Virgil borrows many stories and themes from the Homeric epics and revises them for the Roman tradition of the Aeneid. Aeneas's journey in search of the banks of Latium parallels Odysseus's journey to Ithaca, except that the latter knows which house he is going to. The war with the Latins is literally a second Trojan War, parallel to the Iliad, only the Trojans win. But the two Homeric epics lead to a definitive and relatively peaceful end (Hector's funeral and restoration of order in Ithaca). In comparison, the Aeneid ends with a violent death, the equivalent of the ending when Achilles drags Hector's body around the wall of Troy or when Odysseus kills all the suitors. One reason for this difference and the relevance of the ending of the Aeneid is that it has a broader cultural directive than either of the Homeric epics. Homer was never commissioned to sing his parts. More than just a story of heroes, war and art in its various forms, the Aeneid also speaks of the founding of Rome. Aeneas killing Turnus at the very end of his story is directly a step toward the founding of Rome and also relates to the reestablishment of Rome under Augustus. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Much of the scene where Aeneas kills Turnus can be presented in a positive light. First, Aeneas kills Turnus after he is seen wearing the belt he stole from Pallas, Aeneas' ally. In this way, he avenges his friend and shows himself to be pious, a constant attribute of Aeneas. It should be noted, however, that Aeneas does not say that he kills Turnus as the pious Aeneas, as he is otherwise easily identified, but says: "It is Pallas who strikes, who sacrifices you, who takes/this shameless payment of your blood” (XII.1266,7) Furthermore, the scene ends the book on a decidedly masculine note. For much of the Aeneid, Aeneas does not appear in the hero status worthy of Achilles or Odysseus. He is easily distracted from his mission and the gods have to repeatedly remind him of his goal. Virgil, in turn, makes the very enemies who called Aeneas a second Paris seem the more feminine party. By killing Turnus, Aeneas can join the ranks of the emotionally charged heroes before him and, more importantly, become the great man that the Romans of Virgil's time could actually see founding their great city. The final scene of the Aeneid can also show the dark side. of empire. Throughout the epic, many people, unconscious pawns of destiny, are crushed on the path to Roman greatness. Most of them are women, Creusa, the wife of Aeneas, Dido, Camilla, but armies of young Latins fall in their war against the Trojans. “Is it/your [Jupiter’s] will that the nations destined for/eternal peace should collide in such turmoil,” asks Virgil (xii. 678-80). What further taints Aeneas' most classic heroic action is the fact that he and Turnus share a connection through pre-Roman heritage. The Latins and Trojans constitute the Romans, making Turnus and Aeneas brothers; Fratricide is generally frowned upon. Furthermore, Aeneas' direct compulsion to kill Turnus comes from seeing him with young Pallas's studded belt. While Virgil's description of Turnus' actions "[Pallas] whom Turnus had vanquished, wounded, laid/on the field of battle" (xii. 1258-60) gives the impression that plundering vanquished enemies is a crude act , it is far from unknown. . Aeneas himself does this when he takes armor or weapons from the Greeks. Whether or not his reason is entirely justified does not explain Aeneas' unusual emotional reaction, at least.