In Book 1 of the Aeneid Vergil not only begins to tell the story of Aeneas, but he also starts to help us understand just who this man is. We start learning just who Aeneas is within the first lines of the poem. A small summary of Aeneas's life is given; we are told of his struggles and his founding of Rome. This short passage ("Arma virumque...moenia Romae") tells us quite a bit about Mr. Aeneas. It shows his ability to overcome struggle, his ability to continue on to greatness after being beaten down. This passage allows us to understand that the main focus of our story is a true hero.
Another thing that gives us a clue to who Aeneas is the use of the word "pietas" in line 10 ("insignem pietate virum") and 7 other times in the poem (according to the frequency list in the back of our text). As we have often discussed, finding a definition for this word is a difficult task. Our text defines it as "dutiful respect, devotion (to the god, family, country)." It is, however, much more than that. The use of this word means that Vergil believes that Aeneas is a good man, and thus, so should we.
One of the most important things we learn about Aeneas in Book 1 is his ability to be an effective leader. In Lines 198 to 207, Aeneas speaks to his people in an attempt to keep them motivated and keep them moving along on the journey to finding a new city. A bit earlier in Line 94, however, Aeneas was telling the gods how badly he wanted to die back in Troy ("O terque...contigit oppetere!"). This shows us something so crucial in Aeneas's character. It shows that even when he himself is down and feeling as though he cannot continue on, he can still find the strength within himself to motivate those he must lead. This is such an important quality in a leader, and one that makes Aeneas such a powerful and unique hero.
