Aeneas journey to come. However, the messenger god Mercury was sent by Jupiter and Venus to remind Aeneas of his journey and his purpose, compelling him to leave secretly. When Dido learned of this, she uttered a curse that would forever pit Carthage against Rome, an enmity that would culminate in the Punic Wars. She then committed suicide by stabbing herself with the same sword she gave Aeneas when they first met. After the sojourn in Carthage, the Trojans returned to Sicily where Aeneas organized funeral games to honor his father, who had died a year before. The company traveled on
Political commentary of the Aeneid that Virgil wrote the "Aeneid" to reflect the Roman political stance of his time. Virgil does this primarily by splitting the story into two parts. The first half shows an obsession with the fall of Troy, together with failed attempts to establish cities during Aeneas' wanderings; while the second half depicts victory in battle and the establishment of a new Troy at Rome. This mirrors Rome's disestablishment of the republic after the strife of a civil war, and the establishment of peace and prosperity with the new Roman Empire. These reflect Augustan propaganda which asks that his people to forget