Throughout Virgil's poem, "The Aeneid," Aeneas struggles with dealing with his own personal vendettas and being the leader his people know him to be. A charismatic leader must display a special gift, which Aeneas does have since he is the son of a god, who is chosen to establish the Roman Empire. His disciples are the soldiers of his Trojan army that survived the fall of Troy. Unlike the charismatic leader Achilles, in the epic poem The Iliad by Homer, Aeneas leads with selflessness and understanding. Both characters are aware of their pre-determined destinies by the gods, but Aeneas was chosen not only to lead by battle, but to lead by example. The way both leaders think and react is why the gods decided different fates for both of them. Similar to Achilles, Aeneas’ anger does overcome him sometimes, but his compassion allows him to find reasoning in different situations, helping him fulfill his destiny. Aeneas, like Achilles, does come into conflict with his own thoughts of anger and rage. However, Aeneas is able to reason what would be best to do in the situation, or is capable of showing sympathy, so he listens to others who help him overcome his anger. For example, when he saw Helen, he was full of fury and let his emotions overcome him, but just as he turned to kill her, his mother appeared to him and said, “Son, Why let such suffering goad you on to fury/ Past control? Where is your thoughtfulness/ For me, for us?” (Aen. II.780-783). Venus’ speech stopped Aeneas, and allowed him to realize killing Helen would achieve nothing, but that he should escape and save as many as he could. Unlike Aeneas, Achilles did not take criticism lightly, and in most situations lets his rage be the cause of his actions. Aeneas’ special gift is not only interaction with the gods, but his selflessness. He does not have a god-like power, as Achilles has his strength, but Aeneas’ charisma is what allows him to lead. He treats his peop