While reading The Aeneid, a reader may wonder whether Aeneas has control of his own fate or not. The very large number of interactions of the gods and goddesses may sway the reader’s opinion one direction. Jupiter, Juno, and Venus are always interacting with Aeneas’s life. They were notorious for decisions that affected Aeneas’s life like: first arriving in Carthage, leaving Dido, burning down the Trojans ships, and much more. Throughout Virgil’s work The Aeneid, a reader wonders whether it was Aeneas who had any control of his fate because of the numerous interactions of the gods.
In the first book, Aeneas’s journey was intervened by multiple different gods and goddesses. Aeneas did not even want to leave Troy without “the pleading of his wife as well as a divine sign from heaven to persuade him, as well as his father, to flee the city” (Shen). Aeneas had to avoid the wraith of Juno at the beginning of this epic. Juno’s favorite city was Carthage and she knew of the prophecy that the Trojans will someday destroy Carthage. She calls upon Aeolus, the wind god, to attempt to destroy Aeneas. Neptune had to stop Juno’s attempt because “Power over the sea and the cruel trident/ Were never his [Aeolus] by destiny, but mine” (I, 188-189). Venus is worried for her Aeneas, so she tries to get Jupiter to end his suffering. Jupiter tells her this, “In Italy he will fight a massive war, / Beat down fierce armies, then for the people there/ Establish city walls and a way of life” (I, 355-357). Eventually, Venus tells Aeneas to go meet Dido and sends Cupid to make the queen fall in love with Aeneas. The summary of the first book just goes to show you, how little control Aeneas has of his fate. Jupiter telling Venus of the glorious futur...
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...inued Aeneas’s journey. Juno tried to complete stop Aeneas’s journey, which was his fate from book one. Jupiter kept him going causing Dido to kill herself, after Venus got Dido to fall in love with him. Each of these interactions makes a reader think that Aeneas he is only following the God’s predetermined fate for him.
Works Cited
Caldwell, Lauren. "Dido's Deductio: Aeneid 4.127-65." Classical Philology 103.4 (2008): 423-435. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
Gutting, Edward. "Marriage In The Aeneid: Venus, Vulcan, and Dido." Classical Philology 101.3 (2006): 263-279. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Shen, Michael. "The Facets of Passion and Duty." Columbia University. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics, 1990. Print.
The idea that one’s destiny is already determined is both comforting yet brings dismay because it leaves a feeling of powerlessness which is fine for the lazy but painful for the proactive. This idea is surely a failure among principles but even so the role of fate is not completely limited to these terms and ideas. Fate in the book was seen more as a mission that Aeneas had in life, and it would only happen on his obedience to his tasks. This type of belief that “actions determine fate” is actually quite healthy for a society to follow. During Aeneas’ journey there were several times that he faced difficult temptations that tested his obedience
Aeneas’s voyage up to his journey to the Underworld has not been easy to say the least. He had to wat...
We also see in the story what someone must sacrifice in order to fulfill their goals. Though Aeneas's destiny was much more grand than many of our own, we still must make choices that can sometimes hurt others. I really thought that Vergil captured our inner emotions with the affair between Dido and Aeneas.
“Am I to admit defeat/ Unable to keep these Trojans and their kings/ From Italy? Forbidden by the Fates, am I?” (1.50-52). Knowing the outcome doesn’t sway the decisions of Juno at all is overcome with rage. It is keen to note that rage is one of the most important themes of The Aeneid and is showed from the poem starts till it ends. Juno and Dido are the two major characters that are affected by this rage. It is Juno who allows Dido to believe that she and Aeneas are married; with hopes that Aeneas would not leave to the build the city of Rome. The intervention of the gods shows how they can easily sway the lives of their mortal men for their own personal desires. For example, when Juno incites rage on the Trojan women allowing them to burn their ships. Virgil clearly shows that aren’t no women of rationality all women are controlled by their emotions. It is clear from the start that Juno is on a man hunt to put an end to the Trojans reign; as result Aeneas becomes a subject of Juno’s rage. Virgil depicts Juno as vengeful Antagonist who tortures a pietious man,
The trials of Aeneas and Gilgamesh were very similar. Both led tragic lives and suffered from the wrath of the gods. Aeneas witnessed his family die, his home city burned to the ground, and was victim to the goddess Juno’s plots throughout his fated journey to Italy. Gilgamesh had seen his best friend die from the gods’ vengeance and was emotionally crushed by it.
