What are some of Juliet's character traits?

What character traits does Aeneas have?

• An epic hero is often set up as an example for readers to follow. What kidn of example does Aeneas set? ( What character traits does he have, and what does he do, that Virgil wants his readers "The Romans" to imitate? What are the ideal traits for a Roman? How is Aeneas different from homer's heroes

• Answer:

  Aeneas' character matures throughout the course of the Aeneid. At the start of the Aeneid he is headstrong and violent; he rushes to fight the Greeks despite the warning given by the ghost of Hektor. As the poem progresses, he is more able to take advice. For example, in response to the advice of the ghost of his father, he seeks out the spirit of Anchises in the underworld in Book Six. Also, The Aeneid was written in the early years of the rule of Emperor Augustus. This was just after the civil war, so the memory of battle and the consequences of violence would have been fresh on the minds of the Romans. Aside from at Troy, Aeneas does not actively seek out violence. He approaches King Latinus peacefully in Book Seven. The fighting occurs because of Turnus' jealousy. The diplomatic approach would have been favoured greatly in Augustan times, as a much less horrific alternative to war. Because large numbers of Roman civilians were killed in the civil war, Emperor Augustus wanted to emphasise the importance of family, to replenish the population. Aeneas has these family values, sort of: he sleeps with Dido for pleasure, which was not seen as a good thing in Roman times – sex was meant to be for reproduction, not fun. However, he appears to be close to his son, and in Book Five (I think) he throws funeral games for his father, showing he is close to them also. Aeneas has a sense of duty for his country. Although he may have preferred to stay with Dido, he leaves because he knows he has a duty to found the Roman race elsewhere. Also it would have been easy for him to settle somewhere where he would not have to fight for land, however he perseveres in Latium because he is aware that this is where he is supposed to found the Roman race.