Sentimental cruelty
Virgil is not a critic of empire, but he’s not quite an unqualified celebrant either. He knows the costs, and mourns them. But neither he nor his hero wishes the conquests away. Sunt lacrimae rerum , indeed, but neither the tears nor the things are going to cease. This is just the way things are, and the Roman weeps for the victims he crushes under his boots.
Virgil perhaps reflects the Roman penchant for sentimental cruelty, cruel sentimentality, that Shakespeare captures so well in his Roman plays. Perhaps, though, Virgil created it.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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