3.3. the social, cultural and religious context

• moral values of the Aeneid are pietas contrasted with furor
• the traditional moral values of the ancestors were thought to be what has made Rome great
• the politics of the late Republic had revolved too much around individual power, and in the civil wars people had lost sight of these moral values
• a sense of knowing your position in the great schemes of things, seeing the importance of what you have inherited from the ancestors, respecting the position you are in and playing your part
• being constant or steadfast in what you do, persevering and keeping your eye on your goal even when things are difficult
• moderation, exercising self-control, and avoiding extravagance