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. Aeneas exemplifies the ideal of Stoicism by practicing the cardinal virtues in his daily life. …show more content…
Despite his intial feelings, Aeneas eventually surpasses the temptation of death and leads the evacuation of Troy, realizing that the wellbeing of the people is worth surviving, and that a life in defeat is worth enduring, in hope of a better future. His decision to run instead of fight, his exercise of prudence and fortitude in a position of rage, and his devotion to the future wellbeing of his people represents a more humane, noble and heroic way to