... is not guilty. Most people have some action that they perform out of duty, an obligation that would cause more heartache and trouble if they were to shirk it. In The Aeneid, Aeneas is a loyal and trustworthy slave of duty. He constantly has to overcome adversity to do his god-ordained duty of founding ... the city and society of Rome. At times he wavers, and it costs him and his companions, but he eventually returns to the task at hand, to the path of duty. In the classic tragic epic poem of The Aeneid, duty is all that matters, and all other tasks, peoples and plans are ... secondary,...

• Word Count: 1336
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... great fame from his epic biographical poem Africa, which was based on the life of Scipio Africanus who, to Petrarch, embodies the valiant and pious virtues of the ancient Romans. But, although he worked on this throughout his lifetime, it was never even published. His imitation of Virgil's Aeneid shows the degree to which he relied on Classical literature as a source and guide ... . Amazingly, he included his own commentaries and reflections on the events of the biography. This type of critical analysis shows that Petrarch had crossed a bridge into Renaissance thinking. Literary historian...

• Word Count: 2254
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... ) culture to world attention. Romans patronized Greek artists and artisans in the glorification of a vast world of their own, Roman creation. It is no surprise, then, that the Roman poet Virgil turns to Greek mythology and to the Greek epics as he fashions his own description of the origins and destiny of the Roman state, The Aeneid . His aim is to situate Rome in line with what ... was considered the great literary tradition of the time -- the Greek. Virgil's work thus is both polemic and propaganda: his ... blending of history and mythology provides a platform for the imperial agenda ...

• Word Count: 792
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School