Aeneas as a hero - comparing the Roman and Greek ideals.

my ships our godsOf hearth and home, saved from the enemy.I look for Italy to be my fatherland,And my descent is from all-highest Jove."Book 1. This is how Aeneas introduced himself to a huntress he meets in the forest of Libya (the huntress is his mother, Venus, in disguise). This reveals how much his mission and responsibilities make up his identity.“Duty-bound,Aeneas, though he struggled with desireTo calm and comfort her in all her pain,To speak to her and turn her mind from grief,And though he sighed his heart out, shaken stillWith love of her, yet took the course heaven gave himAnd went back to the fleet.”We see clearly how Aeneas “struggles with desire” for a different life. He acted against his own feelings which made him a ‘hero’. He acted like this to make the future good for others and his ancestors.“Each night thoughts come of young Ascanius,My dear boy wronged, defrauded of his kingdom,Hesperian lands of destiny. And nowThe gods' interpreter, sent by Jove himself—I swear it by your head and mine—has broughtCommands down through the racing winds! I sayWith my own eyes in full daylight I saw himEntering the building! With my very earsI drank his message in! So please, no moreOf these appeals that set us both afire.I sail for Italy not of my own will.”Book 4. Spoken by Aeneas to Dido when she confronted him about leaving. Here, the Aeneid portrays duty as conflicting with personal desires and connections.This quote shows him as a strong and not strong willed- he told her this, but he had to because she confronted him first. Greek idea of a hero The Greek idea of a hero was that they had to be brave, courageous but they think only of themselves. Their good name is the only important thing. Obsessed with; battle, a brave, memorable death, being remembered. They would go straight to a fight, without a thought. “Let us die and haste to the heart of fighting”Book 2. Here, Aeneas proves he is strong enough to go into the worst part of the fight, even though it’s not the best thing to do.“Arms, men, bring arms! For now there calls to the conqueredTheir last hour. Once more give me back to the Greeks;Let me seek the fighting again and stir it anew;Never this day shall all of us die unavenged!”Book 2. Quote to support the fact he was willing to die against odds not in his favour, no matter what, to have a famous death (in battle)Showing he has the will to do this.