Aeneas the Hero free essay sample

The character of Aeneas as a hero In Book ii of the Aeneid, all of the soldiers of Troy perish except the character of Aeneas, his son Ascanius, and his father Anchises. The character of Aeneas emerges as a hero during his escape from Troy in Book ii of The Aeneid. This book opens with Aeneas arriving at the homeland of Dido. Aeneas arrives and all attention was directed towards him. Aeneas saddened and heartbroken by the things that he encountered and saw in the fall of his own kingdom Troy grieved sorrow. Aeneas a strong believer in the ways of the gods searched for answers. In a dream a fellow warrior Hector appears to Aeneas as a ghost. The appearance of Hector’s ghost tells Aeneas what he must do. â€Å"Give up and Go, child of the goddess, save yourself, out of these flames. The enemy holds the city walls, and from her height Troy falls in ruin. We will write a custom essay sample on Aeneas the Hero or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page †(ii: 387-390)†Her holy things, her gods of hearth and household Troy commends to you. Accept them as companions of your days; Go find for them the great walls that one day you’ll dedicate, when you have roamed the sea. †(ii: 393-397) Aeneas wanting to kill Dido knew that â€Å"no glory comes of punishing a woman the feat can bring no honor. (ii: 765766) He still wanted to appease himself for the deed for the feeling of vengeance of his people. His mother Venus came to him â€Å"immortal, tall and lovely as the lords of heaven know her. †(ii: 776777) Venus â€Å"pulling back the veil† (ii: 795) she holds him back and reveals to him what he must do. Venus is telling him not to let his anger take control of him and stay away from his â€Å"thoughtfulness of her and the rest of his family. †(ii:781)†Aeneas must return to where he left his father, and find out if his wife, Creusa lives, as well as his son young Ascanius. The appearance of Creusa’s ghost â€Å"larger than life, before me caused Aeneas’s hair to rise and the voice clot in his throat. †(ii: 1003-1005)Creusa speaking to Aeneas relaxed him. She told him to let go of his anger and grief. She tells him that everything that happened was the will of the gods. You have plenty of unfinished work to do. There is a place for you to arrive and claim your kingdom and new queen. Many await you, â€Å"new refugees in a great crowd: men and women gathered for exile, young pitiful people† (ii: 10361037) ready to follow to wherever my lead carries them. Determined to make it, â€Å"even with no sign of help Aeneas picked up his father and turned toward the mountain range. †(1043-1046) Brave and consistent Aeneas never gave up on his quest for a place to start a new kingdom. Faced with so many trials and disappointments as well as lost of love ones he continued his journey. Keeping his faith in the gods and devotion to his family he emerged as a hero to the people of Troy giving them the will to go on and follow his lead in search of new walls for Troy.