Virgil borrows many stories and themes from the Homeric epic and revises them for the Roman tradition in the Aeneid. Aeneas' journey in search of the coast of Lazio parallels Odysseus' journey to Ithaca, except that the latter knows which home he is headed for. The war with the Latins is literally a second Trojan War, parallel to the Iliad, won only by the Trojans. But both Homeric epics come to a relatively peaceful and definite ending (Hector's funeral and restoration of order to Ithaca). By comparison, the Aeneid ends with a violent death, the equivalent of ending when Achilles drags Hector's body around the walls of Troy or when Odysseus kills all the suitors. One reason for this difference and the appropriateness of the ending of the Aeneid is that it has a broader cultural directive than either Homeric epic. Homer was never commissioned to perform his plays. More than just a story of heroes, war, and art in its various forms, the Aeneid is also about the founding of Rome. Aeneas killing Turnus at the end of his story is directly a step towards the founding of Rome and also refers to the re-establishment of Rome under Augustus. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Much of the scene in which Aeneas kills Turnus can be seen in a positive light. First, Aeneas kills Turnus after seeing him wearing the belt he stole from Pallas, Aeneas' ally. In this way he avenges his friend and behaves in a pious manner, a constant attribute of Aeneas. It is worth noting, however, that Aeneas does not say to kill Turnus as pious Aeneas, as he is otherwise easily identified, but says, "It is Pallas who strikes, who sacrifices you, who takes / this payment from your shameless blood" (XII. 1266.7) Furthermore, the scene ends the book on a decidedly masculine note. For much of the Aeneid, Aeneas does not appear in the worthy hero status of Achilles or Odysseus. He is easily distracted from his mission and the gods must repeatedly remind him of his purpose. Virgil in turn makes the same enemies who called Aeneas a second Paris seem more feminine. By killing Turnus, Aeneas can join the ranks of emotionally charged heroes before him and, more importantly, become the great man whom the Romans of Virgil's time could actually see founding their great city. The final scene of the Aeneid can also show the dark side of the empire. Over the course of the epic, many people, unaware pawns of destiny, are crushed on the path to Roman greatness. Most of them are women, Creusa, wife of Aeneas, Dido, Camilla, but armies of young Latins fall in the war against the Trojans. “it was / your [Jupiter] will that nations destined for eternal / peace should collide in such tremendous tumult,” asks Virgil (xii. 678-80). What further taints Aeneas's most classically heroic action is the fact that he and Turnus share a bond through pre-Roman heritage. The Latins and the Trojans go on to form the Romans, making Turnus and Aeneas brothers; Fratricide is generally frowned upon. Furthermore, Aeneas' direct compulsion to kill Turnus comes from seeing him with young Pallas's studded belt. Although Virgil's description of Turnus' actions "[Pallas] whom Turnus had defeated, wounded, laid / upon the battlefield" (xii. 1258-60) makes the plundering of defeated enemies seem a crass act, it is anything but unheard of. Aeneas himself does this when he takes armor or weapons from the Greeks. Whether his reason is entirely justified or not does not explain Aeneas's unusual emotional reaction, at least for Roman culture. For most of the epic, Aeneas successfully manages the Stoic mentality, subverting it.