In the final passage of the Aeneid, Aeneas says to Turnus, “Do you
think you can get away from me while wearing the spoils of one of my men?
Pallas sacrifices you with this stoke- Pallas- and makes you pay with your
guilty blood” (340).
This last scene in the Aeneid exemplifies the image that Virgil
intended for Aeneas to be remembered in. Aeneas kills Turnus, “seething with
rage… [and] burying his sword in Turnus’ chest”, however seconds before he had
considered allowing Turnus to live (340). After seeing Pallas’ belt on Turnus,
Aeneas was overtaken with a new surge of vengeance and finally kills Turnus.
This final scene was preceded with countless fighting between the two men with
ample opportunity for Aeneas to kill Turner. Thus, I believe that Virgil was
very deliberate in the circumstances of Turnus’s death. When considering the significance of this death, I thought that Virgil may have been attempting to inspire the same type of loyalty into Romans listening to the Aeneid. Throughout the epic,
Aeneas has proven to be a hero, and he was likely idolized by Romans in 19 BC.
His loyalty expressed in his inability to forgive Turnus for killing his ally
is an example that Virgil intended for the Romans to admire. In a time with
constant civil war, Virgil deliberately created an epic hero whose final act is
vengeance for the death of his friend.
Throughout Roman history two of the most significant characteristics that defined their being were honor and loyalty. By ending this epic with the depiction and embodiment of these characteristics through Aeneas' actions, Virgil drives home the point that Rome was founded through the loyalty to one's comrades and by honoring the men that fell in battle. If Aeneas had not killed Turnus to avenge Pallas then it is possible and, knowing ancient Greek and Roman history, likely that Turnus would have eventually turned against Aeneas and Rome may have never been founded. Because this piece serves as a creation story for the Romans, Virgil did well to end the story with a scene that would make any true Roman proud of their heritage, which would therefore guarantee that the epic would be passed down through history.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Murphy and Hannah. I think this type of ending to the epic was extremely deliberate in order to reinforce the importance of loyalty and the type of heroic friendships we explored in the first semester. A life was taken just on the basis of Aeneas' loyalty to Pallas, not the original conflict at hand of Lavinia's hand. Like Murphy mentioned, this is the essence of what the Romans prided themselves on--honor and loyalty.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Romans prided themselves on honesty and loyalty. I feel that those two virtues were building blocks of Rome and Virgil ended this story with those virtues in mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree especially with the idea of loyalty. Aeneas is shown as an emotional person throughout the epic, and this ending, where he kills a man out of anger for his ally's death, fits his character and ends the story well. I think it could also be thought of as warning to those who mess with Rome or Rome's allies that there will be consequences.
ReplyDeleteLoyalty seems to me a recurring theme with Aeneas as he embodies this characteristic throughout the entire epic. Turnus' death was very elaborately described and I think that Virgil was again enforcing the loyal element in this scene. Aeneas is more of a "humanized" hero than what we have read before; his ability to show such loyalty only enforces the "human" aspect that is his character.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everyone above about the importance of loyalty and honor to the Romans. Virgil strategically ended the Aeneid in this way, keeping in mind that he was writing to reinforce and strengthen Augustus' legitimacy and authority as a ruler. Virgil wanted to emphasize the significance of both loyalty and honor as keys to Rome's success.
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