What makes a Character Heroic?

“…I swear by the stars,
the gods above, and any trust
that may be in this underearth, I was
unwilling when I had to leave your shores.
But those same orders of the gods that now
urge on my journey through the shadows, through
abandoned, thorny lands and deepest night
drove me by their decrees.” (Bk VI, pg. 148, ll. 603-610)

A common thread that almost every literary work throughout time has is the designation of a heroic figure. What sets each of those works apart though, are the qualities that makes the character of the story heroic. In Virigil’s Aeneid, many can argue that Aeneas should not be considered heroic because to his inconsistent nature. Aeneas’ indecision between his duty and personal desires is a flaw that is greatly exploited in the play and the consequences of such flaw came at a great cost. Heroism can be defined as a form of sacrifice, but to what ends? Is it heroic to abandon a loved one (Creusa), instigate the death of an innocent victim, and to destroy a city for the sake of the hero’s personal gain? Or is heroism a form of sacrifice in which the individual must learn not to compromise his convictions, despite his initial doubts, and carry out the duties he has been prophesized or empowered to fulfill.

Aeneas’ obstacles are his own creations, his own subconscious inability to embrace his destiny because of his former loyalties. How he overcomes those obstacles are not due to his physical abilities or mental prowess like other epic heroes, but through the urgings and influence of other characters. Aeneas was unwilling to not just leave Dido (Bk IV), but also leave the security of having a home and simple role in life. When he does meet Dido again in the underworld, Aeneas laments to Dido how he regrets abandoning her and his emotional fears over his lack of free will. He claims he had to abandon the luxury of her presence through the demands of the gods and his father’s ghost. “He was unwilling to leave [her] shores” and his journey to the Underworld was not his own choice but once again through the will of the gods. At this point it seems as if Aeneas has no control or influence over his own life, it is constantly being driven through the commands of a higher power, making him incapable of independent thinking and an inability to even properly defend for his actions. Aeneas’ lack of agency seemingly projects him as an incompetent hero. However, that is what makes him heroic. It is not Aeneas’ mission to establish a new home for city that is his greatest task; it is his personal conflict to decide between his desires and duty that embody his most difficult obstacle. Aeneas’ greatest enemy is himself and when he eventually realizes the importance of his role and embrace his destiny he will become the paragon of Rome’s most cherished virtues: reason and pietas. To Virgil’s audience, Aeneas is not just a Roman hero, but also the ideal Roman citizen.

Sophocles’ play Antigone, on the other hand, defines the characteristics of heroism in a different perspective. Antigone is considered a tragic heroine because her unyielding principles will not be compromised even under the threat of isolation and death. Similar to Aeneas, it was Antigone's personal principles that can be considered her most fatal enemy, as it was not solely Creon's tyrannical nature that led to her death, but her driven need to fulfill her own personal code of conduct . However, in contrast to Aeneas, Antigone’s staunch resistance to state authority and devotion to divine will casts her as a heroine, but also an insubordinate citizen of Thebes. Although Antigone and Aeneas are considered heroic, the two characters possess a set of qualities that are the antithesis of each other.

So, before she has a chance,

I plan to catch the queen by craftiness,

To girdle Dido with flame, so that

No god can turn her back; I’ll hold her fast

With great love for Aeneas. Hear me now;

I need your help to carry out this plot.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Sumerian gods resolve that counterbalance must be created, in order to restrain Gilgamesh. Therefore, Enkidu, a symbol of nature and uncivilizedness, is engendered, yet he must first be civilized. This is achieved, when the Shamhat, a temple prostitute, offers her body to Enkidu, and they have a sexual encounter. In turn, this allows for Enkidu to serve as complementing part to Gilgamesh’s persona. In all, the companionship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, beyond allowing Gilgamesh to overcome his tyranny, promotes and allows Gilgamesh to achieve fame through Uruk, the city he built. Similarly, Aeneas’ relationship with Dido serves as an instrument to forward the creation of Rome and Aeneas’ everlasting legacy as a great leader. Nonetheless, their relationship also allows for Venus’ triumph over Juno, hence, establishing Aeneas’ and Dido’s relationship as a mechanism that allows the gods to resolve their quarrels.

Moving along, the above stanza reflects the idea of Aeneas’ and Dido’s relationship as an apparatus for Venus to triumph over Juno. Once Mercury has descended and decreed that Dido receive the Trojans with open arms, Venus resolves she must outsmart Juno. She will employ her divine powers and that of Cupid, her son, to make Dido fall madly in love with Aeneas. Love, in Greek and Roman mythology, represents the strongest force in the universe. Therefore, Mercury will employ love, in order to avoid a situation in which Juno can influence Dido. On the other hand, by making Dido fall in love with Aeneas, Venus would, to a certain extent, secure the founding of Rome, for she will ensure that Dido provides proper hospitality to Aeneas. Finally, Venus reiterates her ultimate goal when she uses the word “plot.” Rather than alluding to the creation of Rome, as her motive for summoning Cupid, she points to her plot. Even though her plot serves the goal of Aeneas, to build Rome, Venus’ ultimate purpose is to overcome Juno.

Male vs Female in Duty and Emotion

Passage:

“And Mercury attacks at once. “Are you

now laying the foundation of high Carthage,

as servant to a woman, building her

a splendid city here? Are you forgetful

of what is your own kingdom, your own fate?

The very god of gods, whose power sways

both earth and heaven, sends me down to you

from bright Olympus. He himself has asked me

to carry these commands through the swift air:

what are you pondering or hoping for

while squandering your ease in Libyan lands?

For if the brightness of such deeds is not

enough to kindle you—if you cannot

attempt the task for your own fame—remember

Ascanius growing up, the hopes you hold

for Iülus, your own heir, to whom are owed

the realm of Italy and land of Rome.” (Book IV, p. 88, ln 353-369)

In Vergil’s Aeneid, Aeneas is distracted from his duty to found Rome by a relationship with Dido of Carthage. To remind him of his responsibility, Jupiter sends Mercury, who chastises Aeneas and frightens him into leaving Carthage. Vergil uses the opposition between Aeneas and Dido to illustrate the ideal qualities of a good leader as defined by the Stoic philosophy. Both Aeneas and Dido are initially admirable leaders who are responsible; they support the Stoic philosophy that one must suppress all emotional distractions in order to become wise and rational. Their relationship is depicted as a disruption in the fates of both rulers and their cities; Dido’s Carthage is neglected and no longer develops and Aeneas loses his focus on founding Rome. Both rulers become distracted by their passion and let their personal desires take precedence over the good of their respective cities. Dido is overcome by her emotions and Aeneas requires outside influences to return to rationality; Mercury must invoke his pride as a man and a hero and his obligation as a father to his son. A misogynistic view of Dido is also presented, juxtaposing her lack of control over emotion with Aeneas’ regained calm. Her rage and passion are attributed to women, while his control is implied as masculine. Dido’s later confrontation with her lover is marked by an overflow of emotion, as she is “raging frantically, inflamed” (ln 402-3). The motif of fire indicates her condition in love as well as the fated fall of Carthage as a result. Aeneas’ ability to suppress his emotions and his decision to leave Dido are suggested to be instrumental in the founding of Rome and in its lasting stability under a good, rational leader.

Duty vs. Personal Desire (Prompt #1) CloseReading

Passage:

“These words of Anna fed the fire in Dido…

...Her towers rise no more; the young of Carthage no longer exercise at arms or build their harbors or sure battlements for war…” (p.81-82, ln 74-118).

