Bryce Greenhouse Classical Literature Ms. Resh 09 December 2015 Aeneas is the True Hero In the book “Aeneid of Virgil,” there is a main protagonist and antagonist that play the hero and the anti-hero. The main protagonist is none other than Aeneas, a dedicated man who never lost sight of the mission at hand. He exemplifies great leadership. The antagonist is a man named Turnus with a reckless nature and a thirst for warfare. Both of these heroes possess their own heroic qualities that make people look up to them. But the question is, who is more of a hero? Based on their differences, Aeneas shows true heroism because his courage overcame all adversity, and he has more justified notions than of Turnus. Aeneas is a very dedicated person. …show more content…
For example, on page 8 in the Aeneid, Aeneas states: “O comrades-surely we’re not ignorant of earlier disasters, we who have suffered things heavier than this-our gods will give an end to this as well.” This shows that Aeneas has a sense of dignity and has compassion for his comrades when times are dark or when hope seems dim. He inspires his men to get up and keep on moving by stating that they have indeed been in darker situations and made it through anyway. The courage he musters on his journey are what allows him to step forward to what an average person would step away from. He didn’t back away from the storm of Aeolus and sought his way through it with his crew intact. On the contrary, Turnus is the king of the Rutuli and an extremely courageous warrior. However, he is not like Aeneas. They are both considered heroes, but there are many things about them that differentiate the two. In the case of Turnus, he is an uncontrollable killing machine that is always hungry …show more content…
People who let power and social superiority come first often only worry about themselves and they tend to show off. For example, if a strong, handsome, social optimist was destined to rule the land one day, he would most likely be a tyrant. He would treat his underlings like trash because they do not possess the attractive qualities that the king possesses. But Aeneas is more compassionate. Here is a quote he says in Book 1. “I am Aeneas, duty-bound, and known above high air of heaven by my fame, carrying with me in my ship 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.” This is an example of Aeneas’ responsibility as a hero. He constantly watches his abuse of power and makes sure not to go overboard. Fairness is one of his specialties. Additionally, he is also very respectable to his crew and treats them as equals by always being aware of their current condition. If their spirits are low, Aeneas raises their spirits by delivering speeches to his wary crew members. In