Vergil’s Aenied Essay, Research Paper
Within the Aeneid, there are many themes contained in
the text. One of them is the death of the good and the
young in battle. This recurring theme seems to be prevalent
in Vergil’s epic because it most definitely occurs in all
battles. When there is battle, there are consequences.
Most often these consequence are the death of someone who is
seen as not yet ready to die because they are good or young.
In Book IX of the Aeneid, lines 402-545, a battle scene
and the events leading to it are depicted. Ascanius is
leading a troop of Trojan soldiers who want to pass through
a place that was unrightfully conquered by Rhamnes. One
Trojan decides to single handedly make a path through this
place. As the Trojan passes through, he kills many Romans.
The Trojan, Euryalus, kills Rhamnes and his slaves. He then
kills Remus’ armor-bearer, charioteer, and horses. Lastly,
Euryalus comes upon the lord, Remus. Vergil begins to
describe the beheading of Remus, done by none other then
Remus, “Full on his neck he drives the fatal sword: the
gasping head flies off; a purple flood flows from the
trunk.” Euryalus then kills Lamus, the bold, and Lamyrus,
the strong. Euryalus also kills the young Serranus, a
good-natured young man who may not have deserved to die.
Vergil includes this certain murder in particular because it
shows that war shows no mercy, no matter how young or how
good.
The slaughter in this scene is ended only at the hand
of Nisus, Euryalus’ lover, who proclaims there has been
enough blood lust and murder. The group leaves the battle
scene with nothing, for they leave the “precious load”
behind.
Soon we see that a young boy is left behind because he
wants to take some of the bounty that was left from the
battle. As Euryalus and Nisus have been gone for some time,
Euryalus realizes he has left the boy behind and he retraces
his path. When he returns he sees the boy surrounded by
“three hundred horse” lead by Volscens. Euryalus’ only
choice is to shoot an arrow through the boy so that he would
not have to suffer at the hands of his captors. Euryalus
believes he is rightful in his decision. This again shows
how the good and the young do die in battle. This, holding
true to the old clich?, “all is fair in love and war”.
In Book XI, lines 818-831, the tale of the turning of
fate and the death of a young maiden, Camilla, is told.
Camilla’s father, Metabus was forced from Privernum, and
took his daughter so she wouldn’t be harmed. While fleeing
through the woods, Metabus comes within sight of his
enemies. Not knowing what to do, he thinks of jumping into a
stream, but stops to think. He decides to bound his
daughter within a hollow wooden sheath, and gives his
daughter up to the goddess, Phoebe.
This story is told by Phoebe and says that once Metabus
did this, “ Then she(Camilla)had been of my celestial train,
and shunned the fate that dooms her to be slain.”
Unfortunately, an older Camilla decided to go into battle
and was eventually murdered. Phoebe vows to avenge her
murder and “bear the brethless body of my maid: Unspoiled
shall be her arms, and unprotaned her holy limbs with any
human hand.” Although Camilla was good and young, and had
her fate diverted by the intervention of Phoebe, she was
killed. This passage is truly an example of one of the
Aeneid’s many themes: the death of the good and young in
battle.