An Analysis of the Philosophical Concepts in Virgil's Aeneid

This essay delves into the philosophical underpinnings of Virgil's Aeneid, highlighting the influence of Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Pythagorean Metempsychosis on the epic's narrative and themes. It analyzes how Virgil integrates these philosophical concepts, such as the stoic elements in the speeches of Anchises and the exploration of immortality, to enrich the story of Aeneas's journey from Troy to Italy. The essay also examines the significance of friendship, divine will, and the purification of souls within the context of these philosophical movements, ultimately demonstrating the profound connection between philosophy and literature in Virgil's masterpiece. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments for students.

Running head: PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Name of the Student
‘Name of the University
Author Note

1PHILOSOPHY
Introduction
Aeneid is an epic that was written by the great poet Virgil in Greece. It is considered to
be one of the greatest epics of Greek literature. There are some philosophical underpinnings of
this epic. The great poet Virgil has created a fantastic display of the philosophical approaches to
the theme of the epic (Greenblatt and Carol 342). This has surely added to the beauty of the epic
in different ways. This epic was written between 29 and 19 BC. The epic deals with the themes
of Trojan War and their victory over the Latin warriors and the wanderings of Aenea from Troy
to Italy.
Thesis statement: The discussion of Virgil’s Aeneid has many thoughts linked with
philosophy in many ways.
The philosophical context within Aeneid
Various literature experts and critiques have viewed the epic Aeneid from different
angles. The use of philosophy has been immense in this epic altogether (Konig 348). It should be
considered that the fathers of Roman philosophy are generally Cicero and Lucretius. The
writings of these people could be stressed from 1st Century BC. Some of themes have been very
crucial for the epic like that of stoicism and immortality (Greenblatt and Carol 342). The victory
of the Trojans over their Latin counterparts can suggest the immortality of their never dying
spirit. The Platonic definition of death has been put into use in this epic multiple times. The
stoicism has been the predominant matter in this epic altogether (Sharples 321). Some of the
stoic elements have been discovered in this epic like ‘ventos’, ‘gurgite’ and ‘igni’. The speeches
of Anchises have also specified the stoic elements within the epic. The aspect of immortality has
been discussed and discovered in the best fashion as well (Tarrant 211).

2PHILOSOPHY
One of the most intrinsic philosophical elements could be the purification of the souls
like the ‘spiritus intus’. The natural purification of the mind and soul could be gained by the
implication of the several philosophical elements indeed (Smith 147). The souls of the human
beings could be purified by the process of assimilation into the aether. The various elements of
the epic could be diversified through the purification process. It has also been rendered byu
Virgil that the ‘pauci’ will receive the immortality when it will assimilate into the elemental
purification (Arnold 673). There are two important elements in the epic discussed as ‘has omnis’
and ‘pauci’. The differentiation process could be done between the two things through the
memory by other people (Sellars 327). The stoic message that Virgil has given in this epic
Aeneid is that letting Romans know that the memory by other people in the chapter will ensure
that they will be immortalized. The theme of immortality has been used again and again by
Virgil from both the philosophical and political aspects. However, both these perspectives have
been used from the stoic underpinnings (Tarrant 211).
The aspect of stoicism has been largely discovered through the chapters of Aeneid in the
best aspects. He has showed great passion on philosophy of the human existence in the best ways
indeed (Arnold 673). The elements of the stoic dilemma have been discussed in these passages as
well. The introduction of Aeneas and the words pronounced by Aeneas could be reverberated as
“I am Aeneas, duty-bound… I look for Italy to be my fatherland, / And my descent is from all-
highest Jove”. These words reveal the dominance of Aeneas in this epic. The over powering of
the motherland by that of the fatherland has shown the dominance of the patriarchy that was to
be followed. Aeneas wanted to become the father of Rome from his current position as the son of
Troy (Tarrant 563). The philosophy in this epic also encompasses around the divine will and the
connection between the divine will and the Stoic duty would have to be given more emphasis.

3PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy surrounding the travel of Aeneas to Hesperia through the sea and land has been
discussed in this as well. The aspects of religion have been discussed in some parts of the epic
(Arnold 673).
The philosophical movements
As per the opinion of the critics, some other matters related to this epic can be described
in terms of philosophy. During the course of the twelve chapters of the Aeneid, around three
major philosophical movements could be traced (Tarrant 563). All these philosophical matters
have their roots in the Greek culture. However, the three major philosophical elements that could
be found in this epic are Stoicism, Epicureanism and Pythagorean Metempsychosis. As discussed
by the scholars, it has been found from the historical records that a group of three stoic
philosophers had been sent to the embassy of Rome from the Greek empire (Sharples 321).
The Pythagorean Metempsychosis doctrine could also be noticed in this epic Aeneid. The
acceptance and the curiosity of the Roman people have been observed through this epic. The
various concepts of Pythagoras have been discussed in this epic but not so much as that of the
other two philosophical concepts (Konig 348). The fate of the soul after the event of death could
be discovered through this concept widely. The line ‘Every man’s last day is fixed’ suggests that
the fate of the human beings have been predestined (Sisson 389). This will be very important for
the scenario when Aeneas arrived at the place below the living. The Pythagoras doctrine of the
philosophy could be largely applied to this section (Mulvaney 467). The effect of stoicism has
confirmed the fact that the mankind is a definite part of the cycle of birth and death. This is why
the philosophy of death could be attributed to the various sections of this epic in various ways.
The various experiments and adaptations of the people of the ancient Rome could be discussed

4PHILOSOPHY
and exhibited through the various sections of Aeneid (Sellars 327). Apart from the old and
traditional views, new options and the opinions were coming into this practice. This is why
Virgil can be considered as an excellent craftsman who has shown the various philosophical
matters in the best ways. In Aeneid, Virgil has really played with the various philosophical
concepts that has placed him as one of the best litterateurs of all time (Sisson 389).
However, the Epicurean philosophy has been designed in the region of Cumae where
Virgil himself had resided (Mulvaney 467). The society of the region was considered to be an
Epicurean society itself. This is why the added value on friendship has been added in this epoc.
The stress on the friendship could be felt in the context when Aeneas had made his journey to the
underworld with his friend Sibyl (Sellars 327). The instance of friendship has been largely
displayed in this section. In the underworld, Aeneas would meet with one of his most loyal
crewmembers Palinurus and his father Anchises. Thus the impact of friendship could be felt in
Aeneid through the friendship of Sibyl and Aeneas (Tarrant 211).
Conclusion
As per the above discussion, it can be concluded that the philosophical elements have a
deep impact on the epic Aeneid. Virgil has shown an immense craftsmanship in using the several
principles when he has written down the epic. The three most important philosophical elements
have been discussed in this epic and they are Stoicism, Epicureanism and Pythagorean
Metempsychosis. These three components have been very instrumental to display the events of
the epic. Thus the epic Aeneid has a huge place in the connection between philosophy and
literature.

5PHILOSOPHY
References
Arnold, Edward Vernon. Roman Stoicism (Routledge Revivals). Routledge, 2014.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and Carol T. Christ, eds. The Norton anthology of English literature. Vol. 2.
WW Norton & Company, 2012.
Konig, Jason. Greek literature in the Roman Empire. A&C Black, 2013.
Mulvaney, Tamilyn H. "The Source of Morality for Virgil's" Aeneid"." (2012).
Sellars, John. The art of living: the Stoics on the nature and function of philosophy. Routledge,
2018.
Sharples, Robert W. Stoics, Epicureans and Sceptics: an introduction to Hellenistic philosophy.
Routledge, 2014.
Sisson, Russell B. "Roman Stoic Precreation Discourse." (2012).
Smith, Riggs Alden. The primacy of vision in Virgil's Aeneid. University of Texas Press, 2013.
Tarrant, Richard John. Virgil, Aeneid, Book XII. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Tarrant, Richard, ed. Virgil: Aeneid. Cambridge University Press, 2012.