Virgil condones war for the sake of his patron, Augustus Caesar, whose recent victory at Actium, three years before the creation of Virgil's epic, had quelled the rebellion of the Roman commander Marcus Antonius. ... " Aeneas cannot be portrayed as fully condoning war as warmongering is the chief characteristic of Turnus. ... But, in one of a few areas of the poem that lacks consistency (Virgil never lived to fully complete his epic), Juno declares that she wishes to "quit these battles which I so detest.... However, strength in war is a defining characteristic for Virgil's...

• Word Count: 2231
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate