Aeneas leading his battle in Latium and Augustus leading the battle at Actium are both critical turning points in the lives of the two rulers and introduce them to the great responsibilities that Rome demands of them. Virgil here connects Aeneas and Augustus at crucial moments, for Aeneas is not the founder, but the predecessor of Rome and Augustus as restorer of the city. This also marks a change where all of Italy comes together to fight the forces of Antony and Cleopatra as allies of Augustus, whereas in Aeneas' case they were his opposition. The noble couple Augustus and Agrippa fight against the barbarian couple Antony and Cleopatra. Antony's ships are depicted as decadent (7.707), signifying the uncivilized culture of the East contrasted with the civility of Augustus' ships. When Augustus first appears on the shield he is called Augustus Caesar (7.697), and near the end of the shield's description he is simply called Caesar (7.746). Virgil makes a social commentary by saying that war will determine the fate of Rome and that how she rises and maintains her power will create her reputation. The shield highlights Roman history and Virgil ends with the triumph of Augustus, which ends the strife and civil war of the