The Language of Love in Virgil's Aeneid
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Aliah University**We aren't endorsed by this school
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ENG CC12
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Arts & Humanities
Date
Dec 21, 2024
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2
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TheLanguageofLoveinVirgil’sAeneidThough it is tragic, impossible love will forever be a timeless staple of literature.Virgil’s Aeneidexplores love in multiple dimensions, revealing its beauty and destructive power throughpersonal relationships, duty, and divine intervention. The interplay of love, politics, and societalobligations forms a key theme, especially in the journey of Aeneas to find Rome.Somewherebetween 29 and 19 B.C. the legendary Roman author Virgil wrote his epic: The Aenid. The Aenidchronicles the journey of the great hero Aeneas, who falls in love with the queen of Carthage,Dido—resulting in a tragic spell of impossible love.In fourth book of The Aeneid, the theme of impossible love presents itself when Dido andAeneas fall deeply in love.The ill-fated love affair between Aeneas and Dido in Carthagerepresents one of the most poignant romantic episodes in classical literature. The centralexploration of love in the Aeneid appears through the relationship between Aeneas and Dido, thequeen of Carthage. Their love affair, often seen as one of the most compelling sections of theepic, is a combination of divine intervention, passion, and ultimately, tragic separation. AfterAeneas arrives in Carthage, Venus orchestrates a romance between him and Dido to ensure hissafety and reception in the foreign land. Dido’s love for Aeneas is not merely personal but isinfluenced by the gods, primarily Venus and Juno, who exploit her feelings to serve their ownends. The love between Aeneas and Dido, however, does not fit within the traditional Romanparadigm of love and duty, as it causes Aeneas to momentarily forget his divine mission offounding Rome (Virgil, Aeneid, IV.1–299).Dido's love for Aeneas is portrayed with intenseemotion and vulnerability, demonstrating Virgil’s mastery of pathos. Her passion, initiallysparked by divine intervention, grows into genuine love that consumes her, affecting her mentalstate and ability to govern Carthage. For instance, when she realizes that Aeneas must leave,she experiences a psychological breakdown, expressing feelings of betrayal and abandonment.Virgil’s language emphasizes her inner turmoil: she is "burned" by love, evoking the destructivepower of uncontrolled passion which eventually leads to her suicide."ThentheunhappyDido,trulyappalledbyherfate,/prayedfordeath:"________________________________________________________________________"ButdutifulAeneas,thoughhedesiredtoeasehersadness/bycomfortingherandtoturnasidepainwithwords,still,/withmuchsighing,andaheartshakenbythestrengthofherlove,/followedthedivinecommand,andreturnedtothefleet."Aeneas’ love for Dido is genuine, yet his sense of duty to his divine mission ultimately outweighs
his affection for her. This internal struggle exemplifies the Roman ideal of self-sacrifice for agreater cause, a virtue that Virgil likely intended to echo Augustus’s own vision of Rome as asociety founded on duty and public service. Aeneas’ choice to leave Dido emphasizes the ideathat love must sometimes be sacrificed for the sake of fulfilling one’s obligations to family andcountry. The gods repeatedly remind Aeneas of his destiny, creating a moral and emotionalconflict that defines his character. When Mercury, sent by Jupiter, reproaches Aeneas forforgetting his duty in Carthage, Aeneas is torn but ultimately decides to leave Dido to continuehis journey (Book IV). This decision leads to his internal struggle, symbolizing the sacrifices thatindividuals must often make for the greater good. This portrayal of love and duty is emblematicof the Augustan ideology, wherein personal desires are subordinated to the welfare of the state.In the Aeneid, the gods, especially Juno, Venus, and Jupiter, manipulate love to achieve theiragendas. Venus, Aeneas' mother, showcases maternal love and devotion by intervening toprotect him. However, her love also serves to fulfill divine prophecy and honor her lineage.In contrast, Juno's love is possessive and vengeful, driven by a grudge against the Trojans andher love for Carthage. By instigating the tragic love affair between Aeneas and Dido, Junocauses destruction and tragedy, highlighting the dangers of manipulated love.Beyond romantic love, the Aeneid is filled with representations of filial and comradely love.Aeneas is portrayed as a loving son who carries his aged father, Anchises, out of burning Troy,demonstrating his deep sense of duty and love towards his family (Book II). This act establishesAeneas as a character bound by familial duty, embodying the Roman value of pietas. Hisrelationship with his son, Ascanius, also reflects this duty-bound love, as he is driven to fulfill hismission to create a legacy for him and to establish a homeland for future generations of Trojans.The Aeneid also illustrates the theme of loyalty and love between comrades. The bondsbetween Aeneas and his fellow Trojans, especially with characters like Achates, show love as aunifying force among warriors and refugees seeking a new home.Virgil’s nuanced depiction of love in the Aeneid captures both its beauty and its power to disrupt,reflecting the tension between individual desires and societal obligations. In doing so, he craftsa narrative that resonates with universal themes of love, sacrifice, and the search for purpose,while also reinforcing the cultural values of Rome. _Sofiunnesha Sk