Unlike the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are clasical epics based on an oral tradition, the Aeneid is a literary (secondary) epic deliberately written by Virgil to celebrate the accomplishments of Rome (Rosenberg 257-8). His patron Augustus traced his lineage through Aeneas, son of Venus, and traditional founder of Rome (Rosenberg 257). Augustus commissioned Virgil to write the epic to "promote Roman patriotism and pride" (Guinagh xi). Virgil created Aeneas as an exemplar for Roman citizens in his love for his parents, his devotion to his son, his worship of and service to the gods, and his love of country and people. Aeneas is without fault (Guinagh xvii), sacrificing all, including love, in order to meet his destiny (Rosenberg 258). For Virgil, the hero "create[s] history by the choices he makes in life" while subject to the whims of the gods and fates (Rosenberg 258).

Unfortunately for Virgil, he took the opportunity in writing the Aeneid to give Caesar Augustus some "advice." While Augustus liked the Aeneid, he did not appreciate Virgil trying to tell him, supreme ruler of the Roman Empire, how to rule. As a result, he banished Virgil to a small, outlying town in the Empire. Virgil was so angry that only his friends were able to prevent his destroying every copy of the Aenied.

Born Publius Vergilius Maro, Virgil was the son of a farmer in Mantua. He began work on the Aeneid in 29 B.C. and worked on it for ten years. Virgil died at age fifty-one. He modelled the Aeneid after Homer's epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey (Guinagh xii).

The Aeneid examines the interplay between passion and reason, war and humanity, the primitive and the civilized. Even when the Vergilian hero is destined to create order and civilization out of disorder and chaos, Virgil forces his readers to evaluate the worth of that hero's sacrifices and the nature of his victory. (Rosenberg 259)