The story of Dido and Aeneas became a source of endless inspiration for many generations which succeeded in Vergil’s work. Though the poem’s creation was encouraged by the emperor Augustus, Vergil put into The Aeneid not only a laudatory narration of Roman people origin but vividly depicted social and moral values of that period; he also covered controversial consequences of the conflict between private interests and social responsibilities.
Aeneas’ destiny represents the dilemma mentioned above, he has to follow Gods’ will even if his desires do not coincide with the given divine command: he did not want to leave Troy; when he came to Dido, he wanted to stay with her; then he came to Latinus, wanted to stay there and marry Lavinia. The reasons for his obedience lay in the fact, that Aeneas is a social man, moreover, a statesman; his life is a path with a definite aim ahead. He has to find a new homeland, while his and Dido’s love is a pure accident. Though they share a strong feeling, love is inferior to the public matter in the hierarchy of moral values for Aeneas, who is a hero and a public character. At the same time, Dido’s world got narrowed and became equal to her feelings. In other words, the loss of Aeneas meant the loss of the world for her.
Though Aeneas also is not indifferent about their parting:
Aeneas’s reminder to Dido that they were never officially married suggests, somewhat dubiously, that had they entered into such an ordained commitment he would not leave. But, he argues, without a true marriage, he is sacrificing only his desires by leaving Dido. (Virgil)
He was forced to leave her, as he told her in the underworld. For Vergil, civil responsibilities were first-priority values that a man should have kept.
Speaking about the political motives of The Aeneid we should take into account the fact that the emperor was the one who inspired Vergil to write the poem. According to the official version of Roman origin they were successors of the Trojan people, while the gens Julia descended from Aeneas, the son of Venus. As long as Emperor Augustus reckoned himself to Julia’s kin, he became the heir of Gods. The poem was meant to become praise to Augustus’s ancestors and ancient regulations, as long as August considered himself a restorer of ancient traditions. New taste in literature was guided by examples of classical art, so, the epoch demanded the creation of a big epic work, enriched by new social and political content. Moreover, the rapid development of the Roman Empire required not only historical but also ideological explanations. Mythology is often used to turn an ordinary story into a miraculous one, the same that happened with The Aeneid. Thereby, Vergil created a new kind of epic poem. Moreover, his work in this or that way competes with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. The appearance of a significant literary poem undoubtedly influenced the social and political life of the Roman Empire.
Thanks to The Aeneid Ancient Rome substantiated its enormous power. Myths became a propitious ground for creating a new ideology, as long as the ideas of grandiose empire repressed minds and did not assume lowborn roots of Roman people.
The Aeneid is not only praising but also a patriotic work. Of course, patriotism cannot exist without any social and political ideology, which is presented in the poem as Augustus’ glorification. Though Vergil praises him as the brightest representative of the Roman nation, the major part of exaltation covers the roman history and the Roman people.
Images of people and their relationships with divine powers became the main subjects of the aesthetic reality of The Aeneid. Vergil depicts them with impressive dramatic tense. Heroes often protest their fates, though they are constantly returned on their paths. Although their desires run counter to social responsibilities, they have to reject private sides of their life on behalf of common benefit or their lives end with tragedies.
Dido’s story represents Vergil’s religious concept. She is an imperious and strong woman who feels her obligations to her people and dead husband, and at the same time, she is deeply in love with Aeneas. She suffers from the cruel inner conflict and commits suicide when Aeneas leaves her. It seems that Vergil sympathizes with her torments but comments, that insubordination to God’s will ends with tragedy.
The poem promotes not only the grandeur of Roman people and imperial kin. It tells about the necessity to fulfill one’s obligations and serve the great empire, even if it runs counter to private happiness and desires. Though the author sympathizes with human weaknesses, he calls upon not to forget about social responsibilities. The welfare of the empire and patriotic values are reflected in the poem. Though fame, power, and wealth, as well as the divine preference of Roman people, are obvious in The Aeneid, Vergil also reminds us that all these honorable factors also impose certain obligations and responsibilities on the citizens of the Roman Empire.
Work Cited
Virgil. The Aeneid (Spark Notes Literature Guide). 1st ed. SparkNotes, 2002.