Which scholar contends that Aeneas' anger is a surprising lapse and may reveal a dark irrational element lurking in the otherwise perfect hero?

Which scholar contends that Aeneas' anger is a surprising lapse and may reveal a dark irrational element lurking in the otherwise perfect hero?

• A. Susanna Morton Braund - Characterisation of Aeneas
• B. Bob Cowan - Aeneas and Augustan values
• C. Damien Nelis - Structure of book 4
• D. Philip Hardie - Modern audience and Dido

Answer: (A)

The main idea this question tests is how a scholar reads Aeneas as a psychologically complex figure rather than a flawless model. Susanna Morton Braund argues that Aeneas’ moments of anger reveal a darker irrational side beneath his outward piety and dutifulness. This reading treats the hero as more than a perfect exemplar of pietas, showing that Virgil lets anger and impulse intrude into the otherwise exemplary character, which deepens our understanding of his humanity and the epic’s moral ambiguity. The other scholars focus on different angles—Cowan on Aeneas in relation to Augustan values, Nelis on the structure of Book 4, and Hardie on modern reception and Dido—so they do not foreground the idea that anger exposes a hidden irrational element in the hero.

The main idea this question tests is how a scholar reads Aeneas as a psychologically complex figure rather than a flawless model. Susanna Morton Braund argues that Aeneas’ moments of anger reveal a darker irrational side beneath his outward piety and dutifulness. This reading treats the hero as more than a perfect exemplar of pietas, showing that Virgil lets anger and impulse intrude into the otherwise exemplary character, which deepens our understanding of his humanity and the epic’s moral ambiguity. The other scholars focus on different angles—Cowan on Aeneas in relation to Augustan values, Nelis on the structure of Book 4, and Hardie on modern reception and Dido—so they do not foreground the idea that anger exposes a hidden irrational element in the hero.