The Roman heroes
Patriotic heroes were characteristic of Rome, for the Romans had a community spirit that elevated the idea of making personal sacrifices for the state. The Greeks lacked a sense of the common welfare and created individualistic heroes out for fame. In this respect Roman culture represented an advance over Greek culture.
Aeneas’ sense of mission makes him morally superior, because he feels himself responsible for unborn generations of men. That sense of mission makes the story, the Aeneid, an original and outstanding work of Western culture. The story affirms the life founded on hope and action while acknowledging life’s sadness and the brutality of war.
The tale of Romulus and Remus is a mixture of folklore, mythical tradition, and invention. Romulus gains his kingdom after killing Remus. He rules wisely and capably, as effective in war as in peace. As a hero he is sufficient, but he lacks the transcendent stature of Aeneas.
The Roman love tales
The love tales are intended to entertain. The gods, who make appearances in some of these tales, are simply fictional devices, not religious beings.
The love tales tended to show the vulnerable belly of Roman culture, while the patriotic legends revealed the hard backbone. When the old heroic legends lose their attraction, people then turn to love stories; this seems like that the culture has become weak or soft.