Virgil's Aeneid, to this day, remains one of the most influential epic poems to ever honor the merciless limitations of the manuscript, inspiring pop culture so as in literature, an onslaught of themes, mythology, values, and the general sense of what a hero must be - or do - to overcome the obstacles of gods and men. Written between 29 and 19 BC, consisting of twelve books (though never fully finished), The Aeneid takes us through the turbulent journeys and prophesied triumphs of Aeneas, a warrior and a man bound by piety and fate. As usual, in any great epic, there are many battles: heads torn open and blood galore; however, to say that this masterpiece is reserved for men would be atrocious, considering that Venus, the mother of Aeneas (the goddess of the hunt, beautiful), has an important role in the book from beginning to end, but, although women are depicted as a symbol of strength (at least in most cases), one cannot ignore the initial invocation to the muse: “Song of weapons and man” (3). Through the wars, travels, monsters and pain that await our protagonist, I feel that the relationship between Aeneas and Dido, the queen of Carthage, has a special importance in my life, because I too have loved and lost, but one thing may surprise you, I saw it through the eyes of Dido, not Aeneas. Luckily, for me, I didn't have to sacrifice myself, but I learned to love it, savor it and then, sadly, let it go. At the beginning of the poem we see Aeneas, surrounded by bloodthirsty Greeks, trying to save his family, also fighting, and, after an appearance by Hector who begs him to leave, also... middle of paper.. .er, allowing his life to interfere with his destiny, if in fact he truly believed it, because judging by his masterpiece, I simply have to believe that he, in all his expert wisdom about battle and virtue, had failed to understand the complications of love and passion. As a man who has lost a lot, constantly reflecting on the ambiguity of love, I can't deny that the road to happiness is a long and uncertain path, but, just like my loss of companionship, I can't help but think what would have happened if Aeneas had abandoned his path and cradled Dido to the grave, yet there is no denying the fate of passion, in all its uncertainties and invisible truths. Works Cited Virgil. The Aeneid. London: Penguin, 1991.