When asked to describe the character of Aeneas, several things come to mind. The first thing that pops into my head is that he is the main character or protagonist of the poem The Aeneid. He is the son of a Trojan Prince, and the goddess Venus. Aeneas is portrayed as a Trojan hero. He possess the skills of being a great leader, and he is trusted by his men to keep them safe and help them find a new home. His people never questioned his judgement. He easily fulfills this title of being a great leader. He constantly provides for them by making sure they had a shelter to stay in and food in their bellies. He also displays characteristics of being a great and dutiful servant of fate, and of the gods. He is also a devoted father and son. Many would say he demonstrates appropriate pietas, which means devotion to one's country, family, and task at hand.
Another thing that comes to mind is that although Aeneas is the son of a goddess, he still possess some human traits as well as god-like traits. In Book 1, he experienced overwhelming grief when he couldn't find his wife during the fall of Troy, and he also felt discouragements when his whole fleet and his men were struck by a horrible storm when they were headed towards Italy. He is a very focused man, he never takes his eye off of the prize and works hard to get what he wants to get accomplished done. He's very dedicated to his missions and the success of himself and his men. Aeneas faces a lot of adversity, but he never loses the faith in the will of fate, and that everything will eventually work out. Aeneas is determined to fulfill his mission despite the obstacles that might get in the way of his progress.
Aeneas is also an amazing encourager. He never lets his men get discouraged, even when the times are really tough. Aeneas does however have his moments where he waivers some and feels weak, but he pushes those feelings aside in order to remain strong for his men. He always reminds them of the goal and tells them constantly how great life will be when they finally complete this mission. Aeneas isn't trilled at the beginning about his role as a leader, but he settled in nicely and became one of the best the men have ever had.
Aeneas is extremely respected as well. The men obey his orders and respect every decision that he makes. Even in his absence, his rule is always respected. He was a brave warrior, and he never allowed his emotions to cloud his sense of duty. He realized that as a leader of his people, he must fight Turnus so he can provide his people with a new city they can call their own.
Aeneas is sometimes compared with Odysseus and Achilles. I can see many ways in which they all three possess great leadership qualities, and how they are very driven and focused men. But what stands out to me the most about Aeneas and Odysseus and no so much Achilles is that they are both very family oriented. They're missions are all focused on taking care of their families and trying to do what's best for them. Odysseus spent his entire journey trying to get home to Ithaca to his wife and his son, and doesn't stop until he reached his goal. Aeneas was very much the same way. When his home was destroyed in Troy, he knew he had to step up and find a new place for them to call home, and also didn't stop until he reached his goal. All three men were brave and courageous. But for me, being family oriented is far more important.
"Family is not an important thing, it's everything."
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