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The Struggle Between Dido And Conflicts In The Aeneid By Virgil

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Conflicts abound throughout Virgil’s epic twelve book poem and they are part and parcel of a story that involves much more than the tragic, yet “romantic interlude” between Aeneas and Dido. The story is about death and rebirth, “…finding the origins of Rome in the destruction of Troy” (Puchner, 978) and the painful struggle within that rebirth which gives so much more meaning to the life that comes from it. “Wars and a man I sing- yet many blows he took on land and seas from the gods above and many losses he bore” (Virgil, The Aeneid, 981)
Virgil seeks to explore beyond mere conflicts that are between two people, such as Aeneas and Dido, and moreover sets out to amplify upon events surrounding the “imbroglio” that envelops an individual. Aeneas must deal with affairs of the heart juxtaposed against his unswerving sense of duty which binds him to serve the will of the gods above all and at any cost. From the onset of the story, Aeneas is affected by an inability, due to particular …show more content…

The Virgilian hero Aeneas is set a step above the rest and as such is beyond the scope of reach we as the audience have of him, but it is within the stories that unfold alongside his and all the trials and tribulations which others must endure that we are able to fully comprehend what afflictions he braves despite the pain it causes not only him and the people around him, but us as the reader. Virgil wanted us as the reader to take this journey with Aeneas and bear witness to all that he boldly confronts so that the impact becomes that much more palpable. The story was, after all, an ode, if you will, to the greatness of Rome and her glorious savior

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