Virgil was an extremely famous Roman poet who composed many brilliant works. The most famous of these is his epic about the founding of Rome, The Aeneid. It follows a man named Aeneas, who goes on a journey to complete his mission of founding Rome. The story ends with a massive battle between Aeneas and his men and a great warrior named Turnus, who commands the Latin army. The battle ends with a duel between Aeneas and Turnus that ends with Aeneas getting the upper hand. Turnus begs for his life and nearly sways Aeneas to spare him. However, Aeneas spots the belt of his dear friend, Pallas, on the shoulder of his killer, Turnus. This sends Aeneas into a rage, and he brutally kills Turnus. Aeneas’s decision to give in to his anger and kill Turnus is significant because …show more content…
The following quote gives an example of this: “As an adult, Virgil had experienced the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, which ended with Caesar’s becoming the undisputed ruler of Rome” (Moss and Wilson). Due to how significant the conflict was at the time and the violence associated with it, there is a large possibility that this environment played a role in how The Aeneid played out. With how common it was for people to kill each other at the time, Virgil may have believed that Turnus’s death was the only logical outcome of the duel between him and Aeneas. Additionally, “By his death in 19 BCE, Virgil had experienced about a decade of peace under Augustus, the longest calm Rome had known in almost a century” (Moss and Wilson). After spending many years surrounded by war, enjoying a time of peace would likely cause Virgil to think highly of whoever made it possible. As a result, when he was writing his epic, he wanted to make Aeneas, who represented Augustus, appear as an undisputed victor and valiant warrior to express his appreciation for the peace he