Which scholar argues that Virgil, through Allecto and Turnus as elsewhere, shows a deeper and more alarming awareness of the power of evil in the world, and of the powerlessness of man in the face of such irrational forces?

• A. Bruce Gibson - Book 2
• B. Damien Nelis - Structure of book 4
• C. Richard Rutherford - Allecto and Turnus
• D. Bob Cowan - Aeneas and Augustan values

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is how Virgil uses Allecto and Turnus to reveal an unsettling view of evil and human powerlessness in the face of irrational forces. Richard Rutherford argues that Virgil goes beyond portraying villainy as a simple moral failing and instead stages evil as a pervasive, almost cosmic force that disrupts reason and order. Allecto, a Fury, instigates rage, deceit, and social breakdown—she injects irrational anger into the Latin camp and destabilizes prudent, loyal conduct. Turnus then embodies warlike impulse and personal vendetta, reacting not from measured political calculation but from unreasoning passion and pride. Put together, these figures show that human beings can feel the pull of forces that overwhelm deliberation and virtue, leaving individuals and communities at the mercy of powers they cannot fully master.

This reading helps explain why Virgil seems to present a world where even the best intentions—pietas, duty, and rightful leadership—must contend with scenes of irrational fury that cannot be fully controlled. In this light, the epic’s moments with Allecto and Turnus aren’t just obstacles to Aeneas’s mission; they illuminate a deeper anxiety about the fragility of human agency before forces that exceed human rationality.

Other scholars might focus on narrative structure or on Aeneas’s alignment with Augustan values, but those angles emphasize craft or ideological aims rather than the distinct theme of evil’s overwhelming power and human vulnerability that Rutherford highlights in these episodes.