Is Virgil's Aeneid a pro-Augustan epic?

Augustus was the first emperor of Rome and was heavily concerned with securing his own legitimacy and creating a long-lasting legacy for himself. One of the ways in which he did this was by writing himself into Rome's history. For example, Augustus affiliated himself with both Romulus and Apollo. The emperor also was very impressed with Virgil's Aeneid, even publishing it himself following the poet's death. This suggests that he was pleased with his own portrayal in the poem and believed that it legitimised his authority. Indeed, this seems the case in terms of Augustus' own presence in the poem. The emperor appears in a series of prophecies which look ahead to the Augustan present and seeminly present Augustus as the culmination of Roman history (1.286-296). This is particularly evident in Book 6's portrayal of the Underworld and the description of Aeneas' shield. Augustus is "the man whose coming you so often hear prophesied" and the person who "will bring back the golden years to the fields of Latium" (6.791-7).

However, there are also hints towards an anti-Augustan stance. In particular, the depiction of the Underworld which presents the greatness of Rome's history which culminates in Augustus actually ends with Aeneas leaving via the Gate of Ivory, which was said to transmit "false dreams" (6.896). This implies that the portrayal or Rome's spectacular history and the success of Augustus is simply a false dream. In addition, Aeneas seems modelled on Augustus but at the end of the Aeneid he is arguably not shown in a very heroic or admirable way. Both the killing spree Aeneas goes on following the death of Pallas and the killing of Turnus show the bloodthirst and barbarism of the hero, and can be compared to Augustus' own harsh treatment of his enemies, such as in Perusia. This has led scholars such as Putman (1995) to suggest that Virgil was actually subtly criticisng Augustus and the false patriotic vision of Rome's history and success.