Women: a stagnation in the Roman march of destiny The poem Aeneid is a story which offers many surprises. Women are rarely mentioned in poems, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, when they are mentioned they seem weak and timid. However, in the Aeneid, women play a more important role. They highlight alternative fares for Aeneas on his journey to create the foundations of posterity. Two women in particular show the possible consequences of Aeneas' life; these two are Creusa and Dido. These women in these scenes are perhaps meant to represent eternity to show further outcomes for Aeneas' life. They both have different reactions to his continued march toward his final destinations, but without either of them, where would we be? Virgil's prominent depiction of women highlights the many possible routes a life can take. The first example is at the beginning of the poem, during the sack of Troy in Book 2. The scene begins with the Greeks sacking the great city of Primus. Aeneas advised by his mother; he decides to take his family and leave the Trojan city. He carries his father. “So come, dear father, climb on my shoulders, I will carry you on my back. (Aeneid 2. 880-881). His son and his wife are at his side: “little Iulus, walk by my side, and you, my wife, follow me from afar, in my footsteps” (Aeneid 2. 884-885). During the evacuation of Aeneas, he loses his wife: “Oh my dear wife Creusa, did she stop in her tracks or was she lost, I never looked back” (Aeneid 2 915-920). Halfway through we will discuss this scene. Aeneas focuses on his duty and not his wife as they flee Troy. Creusa is a victim of pure Roman destiny. Aeneas is so motivated by the idea that he has to get out of town. He forgets to make sure his wife...... middle of paper ...... He is constantly told that there is a greater destiny for your lineage. These two examples show us other outcomes the poem could have had, but these other endings could never have created Rome. These two women offer a unique aspect to the Aeneid. Aeneas has multiple chances to choose a destiny that would not lead to the greatness of Rome. Although he continues to choose the path chosen by the gods themselves, he leaves these women behind as mere ghosts reminding him of what could have been. Although they constitute an important part of the book, they are intended to remain in their country of origin. Although they have very different reactions to Aeneas' fate, they both remind us that Aeneas must go to Italy. He cannot stay with his wife in Troy, nor can he stay with Dido in Carthage. He must go on and create the foundations of what will become one of the greatest empires of all time..