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Why did Virgil write Aeneid?

Updated: 8/22/2023
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12y ago

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We do not know precisely why Vergil wrote the Aeneid, but the poets of the early Augustan period had grown up in a period when Rome suffered extended civil wars punctuated by harsh military juntas.

Vergil, Horace, Ovid and Propertius all at various times mention how tired they are of constant civil unrest, and how glad they are that the Dictatorship of Augustus has brought stability to the Roman world.

Writing a national epic - to build a sense of national identity - was one way of encouraging the Romans to stop fighting each other, and begin to think about what they had in common. Tennyson would do something similar, almost two millennia later, with The Idylls of the King.

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14y ago
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13y ago

Virgil was incredibly committed to the Aeneid; however, he had not quite finished the whole thing by the time he was on his deathbed. There were still some lines where the scansion/meter wasn't right, for example. Thus, he decided, as he lay dying, that he would rather it be burned than left unfinished. His dying wish was for his wife to burn the epic.

His wife decided not to do so.

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13y ago

Virgil wrote about Rome's past because he was commissioned to do it by Augustus. Virgil actually wanted it destroyed at his death because he didn't think it was good and it was unfinished. Augustus overruled his request.

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12y ago

Because it had never been written down. It was important for the Romans to document things and to them, the Aeneid was the story of their origins, and was considered historical.

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Virgil wrote the Aeneid because he was commissioned to do it by Augustus.

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13y ago

Latin was his first language.

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Q: Why did Virgil write Aeneid?
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How was virgil author of the Aeneid related to Caesar Augustus?

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What roman writer did Augustus commisioned?

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The hero of Virgil's Aeneid is a native of where?

Troy, in Asia Minor.


What is the ancient Roman poet Virgil's best known work?

The Aeneid


What does epic from ancient Rome mean?

An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.An epic from ancient Rome simply means a long story or just a story. Virgil's Aeneid, for example, is an epic from ancient Rome.

Related questions

How was virgil author of the Aeneid related to Caesar Augustus?

Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.Virgil was not related by blood to Augustus. He is associated with Augustus by his work, the Aeneid. Augustus is the one who commissioned Virgil to write it.


What Roman epic did Virgil write?

He wrote The Aeneid.


What roman writer did Augustus commisioned?

Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.Augustus commissioned the poet Virgil to write the Aeneid.


Who appointed Virgil to write the Aeneid?

He may not have been told by anyone to write the Aeneid. It was, however, Emperor Augustus who ordered it to be published.


Who was the central figure in Virgil's Aeneid?

The main character in Virgil's Aeneid is 'Aeneas'.


Who did Virgil write the Aeneid for?

It's not clear how the poem was started, or if Virgil was commissioned to do it originally, but Augustus read part of it and ordered Virgil to continue. As it was not finished at his death, Virgil wanted it destroyed, but Augustus overruled him and had it published. So you could loosely say that Virgil wrote the Aeneid for Augustus.


Who was the ruler of the Roman Empire when Aeneid was written?

Augustus was the ruler of the Roman Empire when the Aeneid was written. In fact, he specially commissioned Virgil to write it.


Why did Aeneid travel to the underworld?

The Aeneid is a literary work by Virgil. It did not travel.


What portrayed Rome's Heroic past in The Aeneid?

Virgil's literary masterpiece, the Aeneid.


Who was Aeneas modeled after in Virgil's The Aeneid?

Augustus


What is the Virgil?

Virgil was an ancient Roman poet who wrote Rome's epic poem, the Aeneid.


Who wrote the great roman epic Aeneid?

The Aeneid was written by Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro)