Annmarie

Comparative Literature 101H

Love and Duty in the Time of the Aeneid
If the epic poem Aeneid by Virgil had to be summed up into a key theme, a likely
contender would be love versus duty. Duty is the force that drives the main character,
Aeneas, on his quest to settle in Italy with the surviving Trojans after the fall of Troy.
Given the enormity of his duty and how influential his actions are as a leader, Aeneas
made the right decision in leaving Queen Dido of Carthage in Book Four, despite her
tragic and extreme reaction. Their contrasting fates Didos tragic end and Aeneass
continued path to greatness- say different things about love and duty. Dido becomes a
testament to why [romantic] love and duty cannot mix, whereas Aeneas shows how duty
and a love for the greater good can enhance each other.
At the times of their introductions to the story, Dido and Aeneas are remarkably
similar in that they are painted as two very duty-centric characters. Both of them are new
rulers of a group of people Dido led emigrants out of her home country, Phoenicia, and
became Queen of Carthage, and Aeneas led his surviving soldiers out of Troy and is
destined to found and rule Rome. They both have experienced painful losses that
influence much of what they do Dido lost her first husband, Sychaeus, and has since
vowed never to love or marry again. Aeneas has lost both his father and his entire city of
Troy, among other loved ones. Aeneas faced adversity from the Greeks as they sieged and
burned Troy; Dido faces adversity from Iarbus, a jilted admirer, and Pygmalion, her
murderous brother who wants to destroy Carthage. What is important is that both Dido
and Aeneas have pressed on from these obstacles, which firmly establishes their
commitment to duty, that is, until they meet each other and Aeneas is kissed by Cupid.

Aeneas in particular never takes his mind off going to Italy until he meets Dido.
Before that point, Aeneas was constantly reconfirming his responsibilities and his
mission. Immediately after washing up ashore after the fierce storm Aeolus brewed
(Virgil 4), Aeneas focused entirely on boosting the morale of his men. Not even a
tremendous storm that took away more than half of his men swayed him to give up or
discuss anything other than settling Italy. It is important to note, also, Aeneass way of
dealing with negative emotions: he was feeling sick with worry after the storm, but
he put on a good face/And pushed his anguish deep into his heart (8). These lines show
that Aeneas has sensitive, human emotions like everybody else, and he does feel tempted
to express them and go off-task, but he buries these emotions for the good of his duty.
Later, When he unwittingly encounters his mother, Venus in disguise, he introduces
himself as Aeneas, devoted to my citys gods,/Refugees I rescued from enemy
hands/And my ships most precious cargoMy quest/Is for Italy to be our fatherland,
and to found/A race descended from Jove most high (13-14). Even in the presence of a
beautiful goddess, he stays calm and collected about what he needs to do. He does not
expressly communicate a desire for anything else other than to settle in Italy to honor
fallen Troy.
Aeneass unwavering quest for Italy is representative of a way in which duty can
be carried out in the name of love; it is a way for the two concepts to exist at once. The
love that Aeneas often experiences is nationalistic, altruistic, and familial love. He is
constantly talking about Troy not just because it is his duty to reestablish its survivors
elsewhere, but because he also simply loves his city. He mentions so many people in his
recount to Dido, showing that he got to know many people. Virgils beautiful, tragic

descriptions of them such as Cassandras capture by the Greeks show Aeneas as

someone who feels intense sympathy for the people of his city. Because Aeneass love
reaches beyond more than one person, it allows him to stay true to his mission. The love
he has for Troy, its people, his father, and other loved ones becomes a huge propeller for
his quest he wouldnt be as adamant about his mission, of course, if he didnt love Troy,
his father, or Troys people as much. This unity of love and duty is acceptable and
functional; had Aeneas not crashed on the shores of Carthage, this clear sense of duty,
and who he is doing this duty for, would keep him on course.
Dido, on the other hand, demonstrates the incompatibility of romantic love and
duty. She too is a duty-driven character, but is then made to experience a burning,
romantic love. One can argue that Didos love for Aeneas was artificial and inflicted
with Cupids kiss. If this is not how all people in the world of Aeneid fall in love, then it
is arguable that one cant say for sure how Dido would have received Aeneas without
Cupids influence. Unlike Aeneass love for his city and his people, Didos love is meant
for one person. If Dido previously felt Aeneass altruistic love for her own people, it is
almost completely overshadowed by romantic love now. This thus causes Carthages
development to fall by the wayside (80), and the romantic love is so intoxicating that
Dido cannot be brought back to remember her duties. She instead reacts violently to
Aeneass news that he must leave, instead of also coming to her senses. Although Didos
romantic love happened unnaturally, her actions are not far off from how many people
act when in a refreshing, exciting love affair. In this way, Virgil makes a point about the
distracting nature of romantic love. He does not disagree with the notion that romantic
love feels very good for its two-way recipients, but shows how it doesnt benefit many

others in Carthages sudden pause in development (The half-built tires rise no higher,
the men no longer/Drill at arms or maintain the citys defensive works./All work stops,
construction halts on the huge,/Menacing walls. The idle derricks loom against the sky.
80)
Although Aeneas did choose to stay in Carthage and partake in a love affair with
her, Aeneass relative silence during this period suggests that Aeneas might not have
completely lost sight of his duty after all. Virgil doesnt write their love affair as being
very equal. For the entire few verses in which Dido and Aeneas are falling in love, one
hears very little of Aeneass true feelings or even his presence in the text. He doesnt have
any lines until Dido has cornered him about what she views as his attempt to sneak away
from her (87-88). The beginning of Book Four instead is focused largely on Dido, and her
feelings about Aeneas. He is only briefly mentioned when Dido gives him a tour of her
palace, and when the hunting party commences. In these verses, one gets a very clear
sense of how Dido feels about Aeneas, but Aeneass silence can help one argue that he
didnt love her nearly as strongly as she did, if at all. We never witness him telling her
anything specifically affectionate. There is even distance in their lovemaking in the cave
during the storm, for it is told from the point of view of Rumor, as opposed to the narrator
himself, in merely two lines (83, lines 218-219). The love that Virgil says Aeneas keeps
in his heart (88) might not have really existed, or he could be confusing it with
admiration and respect. It seems odd that Aeneas can leave Dido so easily, despite claims
that he did feel love for her. If Aeneass love for his father and the city of Troy could
influence Aeneass very course in life, it seems odd that his love with Dido, if it were
real, didnt influence any of his decisions in the slightest. He doesnt make any attempt to

join their kingdoms in union, as Anna had suggested to Dido (78), nor does he even grant
her last wish that he wait to depart Carthage until the weather improves (91). If he had
any real love for Dido, even simply as a fellow human being, it seems he would have
given her more attention and care.
Thus, by Book Fours end, Didos romantic love has trumped her duty and has
also caused her death, while Aeneas has preserved his duty by ultimately not indulging in
selfish romantic love. Because Aeneid is about the founding of a city, it is natural that
Virgil wouldnt portray romantic love in a kind light, but would instead make duty a top
priority, with non-romantic love as its propeller. Aeneass choice to leave Carthage and
Dido, although it caused her lethal emotional anguish, was the most beneficial choice for
everyone his son, and the legacy of Troy. Virgil does not believe in a world without
love of any kind, but instead favors love that will benefit more than just one couple; a
love that will found cities.

Works Cited
Virgil. Aeneid. Trans. Stanley Lombardo. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2005. Books 1, 2, 4,
6. Print.