The Aeneid by Roman author Virgil is an epic poem that tells the story of the Trojan prince Aeneas's journey to Italy and the eventual founding of Rome following the events of the Trojan War. This epic is often compared to two well-known predecessors, The Iliad and The Odyssey (works commonly associated with the Greek author Homer), based on stylistic and thematic similarities, but there are also distinct differences between the works of the two authors. As Robert Fitzgerald points out in the “Postscript” to his translation of The Aeneid, “[Virgil] recreated a Homeric hero in Homeric times, he also deliberately echoed Homer in many narrative details, in many style conventions and features. . But its objective was totally anti-Homeric and radically original: to wrap in the mythical action of The Aeneid prefigurations and direct predictions of Roman history, more than a thousand years between Aeneas and his time. It is through this “non-Homeric” story that Virgil manages to weave the theme of love into this tale, thus displaying his uniqueness as an author. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayLove takes many forms, from romantic to platonic, familial, and even bloodlust , which can be interpreted as the love of war and battle, one of the most violent forms of passion. With these variations of love present in The Aeneid, Virgil then shows how this literary theme impacts the duality of humanity as both a flexible and inflexible force, simultaneously bringing power and also exposing weakness, and affecting hence the themes of fate and heartbreak expressed in this book. poem. By presenting both the sentimental and volatile forms of love, a discernible comparison and juxtaposition between love and war is therefore made, inviting readers to consider whether love is a simple emotion or a more powerful force than it seems. Examples in which the above-mentioned forms of love occur include Aeneas' relationships with his father Anchises, his son Ascanius, the Phoenician queen Dido, and the Rutulian prince Turnus, as well as the tragic story of the Trojan lovers Nisus and Euryalus. Aeneas' relationships with his father Anchises and his son Ascanius are described as a cyclical process, in which the roles of doting son and wise father are passed from one generation to the next. After the death of Anchises and despite his grief, Aeneas maintained a respectful attitude towards his father and strove to honor him on the anniversary of his death, thus fulfilling his pietas – his duty – as a son of 'Anchise. He says this while performing and celebrating the funeral rites of Anchises and in turn demonstrates how love is unshakable, how it does not give in to death and how it persists despite pain (Aeneid 5.105-110): “I salute and I bless you, sacred father, bless you, Ashes, shadow and soul, paternal soul that I once vainly saved. It was not given to meWith you at my side to explore the coastsAnd the plains of Italy, nor to discover, Whatever it may be, the Ausonian Tiber..." Conversely, during the education of his son Ascanius, Aeneas' identity takes a notable shift, allowing him to become the same protective patriarchal figure that Anchises had been to him. In addition to acknowledging the importance of his role in Ascanius' life, Aeneas also mentions Hector, the fallen leader of the Trojan army, who was a major character in Homer's Iliad. In the following extract from The Aeneid 12.595-602, Aeneas reminds Ascanius of the trials that await him and of the two men whowill know how to teach and protect him: Aeneas and Hector. This message of transmission of knowledge and continued practice of filial piety across generations therefore denotes how love is perpetuated and will continue to be transmitted through such family relationships: “Learn courage and hard work from me, my son, pain of real labor. Luck learns from others. My sword arm will now be your shield in battle and will show you the benefits of war. When, before long, you come to the domain of man, be sure to remember this. As you look back at the role models in your family, let your father, Aeneas, and your uncle, Hector, stir your heart. » Yet, on the other hand, Virgil's depictions of romantic love give a very different meaning to the power of love. Beginning with the ill-fated love between Aeneas and the Carthaginian queen Dido, Virgil describes what is usually filled with amorous displays and gentle courtship as something akin to fire, a deadly passion that consumes the vulnerable Dido of the interior. This is all due to the cunning work of Venus, Aeneas' mother and goddess of love, and her son Amor, who attempt to intervene in Aeneas' chances of reaching Italy: "The Fire Within gnaws at the soft marrow, / And the fire within the wound continues to bleed in silence. (The Aeneid 4.93-94). Following this, after receiving the news that Aeneas must leave Carthage to fulfill his destiny, Dido's metaphorical wound manifests itself in tangible form through her suicide by Aeneas' blade. This ultimate act of personal sacrifice therefore shows how love yields to fate based on such extreme circumstances, and how such fiercely passionate love can only lead to destruction (The Aeneid 4.904-906, 915-919): and fate has allowed it, breathe and give me respite from these anxieties. […]I die without vengeance, she said, but let me die this way, this way, a blessed relief to go into darkness. May the cold Trojan, far away at sea, drink from this fire and take with it the omen of my death! » Likewise, the tragic story of lovers Nisus and Euryale also paints a less flattering picture of what romantic love can entail. After their escape from raids on the Rutulian camp goes awry and Euryale's life is threatened, even a brave and skilled warrior like Nisus is reduced to issuing terrified pleas in order to keep Euryale from certain death. These efforts proved futile, however, as the lovers' captors decided to brutally murder them, carrying their severed heads on their spears like twisted scepters of victory to the Rutulian campsite: "The heads of the attackers, indeed, a dreadful sight — / They fixed spears, raised and struck / In a parade of jeers: Euryale and Nisus” (The Aeneid 9.660-662). As this quote and the following quote from The Aeneid 9.605-610 show, love has the power to reduce us to our weakest and most pathetic states in the most desperate and perilous circumstances, by especially when faced with fear and grief at the time of death. at the same time: “No, me! Me! Here I am! I did it! Bring me your swords, Rutulians. This whole deception was mine. He hadn't dared anything, he couldn't. The sky is my witness, and the stars that look down on us, all he did was worry too much about an unlucky friend. » Finally, from a less conventional approach comes love in the form of a thirst for blood and a desire for war and brutality. In the final moments of The Aeneid, Aeneas is on the brink of victory when Turnus begs for mercy for his father's sake. For a brief moment, it seems that Aeneas' bloodlust,.