Which scholar notes that the contradictions in Aeneas' actions make him difficult to like, but human?

Which scholar notes that the contradictions in Aeneas' actions make him difficult to like, but human?

• A. Cox - Homeric influence
• B. Bob Cowan - Homeric influence
• C. RD Williams - Roman heroism
• D. Richard Jenkyns - Aeneas' actions

Answer: (D)

A key idea being tested is that Virgil makes Aeneas a figure whose strong sense of duty sits alongside real internal contradictions, yielding a hero who can be hard to like at moments but is unmistakably human. Richard Jenkyns draws attention to these tensions in Aeneas’s actions, showing how moments of mercy, hesitation, or personal feeling coexist with the obligation to fulfill fate, so the reader both admires his resolve and recognizes his flaws. This kind of reading emphasizes moral complexity rather than a straightforward, flawless hero, which is what makes his humanity feel plausible and earned. The other scholars mentioned focus more on external influences, like Homeric echoes, or on broader themes of Roman heroism, rather than this nuanced depiction of Aeneas’s contradictory behavior.

A key idea being tested is that Virgil makes Aeneas a figure whose strong sense of duty sits alongside real internal contradictions, yielding a hero who can be hard to like at moments but is unmistakably human. Richard Jenkyns draws attention to these tensions in Aeneas’s actions, showing how moments of mercy, hesitation, or personal feeling coexist with the obligation to fulfill fate, so the reader both admires his resolve and recognizes his flaws. This kind of reading emphasizes moral complexity rather than a straightforward, flawless hero, which is what makes his humanity feel plausible and earned. The other scholars mentioned focus more on external influences, like Homeric echoes, or on broader themes of Roman heroism, rather than this nuanced depiction of Aeneas’s contradictory behavior.