Q. Is Aeneas a hero? In what ways yes and no? Why might Virgil have chosen to depict him in this way? How might he compare with Odysseus?
A. Based on my perspective, Aeneas is a hero. From lines 525 to 530 of Book XII, it said that while Turnus, Mnestheus, and Achates gave death to their enemies, Ascanius accomplished Aeneas to the camp while bleeding, using his long spear to put weight on. (Virgil, Fitzgerald, 381) Virgil possibly chose to depict Aeneas in this way to show that he fought bravely and victoriously. He was able to defeat his enemies while getting injured, even to the point of near death. According to Odysseus, after he defeated the enemies and abandoned the dead, he longed for home. His father-son relationship backed up his fighting spirit. Aeneas possibility has the same type of support.
Aeneas is a hero. Aeneas and Odysseus manifest their heroism differently, but both of them well deserve to be called heroes. Aeneas is a very dedicated Trojan leader, and as you say, he is a warrior who fights bravely. Even though sometimes his character is inconsistent — he can be either brutal or compassionate — he always takes his role seriously. What is interesting about him is that he is a very pious person, but when he gets very angry he kills his enemies in spite of the fact that they beg him on their knees to spare their lives.
I think killing his enemies in spite of the fact that they were begging him to not do so is probably hard for Aeneas. However, he is fulfilling his duties to the gods. This fulfillment of duty is one way in which he demonstrates his piety. For Aeneas, it is sometimes a devotion to doing things that don’t necessarily agree with him, but agree with his fate. This is an important component of Roman heroism.
I agree with you; Aeneid is a hero in many ways. He was selfless and managed to take care of his surroundings as long as he can with all the power he had. Similarly, Oddysseus can be considered a hero who fought his enemies and took charge of his kingdom and became the most powerful man of his era.