13 February 2006
Women: Who Needs 'Em?
Is anyone else disturbed by Aeneas' habit of losing women? It seems that with both Creusa and Dido that Aeneas barely minds losing them; he even acts as if they're a burden. The relationship between men and women is quite confusing to me. In the Iliad, the whole war is based on Helen and, less directly, Briseis and Chriseis, but in the Aeneid, women are just a nice commodity to whom you can say "Alright, fine, I have to give you up, dang!" Perhaps this distinction between Homer and Virgil is because of the difference between Greek and Roman culture, or perhaps the two are more alike than I give them credit for.
# posted by dbLIVESAY @ 9:40 PM 
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I think this might have part to do with free will. In Book IV if Aeneas would have been left to his free will he would have stayed behind and held an official wedding ceremony. Instead, Aeneas had to submit to the gods and leave "not of his own free will" for Italy. I admit Aeneas did not show much emotion at the loss of Creusa and Dido. It seems he puts his respect for the gods over his emotions. Although DB, you could be right maybe this is just a difference between the Greek and Roman Culture or maybe Aeneas just places a higher respect for the gods than the Achaeans did in the Illiad.
Well, we know that Aeneas was affected by the loss of the two women. He is hurt at Dido's silence as he passes through the forest in the underworld. But Aeneas is noted as being pious, so it only makes sense that he follows the orders of the Gods instead of favoring his own emotional desires. The entire future of his people hinges on his ability to lead his people to Italy and found Rome. Women are everywhere, but Rome exists only in Italy.
I feel that Aeneas did show sympathy and regret towards leaving Dido, however it was just too little, too late. By the time he realized how much he had hurt her she was already dead, and refused to speak to him in the underworld. Also, Aeneas realizes that it is his duty to found Rome and that more relies on his decision to leave Dido than his emotions.
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