Aeneas - A Weaponed Hero.docx

Brandon J. Valentino

October 14, 2005

LIT 101

EJ

“Aeneas: A Weaponed Hero” Heroes are good in the sense that they teach moral values. Heroes possess good qualities. They have integrity. Heroes are brave even in the face of danger or difficulties. Usually heroes have weapons. Weapons are used to inflict injury or death on an opponent or anybody. Weaponed heroes are dangerous by nature. Aeneas is the hero of the Aeneid. He is the son of Anchises and Venus. He made a journey to Italy , which led to the founding of the city that would one day become Rome. Aeneas is a weaponed hero because, he is brave, he has good qualities, and he is armed and dangerous. What makes heroes great is their bravery. Heroes are leaders. They won’t back down on challenges. They boost the morale of their followers. They give inspiration to their followers. (XII. 582 – 595. Aeneid) Aeneas hugs his son and tells him to watch his father and learn valor. Then he marches out with Mnestheus with Antheus following. Then Trojans got back onto the battlefield. Heroes are admired by their followers. They are admired because of their good qualities. (XI 1 17. Aeneid) Dawn rises and Aeneas is ready to bury Pallas. He dresses a tree for Mezentius as an offering to the god of war. He tells his men that they should bury all the dead before they continue with the battle. (XI. 50 – 55. Aeneid) He laments for Pallas as they build his pyre. (XI. 90 – 110 Aeneid) Aeneas wraps one of his tunics from Dido around the body of Pallas and they lit the pyre. Other trees are dressed in Latin arms and Aeneas wishes Pallas farewell. (XI. 130 – 155 Aeneid) He goes back to the camp and meets with the Latin envoys that are pleading for the chance to bury their dead. Aeneas said that he would give peace to the living too if they wanted it. He says that it is Turnus' fault not his. The Latins were amazed that Aeneas allowed them to bury their dead. Aeneas showed that he cares for the dead, he has mercy, and he has sympathy. What make heroes dangerous are their weapons. Weapons are killing tools. Heroes are defined by their weapons. Without their weapons they are powerless. (VIII. 485 – 533. Aeneid) Venus asked her husband Vulcan to make arms for Aeneas to help him in war. Vulcan tells her that he will not deny her anything. In the morning he went to his workshop on the island of the Cyclops. He stops the work going on there and begins to make the strongest weapons possible. (VIII. 583 – 585 Aeneid) They made a seven-ply shield. (VIII. 792 – 805. Aeneid) Venus gave the weapons to Aeneas, which makes him armed and dangerous.

After reading the Aeneid and the Article by Almira F. Poudrier, I can now conclude that Aeneas is a weaponed hero because, he is brave, he has good qualities, and he is armed and dangerous. Aeneas has the qualities of a weaponed hero. Are weaponed heroes dangerous? It depends on the hero using the weapon. Weaponed heroes are dangerous if they don’t use their weapons at the right place and the right time. If they use their weapon on crowded places like markets, there is a tendency that they might frighten or hurt others. In the case of Aeneas I suppose that he is dangerous if someone hurts his loved ones but he isn’t when nobody tries to mess with him. Bibliography: The Aeneid of Virgil translated by Allen Mandelbaum The Virtue of the Weaponed Hero. By Almira F. Poudrier.