... First by the town wall, then the gate, all gloom, Through which I had come out- and so on backward, Tracing my own footsteps through the night; I even dared to call out in the night; I filled the streets with calling; in my grief Time after time I groaned and called Creusa, Frantic in endless quest from door to door Then to my vision her sad wraith appeared But she spoke out to ease me of my fear: `No the great mother of the gods detains me Here on these shores. Farewell now; cherish still Your son and mine.' With this she left me weeping, Wishing that I could say so many things And faded on the tenuous air. Three times I tried to put my arms around her neck, Three times enfolded nothing, as the wraith Slipped through my fingers, bodiless as wind Or like a flitting dream.' [Book II: 788-804] The image of Aeneas, with his father on his shoulders, hand in hand with his young son, walking with his wife, carrying the hearth gods, and then later searching the entire Troy for his beloved wife, is one of the most potent scenes in the Aeneid where the `pietas' and `dignitas' of Aeneas is most strongly shown. It arouses powerful emotions and almost moves the reader to tears. This scene fills us with pity, sympathy and admiration for Aeneas. It is in this scene, where Aeneas is truly portrayed as a hero, in every respect. Throughout the majority of the Aeneid, the idealistic portrayal of Aeneas signifies the idealistic view of a Roman Emperor. This was particularly effective in the world of Ancient Rome, since the Aeneid depicts the Caesars as descendants of Aeneas: `......From that comely line, The Trojan Caesar comes, to circumscribe Empire with ocean, fame with heaven's stars. Julius his name, from Iulus handed down...' [Book I: Jupiter 265-294] The noble personality and heroic achievements of Aeneas inadvertently created respect for the Principate. After the death of Priam, the King of Troy, the leadership of the Trojans falls to Aeneas. He is pictured as a humble leader with enough courage to lead his people through the turmoil they experience at the hands of the Greeks. ...