By depicting Dido’s love for Aeneas as a tragedy, Vergil purposefully supports the dominant stoic philosophy of his society. According to the Stoics, individuals that succumb to their bodily desires will exercise poor judgment and thereby face destruction and misfortune. In the case of Vergil’s Aeneid, Dido pursues love with Aeneas while abandoning her role as the queen of Carthage. While she tends to her emotional desires, Carthage begins to fall: “the young of Carthage no longer exercise at arms or build their harbors…the works are idle…[all] lie neglected” (ln 113-116). In this excerpt Vergil defends stoic logic. Both Dido and the people of Carthage suffer because she chose to chase love rather than continue her duties as queen. The diction in this passage illustrates the warm and passionate love that she yearns for. Dido’s sister (Anna) stimulates the “fire” within her and “burned away her doubt”—the doubt Dido had in betraying her own vow against re-marrying (ln 74-75). The imagery of fire and wounds of beasts during her sacrifices supports her transformation into a romantic character rather than the responsible and honorable leader she was before. Yet these images also infer instability and possible danger. This foreshadows the eventual grief she endures after Aeneas leaves her to pursue his duty to establish Rome. Although she finds brief happiness during their romance, “unhappy Dido burns” (ln 90) before and after this love bond is formed. This supports stoic philosophy in that she suffers for the consequences of her prioritizing carnal desire over a rational mind. In contrast, Aeneas is victorious at the end of his long journey because he resists the temptation to stay with Dido in Africa and fulfills his duty in Italy. To reinforce this notion, Vergil labels Dido as illogical in her passion, comparing her to a “heedless hind hit by an arrow” (ln 92) that is “insane” (ln 91) and “wanders in her frenzy” (ln 102).

Prompt 3: An Examination of the Male-Female Relationship using Dido and Aeneas

So Dido pleads, and her poor sister carries

these lamentations, and she brings them back

for lamentation cannot move Aeneas;

his graciousness toward any plea is gone.

Fate is opposed, the god makes deaf

the hero’s kind ears.

Book IV, Lines 602-608, p. 94

These lines describe Dido’s final attempts to delay Aeneas’ departure, calling upon her sister to appeal to Aeneas’ senses of decency and propriety. Of many themes suggested by this passage, including the conflicting roles of duty against desire, fate against free will, past and future against the present, one of the most prevalent is the opposition of male and female. Specifically, the male-female antagonistic relationship represented in this passage is that of Aeneas and Dido. Although much of the story would seem to suggest the strictly polarized opposition of the rational, civilized male against irrational, anarchist female, this passage demonstrates the ability of each partner of the relationship to exercise their own free will in choosing the sake of self or the sake of the city. In the first book, Juno demonstrates the ability of the female to corrupt and alter the judgment of male, Aeolus. This evidence contributes to the idea of the corrupting nature of women over normally reasonable man. Within the fourth book, Aeneas appears to wander off course as he succumbs to his basic human desires in his relationship with Dido. Although demonstrating human nature would not appear particularly harmful, human nature suggests his individualism, which runs contrary to the idea of sacrificing the sense of self for the sake of the city. Individualism suggests free will and an ability to alter fate, both of which contradict the idea of the inevitable founding of Rome by the ancestors of Trojan hero, Aeneas. In this passage, Aeneas demonstrates the ability to exercise restraint. Similarly, within the story Dido reveals her ability to maintain control over Carthage, thus exhibiting herrational, civilized nature. Ultimately, Dido makes the choice to pursue her personal passions. The argument could easily be made that the female characters in The Aeneid always act in an irrational, overemotional fashion, but with a deeper look at Dido, the nuances of this male-female antagonism are revealed. Succumbing to individualism does, in a sense, demonstrate disregard the sake of the city, but neither gender suggests a sense of utter conviction to either choosing the sake of the individual or choosing the sake of the city. This passage highlights Aeneas’ ability, as much as Dido’s ability, to exercise that choice. Once Aeneas makes that choice, his humanity is stripped away, as his “kind ears” are “ma[d]e deaf”. Once Dido makes her choice, she pursues, in a way, the most selfish decision imaginable by killing herself, in another sense abandoning her role as leader. In a similar manner, Antigone, can be construed as incredibly strict in its delineation of the male-female relationship as a confrontation of the concepts of personal desire and the sake of the city. But both Creon and Antigone demonstrate nuances in character until their respective choices to support city and personal desires eventually provoke the stagnation of each character. This passage helps validate the nuanced nature of the male-female relationships in The Aeneid, as Dido chooses to pursue her individual desires and Aeneas reject his for the sake of the city.

