Aeneas is the protagonist, or main character, of the Aeneid. He is the son of Anchises, a Trojan prince, and Venus, the goddess of love. Virgil portrays Aeneas as a Trojan hero; a warrior who will lead his people to safety, found a new Trojan state, and establish order in his and his countryman's lives. Aeneas is the embodiment of Roman virtues: He is the dutiful servant of fate and of the gods, he is an exemplary leader of his people, and he is a devoted father and son. He demonstrates appropriate pietas — devotion to one's family, country, and mission. Aeneas's character possesses human qualities as well. He is presented as a flawed mortal man — a man with feelings.
In his role as dutiful servant of fate and of the gods, Aeneas never loses sight of his goal. Aeneas is "a man apart, devoted to his mission, a dedicated man." He tells Dido that he is "duty-bound." Aeneas faces adversity without ever losing faith in the will of fate. For example, his faith is reinforced when he sees the temple Dido built to honor Juno, "Here for the first time he took heart to hope / For safety, and to trust his destiny more / Even in affliction." In Book II, Aeneas and the Trojans perform funeral rites for Polydorus and Aeneas seeks counsel from the gods when the Trojans are leaving a country and when they arrive at a new one. Aeneas receives Apollos's prophecies through other gods. For example, the Penatës, or Trojan hearth gods, tell Aeneas to sail for Italy, the Harpies's leader, Celaeno, speaks about Apollo's instructions to her to tell his future, and Helenus also receives his revelation from Apollo. After hearing the prophecies, Aeneas is determined to fulfill his mission despite obstacles that might hinder his progress.
