How does Aeneas illustrate the values of Rome and societal expectations for behavior.

Virgil quite clearly intended the Aeneid to appeal to the patriotic spirit of the Romans, documenting the origins of the great Roman Empire. Virgil's contemporaries, who relished their belief that they were direct descendants of the mighty Trojans, undoubtedly would have enjoyed a story portraying their race as one destined for greatness. The epic often refers to the destiny of Aeneas's descendants; most importantly, Aeneas's victory is inevitable because it is his fate, as well as the fate of his son Ascanius, to lay the groundwork for Rome's shining future.