According to Gordon Williams, who loses in the end of the epic?

• A. Turnus loses in the end.
• B. Aeneas loses in the end.
• C. Rome falls.
• D. The gods intervene and win.

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how Williams reads the ending as a moment of moral cost for the hero, not just a straightforward victory for Rome. Williams argues that Aeneas achieves the political objective—founding Rome—yet at a personal and ethical price. The final act of killing Turnus, while securing the destiny of the city, shows that pietas can slide into vengeance, and mercy is sacrificed for destiny. So the loss isn’t Turnus or Rome, but Aeneas himself—his humane restraint and ideal of pietas are compromised, leaving the hero morally diminished even as the empire’s foundation is secured. That’s why, in this reading, Aeneas ends up losing. The other options describe external outcomes (Turnus defeated, Rome falling, or the gods simply winning), which Williams treats as not capturing the deeper, inward loss experienced by the hero.