The Tragedy of Aeneas and Dido

The Tragedy of Aeneas and Dido Virgil's Aeneid is probably the single most important and influential poem written in the history of western literature and civilization. In the Renaissance, much other Greek and Roman literature was rediscovered and studied, but the Aeneid retained its preeminence. Virgil has been regarded as the perfect teacher, whom all poets should respect and imitate. The Aeneid has offered guidance and inspiration to multitudinous numbers of people. Unlike the Iliad …

…confidence and national pride. Such poems as the Aeneid have their own unique purpose and they are the product of a unique social an cultural environment. It would be foolish and unfair to claim that one is absolutely superior or inferior to the other, since their techniques and purposes are so different. It is enough to point out that the best poems of each class are counted among the finest works of poetry ever written.