Abstract
It will be argued that the three saddest scenes in the poem are Aeneas' tale of the death of Priam, the abandonment and suicide of Did and the defeat and death of Turnus. However, it must be acknowledged that this choice is determined by our modern context. As will be shown, within the cultural and political climate that created this work, these scenes may not have all been regarded as sad.

Abstract
This paper analyzes the role of family values in Sophocles "Antigone" and "Oedipus" and Virgil's "The Aenid." In describing aspects of each story, the paper aims to draw parallels in how family values are revealed. The paper gives the examples of Antigone, who demonstrates an incredible fortitude as she pits her belief system against her uncle and the accepted standards of society; and Aeneas, who realizes the importance of family through a series of painful events. The author asserts that family requires loyalty, and generally, matters of the family represent some of the most stable indicators of humanity through the lesson of duty and sacrifice. The author also opines that the works of "Antigone," "Oedipus," and "The Aenid" would be warmly received by audiences today, who could easily relate to the characters. The paper concludes we learn about life through our family, which is a facet of life that never seems to change, despite the transformations the world and mankind endure.

From the Paper
"Family loyalty becomes an important theme in each of these manuscripts. Antigone provides an exceptional example of family and duty in Sophocles' play, Antigone. She becomes a powerful character because once she decides what is important to her, she does not falter. She understands the importance of family until death and goes forth with determination unmatched. We can see Antigone's commitment when she tells Ismene the she will "lie with the one I love and loved by him - an outrage sacred to the gods!" (Sophocles Antigone 86-7). She is very aware of what she is doing and what it will mean to her because she mentions the gods. However, this does cause her to rethink her position. In the Aeneid, Aeneas learns what it means to be loyal to his family through his journey to the underground. When he sees his dead father there, he helps him see Rome's future and "fired his love/Of glory in the years to come" (Virgil 191). Seeing Anchises compels Aeneas to fulfill his duty because he learns things and grows. In Oedipus, Jocasta understands the value of family more than her husband does and she is willing to do anything to keep him from pursuing something that might damage their relationship. She urges him, "Do it for me, for the sake of all your people" (Sophocles Oedipus 724), knowing that the responsible thing to do is to urge him to let things go. All of these instances provide us with an example of what it means to be devoted to your family. Duty means commitment, knowledge, and responsibility and it does not matter what century one lives in - these ideals never change."

Tags:Theban, Roman, Greek, tragedies, ancient, relationship, play

Abstract
The paper deals with the development of Aeneas' character in Virgil's "Aenid", from a weak, fragile mortal in the first lines of the epic, to a raging warrior in the final book and everything in between. It explains how Anchises guides him into his new role as a leader of men and how his divine calling comes into conflict with his human desires and frailties, with tragic results. Finally, the paper discusses his status as a new model of socially responsible hero.

From the Paper
"The figure of Aeneas had already been present, albeit in a small role, in the Homeric epics when work on the Aeneid commenced. Virgil, however, chose Aeneas as the hero for his modern, post-civil war, Roman epic and, with skill and sophistication, unquestionably made the character his own. In a bid to give his work emotional depth unheard of in all previous epics, Virgil characterises Aeneas through his two simultaneous journeys: the physical quest for the future site of Rome, and the personal, character-building process he goes through as he matures and grows into the poet's notion of the new "Roman Hero". This is done cleverly by Virgil; since whereas heroes such as Achilles or Odysseus are highly characterised at most opportunities by any means, Aeneas is defined more by his actions and the epithets given him (especially "pietas", which will be discussed later), with Virgil significantly avoiding writing Aeneas much dialogue in the poem."

Tags:dido, leadership, Roman

Abstract
This paper discusses how destiny and fate are central in Virgil's epic poem, "The Aenid", and how the great power of fate truly did drive Aeneas to his goal of Rome. The paper explains tha, in the ancient world of "The Aeneid", following the will and course of the Fates was the one and only true way to live life to its fullest and that Aeneas embodies this ideal. The paper also looks at how, based on these ideals, Aeneas overcomes all who oppose him in order to build the great city of Rome, and finally fulfill his destiny.

From the Paper
"However, the character of Turnus, Lavinia's suitor, proves to be the polar opposite of Aeneas when it comes to fulfilling one's destiny. Turnus knows that he is not destined for greatness, but rather to step aside for Aeneas, for the prophecy told King Latinus to "Seek not, my seed, in Latian bands to yoke Our fair Lavinia, nor the gods provoke. A foreign son upon thy shore descends, whose martial fame from pole to pole extends. His race, in arms and arts of peace renowned, not Latium shall contain, nor Europe bound: 'T is theirs whatever the sun surveys around," (Book VII). Determined to change the tides of his destiny, Turnus builds an army to defeat Aeneas, but all to no avail. Turnus fails even to burn their unattended ships, for destiny will not allow him to violate his fate and conquer the Trojan army, and as Dido was struck down after her attempt to overcome destiny, so also was Turnus, defeated in battle by Aeneas, after attempting to slay him, further illustrating that to go against your pre-ordained destiny is not only foolish, but often times fatal in The Aeneid."

Tags:rome, troy

Abstract
The relationship of fate and free will is examined through a comparison of major characters in Virgil's "The Aenid" and Homer's "The Iliad", Aeneas and Hector, and their antagonists Turnus and Achilles. It is argued that these heroes make fully human choices, "fate" being best seen as an expression of their circumstances. A contrast is drawn between Roman and Greek values as expressed in the epics.

From the Paper
"The existence and nature of human free will is an enduring question and one for which answers have been sought in both the language of philosophy and that of literature. We perceive ourselves as having the capacity to make choices, but on reflection must often acknowledge that our choices are shaped by our experiences and our values which are not themselves wholly of our own choosing, but thrust upon us by our backgrounds..."

Tags:aeneid, fate, free will, Virgil, Homer, Iliad, Heroes, Roman, Greek, aeneas, turnus, hector, achilles, romans, greeks, free will, fate

Abstract
This paper analyzes several pieces of ancient literature in order to shed some light on the roles that women played in ancient times and how they were viewed by society. The paper examines Hesiod's "Theogony" and "Works and Days", Sophocles' "Antigone", Aristophanes' "Lysistrata", Homer's "Odyssey", Virgil's "Aeneid" and Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics". The paper concludes that, while the heroines and major female characters in these ancient works are certainly worth examination and study, it must be remembered that they are unrealistic in the light of normal ancient life, and that in reality women were barely given any attention at all.

From the Paper
"In ancient times, and in ancient Greece most of all, women were usually treated almost as less than human. Men seemed to deal with them as a necessary evil that was kept around for the sole purpose of providing sons. As F.G. Naerebout says, "Whatever else [they] may do - weaving, spinning, directing the female staff - is a pleasant extra (Naerebout 124)." Yet this was not always the case. There are cases in ancient writings where women are shown in a positive light, even cases where women are heroes. Here we shall examine separately each work in which women played a major role, either positive or negative."

Tags:aenid, aristotle, bible, greece, hesiod, holy, homer, odyssey, old, rome, sophocles, testament, virgil