Page "Aeneid" Paragraph 22

This section has been interpreted to mean that for the entire passage of the poem, Aeneas who symbolizes pietas ( reason ) in a moment becomes furor ( fury ), thus destroying what is essentially the primary theme of the poem itself.

Many have argued over these two sections.

Some claim that Virgil meant to change them before he died, while others find that the location of the two passages, at the very end of the so-called Volume I ( Books 1 – 6, the Odyssey ), and Volume II ( Books 7 – 12, the Iliad ), and their short length, which contrasts with the lengthy nature of the poem, are evidence that Virgil placed them purposefully there.