Virgil's works
Virgil is primarily known as the author of the Aeneid, the epic poem that links the birth of Rome to the Trojan War. The Aeneid is considered the pinnacle of classical Latin literature. His heroic and tragic characters such as Aeneas, the Queen of Carthage, Dido, are memorable; the poetics of the Aeneid are exceptional, and the text has been used for generations to teach Latin. Two other minor works, the Eclogues and the Georgics, have survived as well. The act of patriotic myth building and heroism that was so prevalent in the Aeneid gained him the attention and praise of the Roman Emperor Augustus. The now widely used Latin phrase, 'Audentes Fortuna Iuvat': Fortune Favors He Who Dares - originates from one of the books within the Aeneid just prior to a major battle being waged.

Though a man possessing great wealth and public recognition from his poems, Virgil was known as virtuous and modest, who was described as being embarrassed by his celebrity status and consequently rarely visited Rome.

Virgil's respect of agrarian principles - a prevalent theme in his works
Virgil longed for the simplicity of the agrarian way of life and often praised the virtues of hard work and dedication to excellence in many of his poems. On his death in 17 BC, Virgil's will requested that all his poems be destroyed, as they were not to the level for which he aspired. Upon hearing of this, the Emperor Augustus intervened and decreed that the works should be preserved for all antiquity.

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