Virgil's "The Aeneid"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Virgil wrote "The Aeneid" in response to pressure from Augustus Caesar to write about the glory of the great Roman Empire. The author points out that Aeneas's visit to the underworld is crucial to understanding the importance of fate within the "Aeneid." The paper contends that Aeneas's visit to the underworld helps to reinforce the theme of fate within the story itself and helps to reassert the work's underlying theme that the great Roman Empire was fated to exist.

From the Paper:

"Virgil's "Aeneid", despite all its amazing complexities of plot and character, has a relatively simple message about the fate of individuals and history itself. Ultimately, Virgil reveals that fate is a great driving force that ultimately results in the formation of the great Roman Empire. Fate is a religious, unalterable force that determines the course of all human life and human history. Fate is a powerful and ongoing theme in The Aeneid, and Aeneas' journey to the underworld is absolutely crucial in helping to further define this theme. Aeneas' journeys are preordained, and even his great sufferings and wanderings at sea only serve to delay this fate. Even the interference of lesser Gods can do little to change the fate of Aeneas the individual, or the fate of history itself."

More papers on Virgil's "The Aeneid":

• Analytical Essay # 22957 : "The Aeneid"
• Comparison Essay # 120688 : "The Iliad" and "The Aeneid": A Comparison"
• Book Review # 119387 : "Dido and "The Aeneid"
• Book Review # 122396 : "Women in 'The Aeneid' and 'Orlando Furioso'"

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