Aeneas vs Antigone--Self Sacrifice

For the purpose of my third paper I would like to focus on the concept of self-sacrifice in order to compare and contrast the characters of Aeneas and Antigone. As depicted in their respective literary pieces, the two characters share many similarities: they both face many challenging obstacles, which keep them from living in the present, in order to fulfill their familial, god-directed duties. However, despite the fact that both characters ostensibly share the significant similarity of sacrificing ‘self’, there arises a sharp contrast between the two upon closer analysis. Antigone is passionately and unwaveringly dedicated to her duty to the point of obstinacy throughout Antigone. On the other hand, Aeneas requires much more external motivation. He must, in a sense, be pushed to fulfill his fate, his duty. Thus, by examining Antigone in light of Aeneas, the nobility of her actions and self-sacrifice become more significant and honorable.

Focusing on exposing Aeneas’s character, lines 476-484 of Book IV of The Aeneid perfectly illustrate his lack of internal motivation:

“For often as the night conceals the earth with dew and shadows, often as the stars ascend, my father’s anxious image approaches me in dreams. Anchises warns and terrifies; I see the wrong I have done to one so dear, my boy Ascanius, whom I am cheating of Hesperia, the fields assigned by fate.”

Upon reaching the borders of Libya, Aeneas becomes complacent with the idea of staying in Carthage as Dido’s lover. Ignoring his duty, he spends his time either by Dido’s side or working to expand her city. Clearly, his actions stand in opposition to his designated fate of founding Rome, and Mercury descends from heaven as a reminder. Shaken by Mercury’s warning to forge forward, Aeneas relates the above passage to Dido in his explanation for leaving. Thereby it is revealed that Mercury’s was not the first warning that Aeneas received. Rather, his father has appeared before him many times in his dreams. In these dreams, Anchises, by Aeneas’s own account, frightened Aeneas and made him feel remorseful for keeping Ascanius from reaching Ausonian soil. The importance of this passage lies in the fact that Aeneas’s dream was recurring, and every time it happened he was scared and made to recognize the effects of his actions. Yet, in spite of this, he continued to remain seemingly content in Carthage. It was not until after the amalgamation of his paternal and the divine messages that he succumbed to his designated fate. Hence, Aeneas, as revealed here, is not internally driven to fulfill his duty, rather he must be propelled forward by external forces.

TO HER YOU WERE LIKE A VISIBLE GODDESS

In the poem “To Her You Were Like a Visible Goddess,” Sapphos utilizes diction and similes to describe what it is like to witness true beauty and to be in love. The poem starts with an unknown woman being described as a “visible goddess.” In using the word “goddess,” Sappho is able to convey beauty and a majestic vibe towards this person that she is trying to describe; she is able to make it seem like this person’s beauty is unrealistic because no one can reach this level. She then goes on to compare the woman to the “rose-tipped moon.” The rose is a flower that is typically used to be symbolic of romance and love. The moon is what brings light to the dark nights, showing that her beauty can shine through the darkness of the night and be visible to all that seek it.

The last two stanzas of the poem describe a new day and moving on after having witnessed and fallen for such beauty. Sappho tries to describe the morning through the use of “dew” that appears early in the mornings and says that it is still beautiful with the “roses bloom, and tender parsley and honey-flowered clover.” It still describes a beautiful scenery. However, by the last stanza, Sappho reveals that in the end, she is still sad that this beauty has past and that she can no longer witness it nor experience this romance. Sappho says at the end that her spirit is “wasted with yearning, heart comsumed with pain,” describing how heartbroken she still is after she is no longer able to be around this love. Though the day still seems fine with a fresh new start, ultimately, she is still sad to some extent about this loss that she is experiencing.