How does Vergil's ethical portrayal of leadership compare with Homer?

• A. Vergil presents leadership solely as personal charisma; Homer emphasizes collective duty.
• B. Homer portrays leadership as entirely independent of divine will; Vergil rejects divine influence.
• C. Both present leaders whose authority is tested by divine will, but Vergil emphasizes duty to a larger state and mission than personal glory.
• D. Vergil portrays leadership as purely a personal triumph with little moral consequence.

Answer: (C)

A central idea is that divine will shapes how leaders act, but the ethical focus differs between the poets. Both present authority tested by the gods, yet Vergil centers leadership on pietas—duty to a larger state and a sweeping mission—over personal glory. Aeneas endures hardship, follows divine guidance, and prioritizes the founding of Rome above his own desires, showing leadership as service to the future of the community. In the Homeric world, divine influence is also at work, but the moral balance often ties a leader’s success to personal honor and the fate of the city, with glory and reputation playing key roles alongside communal welfare. So the strongest answer captures that both works put leaders under divine scrutiny, but Vergil reframes leadership as fidelity to a grand civilizational project beyond individual triumph.