In this essay I will be examining the characteristics of the characters Aeneas and Dido as they appear in the first book of the Aeneid.

Authors Avatar
Aeneas and Dido in the First Book of The Aeneid         In this essay I will be examining the characteristics of the characters Aeneas and Dido as they appear in the first book of the Aeneid.  In the first book of the Aeneid, Virgil introduces Aeneas. Aeneas is shown to be a Trojan hero and prince who survived the siege and sacking of Troy and managed to lead a band of survivors to safety.  Aeneas is the son of Anchises and the goddess of love, Venus. After fighting in the Trojan War, Aeneas escaped after the Greeks sacked the city, leading a small band of survivors on a quest to find Latium, where, it had been revealed, the descendants of Aeneas would found the beginnings of the Roman Empire. After leaving Sicily, on what the Trojans believe to be the final stage of their journey, Juno sends a storm, which wrecks some of the ships and scatters the rest. She does this because she believes a race descended from the Trojans will destroy her beloved city of Carthage. After the storm, Aeneas makes his way to the shores of Libya, where he is met by is mother, Venus, disguised as a huntress. She tells him to make for the city of Carthage. There he is welcomed by Queen Dido, and reunited with the rest of his followers who have survived the storm. Dido invites the Trojans to a great banquet where Venus arranges that Dido will fall in love with Aeneas.  Aeneas displays many qualities that make him stand out. These include qualities associated with leadership and also others. These qualities are: Responsible Leader – Aeneas is the leader of the group of survivors and he takes on those responsibilities. For example, upon landing on the shores of Libya, it is Aeneas who climbs to a vantage point to try
Join now!
and learn of the location of the rest of the fleet, “Aeneas climbed up a rock, looking for a good view out over the sea, in hope of seeing Trojan ships.” He is also the one who goes out to explore the surrounding land, “As soon as the kind light of day allowed, he determined to set out and explore this strange country, to find out where the wind had brought them.”Provision for his men – Tying in with the responsible leader point, Aeneas is always the one to provide for his men. One of the first things he does ...

This is a preview of the whole essay