Aeneas and Duty

Aeneas is the main character of Virgil’s Aeneid. A Trojan warrior who after the destruction of
Troy will lead his people to safety, founding Rome.

As the myth goes, when Troy was ransacked by the Greeks, Aeneas fought on until he was
ordered by the gods to flee. He, as well as the surviving Trojans, was granted the privilege to
abandon the city, carrying anything they could carry along. Aeneas chose to carry away his
elderly father on his back. Admiring his choice the Greeks allowed him to additionally take
anything from his house. He took nothing else but the sacred idols and heirloom. The Greeks
finally offered him a place in Troy to live in peace for the rest of his life. But Aeneas chose to
leave the city and search another place to live.

As portrayed by Virgil, he is the embodiment of the greek and roman virtues: a man devoted
the gods, a leader to his people, a devoted father and son. Always facing adversity, he never
loses sight of his mission; a dedicated man. In his own words he is “duty- bound” (Dido and
Aeneas).

Duty is defined is “ submission" of one’s will or preferences to those of another, or to the

collective”, according to Prof. Centero. It is the sense of having an obligation to something
greater than oneself. It is linked with military faith, camaraderie and honor. It is exactly what
Aeneas did in his capacity as an active soldier and continued to do so even when he was
defeated.