The Key of Fury: Sammy Carey

Aeneas’ Transition into a Roman

Virgil’s Aeneid is more than just an epic poem describing the journeys of the Trojan
Aeneas in his attempt to fulfill his destiny; Virgil seems to have a much deeper message and
vision to share with his fellow citizens about the core fabric of a Roman that he embodies in the
adventure of the main character. Virgil strives to justify the inherent rage and fury - defining
characteristics of their patron goddess Juno - within the Romans as their key to success in
warfare. Virgil designed the Aeneid in a way that displayed Aeneas’s gradual absorption and
assimilation to the fury of Juno. By the final scene, Aeneas is able to fully embody the traits of a
man at warfare within his true character as revealed in his last action, allowing him to finally
accomplish his mission of becoming a new type of person, Roman, for future civilization.
Throughout Aeneas’ story, he transitions from the Trojan warrior, son of Venus, and
enemy of Juno into a man who is truly Roman allowing fury, Juno’s weapon, to drive the killing
blow into his last obstacle, Turnus. Aeneas is introduced to the audience at his lowest point,
literally droppings to his knees and begging to have died on the battlefield in Troy (1.131-139).
In the final scene though, Aeneas no longer captive to Trojan weakness but rather evolved into
the ideal Roman, “sank his blade in fury in Turnus’ chest” causing his enemy to drop to his knees
rather than himself (12.1295-1296). Virgil portrays this action as being the result of rage and
anger, which throughout the Aeneid were always used to explain Juno’s emotion and the
response of those she infiltrated. Both Dido and Turnus, for example, were overcome by fury that
Juno elicited within their souls causing them to seek Aeneas’s destruction (4.847-875,
7.561-653). What makes Aeneas’ emotion unique compared to that of others in this epic is that
Juno did not need to send down the Furies, but by this point, after all that he had gone through,
fury became Aeneas’ response to his enemy. Through this, Virgil seems to be conveying that he
believes it is the rage of Juno that brings one success in warfare and strife whether it be inherent
in one’s nature or created by the Furies of the goddess.
Another way to explore Virgil’s message is by expanding the final scene from beyond
just the duel with Turnus but rather to the discussion between the gods that leads to Juno’s
extraction from the battlefield. This passage and the subsequent actions allow us to understand
Juno’s outlook towards Aeneas and the reasons for her change from enemy to patron. Juno gains
favorability towards Aeneas only after Jupiter promises to “Let Latium be” and “let Italian valor
be the strength of Rome in after times” no longer allowing the Trojans to take hold of this people
but forcing Aeneas and his men to submit to the customs and traditions becoming Latins
(12.1115-1140). This seems to reveal Juno’s main problem with Aeneas is his desire to constantly
mix his home of Troy into everything he approaches rather than inheriting Roman characteristics
and learning to worship her. Throughout the Aeneid, Virgil reveals the transition of Aeneas from
a man who only wanted to return to Troy to build up its walls once again (4.469-475) to a man
that seeks the god’s favor and is willing to do what it takes to win the battle. Virgil seemed to use
Juno’s character as the reason for this development in Aeneas, for it was all through her initiative
that Aeneas was brought the struggles he faced in fulfilling his destiny. The murder of Turnus at
the end of the epic seems to capture Aeneas’ release of all the emotions built up throughout the
story at the hand of Juno’s meddling.
Aeneas evolves into Virgil’s ideal Roman throughout the Aeneid as he transitions from a
weak remorseful man to a strong warrior that uses the gifts and traits of the gods, especially
those of Juno’s, to defeat his enemy.