The Aeneid Analysis

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Robert J. Ringer realized that, “People say they love the truth, but in reality they want to believe that which they love is true.” This can be seen in the Aeneid,written by the Roman poet, Virgil. Book II of the Aeneid is told from the Trojan’s point of view of their defeat to Greece. The Greeks hide inside a wooden horse then once inside the walls, they attack the Trojans leaving Aeneas the only survivor. In book IV, Aeneas goes on to recount this story to Queen Dido, who falls in love with him, only to have to leave her heartbroken because his fate is elsewhere. Behind the cause of these two tragedies is a denial both the Trojans and Queen Dido possessed. Virgil's view on human nature brings to light how people tend to believe what they …show more content…
One major example of this was people’s thoughts on slavery in the 1700s. Most United States citizens considered slavery to be an acceptable way of life. Part of this was because they wanted to believe it was righteous, for who would do their work if the slaves did not? Some even convinced themselves enslaving African Americans was benefitting the slaves. John C. Calhoun said,“Never before has the black race of Central Africa, from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually.” Slave owners in the United States chose to believe what they wanted to be true which was that slavery was righteous. This resulted in centuries and generations of slavery in the United States. Another prominent event in history where Virgil’s view on human nature can be seen is with the Holocaust. Germany had a mass population in poverty following World War I and was in desperate need of hope. “The Nazi party provided the population hope. But, most importantly, they gave the population a scapegoat of which to assign blame(Michael W. Kramer).” The blame was handed to the Jewish who were then prosecuted, imprisoned, and killed. Due to many Germans believing what they wanted to be true, that someone was responsible for the degraded economy, over six million Jews died. Virgil’s view that people believe what they want to …show more content…
This is evident in the Aeneid book II when the Trojans choose to trust Sinon because they want to believe they defeated the Greeks; Moreover, in book IV when Queen Dido longs to be with Aeneas and believes marrying him is what would be best for her and her kingdom. Virgil’s view on human nature continues to be visible in historical events such as slavery and the Holocaust. All of these caused misfortune and calamity. It is crucial that people analyze the psychology behind these crises so they can find ways to prevent
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