtues, which are characteristics that allow an individual to perform his or her function well (Insert Citation). This can be seen in The Aeneid, where the hero Aeneas acts in a way that allows him to be able to carry out his purpose efficiently. Aeneas is the man chosen by the gods to be master of Italy and to father a great empire. For Aeneas to be able to carry out this …show more content…

Tragedy in that an emotion such as love can lead to death as shown in the case of Dido. Triumph in that obstacles can be overcome which is shown in the case of Aeneas. Virgil and Aristotle’s view on the highest good of humanity are very similar. Even though Virgil does not explicitly state it, the incorporation of certain characteristic in Aeneas supports the Aristotelian philosophy of the highest good because Aeneas, as the hero of the story, is a representation of what Virgil believes a good individual is. Aristotle and Virgil perception of the human identity still applies in today’s modern society. Although many people generally perceive the emotional component as important, they also perceive the rational component of human identity as

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These mythical individuals show characteristics that are both valued and those that could be seen as inferior. In Sallust’s Conspiracy of Catiline, Catiline, the antagonist of his own story, is described as having some of these characteristics and how he displays them changes others perspective on him. With each of these characteristics that a Roman would have seen as positive were painted in a negative light because Sallust tells the audience instances where Catiline used these gifts in harmful ways. In contrast Aeneas, in Virgil’s Aeneid, is described and assigned what are thought of as the same Roman attributes, but these are held a positive approach compared to Sallust’s description of Catiline. The first example of this can be seen in the fifth section Sallust tells the audience of Catiline’s noble upbringing and is described as intelligent, ambitious, and as a brilliant solider.

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When the poet Virgil wrote the national epic The Aeneid between 29 and 19 BC, all written works and conduits for creative expression were monitored by Roman ruler Augustus Caesar – a real-life contention between passion and control. Throughout the excerpt on pages 139 and 140 of Fagle’s translation (which covers themes such as fate, the gods, and divine intervention, and piety), Virgil explores the underlying theme of conflict between desire and duty, emotion, and reason. Exploring irony, the comparison of Dido and Aeneas’ traits, and pietas being a decision, Virgil shows Aeneas to be a flawed, enigmatic epic Roman hero who personifies the human conflict – passion versus control – of the Aeneid and the Roman empire itself. To begin with, it’s

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Elise Beauchemin Mr. Mosher English 2 2/23/18 Aeneas and the Quintessence of Stoicism The Aeneid, an epic written by Virgil, thousands of years old and yet still read today by many. It tells the story of the Trojan hero, Aeneas, and his efforts to establish order and defend his homeland. Throughout the 9,896 lines of the poem, he lives according to the Ancient Roman ideals of the Stoic. He is the paragon of a Trojan hero who places duty above pleasure, controls his passions and appetites through the power of reason, does not let the storms and stress of life disturb his self-possession and composure, and practices the virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.

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In the Bible and Virgil’s The Aeneid, the pursuit of honor and glory is complex, and it does not come without serious consequences and hardships. However, while Jesus and Aeneas both strive to achieve a certain goal due to divine intervention and both overcome certain adversities, their underlying motives and their ultimate outcomes are starkly different. Although it would appear that neither Jesus nor Aeneas would be motivated by personal fame or glory—as they were sent on godly missions, this is not the case in The Aeneid. Jesus acts completely selflessly as he teaches others about the Kingdom of God and how to live their lives, whereas Aeneas is working to win greatness for his ancestors as he was sent by the gods to settle and create an

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