THESIS STATEMENTIn the epic poem The Aeneid, Virgil emphasizes the theme of final victory over defeat through Aeneas's adventures in Italy.PURPOSE STATEMENTThrough text analysis and critical analysis of the Aeneid, it is true that the Aeneid is ultimately the victor of this war for freedom. INTRODUCTION Imagine that you are a well-known nobleman; you had everything you could want. So imagine a sudden defeat. You are no longer a noble, but a fugitive. It seems like there is no victory in the future and you have lost all hope. Just when all seemed lost, you overcame obstacles and are finally back on top. Anthony Esolen made a simple statement about how astonishing Aeneas' losses truly were. “Virgil laments the terrible loss on which the nation [of Rome] was built” (Esolen 1). In his critical review of Robert Fagle's translation of the Aeneid, Anthony Esolen describes how Virgil shows how sad the countless defeats of the Trojans were. When Aeneas fights in Italy, Virgil paints him as a brave hero who leads his men into battle. The problem is that the odds are stacked against Aeneas and his small army. Aeneas eventually overcomes this problem. Aeneas is helped many times during his journey by the mystical power of gods and goddesses who favor him, such as Venus (Aeneas' mother), Vulcan and others. An example is when Aeneas and his crew land on the coast of North Africa after an exhausting journey, Venus appears to Aeneas in the form of a young hunter and directs him to Queen Dido wrapped in a veil of mist. The triumph of the Trojans around the world Virgil's Aeneid is highlighted by the arrival of the Trojans in Italy, with the coalition of enemies and sudden wars. This three…half of paper…where Aeneas was always (if not ultimately) triumphant over all obstacles thrown at him, although the obstacles themselves always suffered a terrible defeat. As author Alden Smith said in his review of Virgil's Aeneid, "Yet a victor also implies a loser, and no victory is without loss" (Smith 220). During the first half of the Aeneid, Smith's comment was all too true for Aeneas and his band of surviving Trojans. Towards the last half of the epic, however, the situation changed and now it was Aeneas and his Trojans who won, while some Latins were the losers. In the Aeneid, Virgil made Aeneas' victories seem astonishing with all the trouble, hardship, and demoralizing defeats Aeneas and his fellow Trojans suffered. With danger and defeat lurking around every corner, Aeneas finally caught a break and ultimately won.