Love In Virgils Aeneid - 1299 Words

In Plato’s Symposium, Diotima argues that love is not only a desire for both the beautiful and the good, but also a need to give birth, whether it be physically through a woman, or through the soul, by giving birth in virtue. In Virgil’s Aeneid, however, love is not this complex. Although love can involve the desire for good, as seen in Aeneas wanting his family, and the Trojan people especially, to prosper in the future, it can also act as a robber of rational thought, motivating people to act with uncontrollable passion, (as depicted again by Aeneas at the end of the Aeneid.) Looking at the Aeneid, the first instance of Diotima’s description of love and reproduction in beauty is identifiable through Aeneas desiring the best for his†¦show more content†¦4.406-408). That is, Aeneas would lose the extensive lineage his family and the Trojans are destined to have. When it comes down to it, as Diotima states, â€Å"everything naturally values its own offspring, because it is for the sake of immortality that everything shows this zeal, which is Love† (Sym. 208B). Aeneas valuing Ascanius over Dido is his â€Å"zeal,† or, his love. Besides his desire for immortality, Aeneas also harbors a love of the law, which can be seen by tracing his obedient persona throughout the text. Constantly, he is referred to as â€Å"pious Aeneas,† embodying the most respected Roman virtues. He holds an intense devotion to his family, the Trojan people, and his mission, over himself (pietas). This makes him a dutiful servant of fate and the gods, a great leader of his people, and a dedicated father and son. One of the first occasions Aeneas portrays these virtues is during the fall of Troy, where his first priority was getting his family to safety. In trying to convince his father to leave with him, Aeneas states, â€Å"‘Did you think I could leave without you, Father? / How could such a thing come out of your mouth?’† (Aen. 2.773-774). For him, the question of his family’s safety is in no way debatable. Not once does Aeneas do anything for solely his own benefit, even when placed in many situation s where he could have. For instance, Aeneas could have chosen to ignore the gods’ orders for him to leave Dido andShow MoreRelatedEssay on Love and Duty in Virgil’s Aeneid and Augustine’s Confessions1589 Words   |  7 Pagesto read Virgil’s Aeneid. The ill-fated romance of Aeneas and Dido produced such an emotional effect on him. Augustine says that Virgil’s epic caused him to forget his own â€Å"wanderings† (Augustine 1116). He wept over Dido’s death, but remained â€Å"dry-eyed to [his] own pitiful state† (Augustine 1116 – 7). Augustine later rejects literature and theater because he believes that they distract the soul from God. 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