Duty Before Desire

In Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas was depicted as a duty-driven leader who placed the gods, the Trojans, and his family before his own desires. As a matter of fact, The Aeneid quickly informs us that Aeneas was “famous for his devotion” which was built upon throughout the story (1.11). Through acts such as risking his life for someone he loved, forsaking his happiness when prompted by the gods, and seeking the greater good for his people, Aeneas established the fact that his duties outranked his desires.  

Because Aeneas’s first priority was to the gods as well as the Fates, he believed his duty was to fulfill his destiny and obey their commands at all costs. Not only was he conscientious about pleasing the gods, but he also sought their counsel through sacrifices and prayers before embarking on a trip. In an attempt to appease her, Aeneas even prayed and sacrificed a white sow to Juno, the goddess who created constant turmoil and tension for Aeneas and the Trojans. He knew what was expected of him and went above and beyond to fulfill these obligations. Later, in book four, we learn Aeneas was happy and thriving in Carthage with Queen Dido, with no imminent plan to leave. This completely changed, and he “yearns to be gone, to desert this land he loves” because Jupiter reminded him of his fate and his duty to establish Rome (4.348). Though this meant leaving Dido “all against [his] will” to go to Italy, he sacrificed this love and broke Dido’s heart because desire was no match to his god-given duty (4.452).

            Although serving and obeying the gods were Aeneas’s main focus, he was extremely loyal to and responsible for his family. For instance, when Aeneas and his family were escaping the ruins of Troy, he carried his elderly father on his back, explaining they both would “share one peril, one path to safety” (2.883). Seeking the best interest for his father, Aeneas viewed the hardship of carrying him as nothing more than “a labor of love”—a small price to pay for being a devoted son (2.881). Later, when Aeneas and his family were heading to the rendezvous point, Aeneas’s wife, Creusa, was separated from her family, never to be seen again. As soon as her husband learned she was lost, he frantically searched the city for her, putting his “life in danger one more time,” and even risked shouting her name in enemy territory (2.933). After seeing and talking to Creusa’s ghost, he joined his people and, though he still grieved for his late wife, he completely focused on his responsibility to lead them.

            Clearly, the Trojan people were always at the forefront of Aeneas’s mind, and he was aware of how his actions affected them. For example, one of the first tasks Aeneas began when they settled in Latium was building a fortress for his people since their protection was of the utmost importance to him. Similarly, Aeneas took it upon himself to do small yet meaningful things for the Trojans. This included raising their spirits by delivering motivational speeches whenever they were discouraged and honoring the dead with proper burials. Perhaps, though, Aeneas’s duty and reverence to his people was the most obvious in book two when the city of Troy was razed. Instead of immediately fleeing the city, Aeneas was determined to stay, desperate to die amongst his comrades and his father, who refused to leave until an omen changed his mind. “Not all of us here / will die today without revenge,” Aeneas proclaimed as he prepared to wage an impossible battle against the Greeks (2.832-833). If it were not for the desperate pleas from his wife, her reminder that Aeneas’s “first duty should be to guard [their] house,” and the omen that persuaded Anchises to leave with Aeneas, he would have gladly fallen alongside the city of Troy (2.843). This act of loyalty alone provided a testament to Aeneas’s character and motives.

            It comes as no surprise, then, that Virgil referred to Aeneas as “duty-bound” in The Aeneid (1.367, 1.457). Aeneas’s willingness to work ceaselessly and sacrifice what he wanted for the betterment of his people was evident throughout the book. He was fiercely loyal, obedient, and devoted to the gods, his family, and the Trojans. It was these duty-driven qualities that created both an exceptional leader for the Trojans and a catalyst for the Fates’ plan.