In what way did Virgil reinterpret Greek myth in the Aeneid, and what political purpose did it serve?

• A. To undermine Rome's origins and promote republicanism.
• B. To reflect Roman virtues, imperial destiny, and Augustan legitimacy; it enshrines Rome's founding myth and political ideology.
• C. To imitate Greek poets with no political aim.
• D. To present a purely personal drama with no mythic elements.

Answer: (B)

Virgil uses Greek myth as a vehicle to shape a Roman national myth that justifies Augustan rule. Aeneas’s journey to Italy is presented as a destined founding of Rome, with divine plans and prophecies pointing toward a future empire. The emphasis on pietas—duty to the gods, family, and the city that will be Rome—casts Roman virtues as divinely approved and ties the empire’s legitimacy to a providential history. By reworking Greek epic patterns to celebrate Roman greatness and imperial legitimacy, the Aeneid becomes political propaganda that frames Rome’s origins as purposeful and its mission as universal. This isn’t merely imitation or a personal drama; it deliberately aligns myth with the Augustan ideology and the idea of Rome’s destined leadership.