... wife and home as well as his place in Carthage in the name of the gods, in the name of a quest that does not directly benefit him. From this pursuit, he does not stand to gain spoils, and the most that could be said of his fame would be drawn from his descendents. It is this moral stance, this understanding of universal placement, of purpose, that sets Aeneas apart from other heroes.
As in Book I of "The Aeneid," Book II and Book III are authored by Publius Vergilius Maro, but the entirety of the books is written as exposition delivered by the character Aeneas. Aeneas could thus be considered the "author" of the piece, and his audience is Dido and her Phoenician people. Aeneas narrated the contents of the pieces as a response to Dido's request for his story, and his reluctance apparent in the opening lines suggests that he disagrees with the prospect of recalling such painful memories, but complies regardless. Therefore, Aeneas's motivation in relating his story (and, in a way, Virgil's as well) is to reveal what events transpired on his voyage from Troy to Carthage. His actions during the fall of Troy in particular lend
In Virgil’s poem, The Aeneid, a picture is painted of a very virtuous roman hero who remains pious and loyal to his people. This is the picture of Aeneas’ life. It is shown in the poem, that the costs that come with holding these virtues greatly outweigh the rewards. The rewards, although small, are on the inside of the hero and the costs are large and are on the outside. It is critical to follow your destiny no matter what it is, but that is a virtue that not only Roman heroes, but also all Romans must possess.
Virgil. “The Aeneid, Book IV”. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 974-95. Print.
Silvestris, Bernardus. Commentary on the First Six Books of Virgil's Aeneid. Translated by Schreiber and Maresca. University of Nebraska Press. London, 1979.
Aeneas is the son of Venus. This fact alone brings about much of the hero in him. Venus, a concerned mother, always looks out for her son. She does everything she thinks will help to ensure his safety and success. At the beginning of his journey from Troy, she prevents his death at sea. Juno has persuaded King Aeolus to cause vicious storms, rocking Aeneas' fleet and nearly killing all of them. Venus then goes to Jupiter and begs him to help Aeneas: Venus appealed to him, all pale and wan, With tears in her shining eyes:
Aeneas was never held captive by any of the gods as was Odysseus. Aeneas got help from Venus (Goddess of love), his mother. She convinced him to stop fighting because she wanted him to rescue his family which was a lot more important. Jupiter also helped him because Aeneas’s wife told Jupiter that Aeneas was going to kill himself, so she wanted him to send Aeneas a sign telling him not to kill himself. Aeneas was going to do this because he found his father almost dead and decided to take his own life.
Aeneas’ protection is the result of his kinship with the god of beauty, Venus. She is his mother, which is why she often sends her fellow gods on missions to help Aeneas. In one section Virgil writes, “O King of Gods and Men! whose awful hand Disperses thunder on the seas and land, Disposing all with absolute command; How could my pious son thy pow 'r incense? Or what, alas! is vanish 'd Troy 's offense? Our hope of Italy not only lost” (Aeneid). In this section, Juno (Aeneas’ enemy) has spoken to Aeolus and convinced him to conjure a storm that will eradicate Aeneas and his crew. His mother, Venus, goes to Neptune to see if he will calm the seas and save Aeneas. He speaks to her and assures her that he will soon conquer Italy, at which point he frees Aeneas and his crew from the storm that plagues
Tracy, H. L. "'Fata Deum' and the Action of the 'Aeneid'" Greece & Rome 11.2 (1964): 188-95.
Sullivan emphasizes Virgil’s depiction of the pain in the world he lived in. Dido grieved because she was not faithful in her promise that she had made to her deceased husband. She was gravely aware of her mistake and knew that she had no way of erasing its influence in her life and the lives of the people she was supposed to be protecting. Her sufferings resulted from the gods disagreeing over what Aeneas’ fate should be and not necessarily her own actions. Aeneas had his pietas tested when he arrived at Carthage. Dido was a distraction that got in the way of Aeneas’ ultimate goal, but that does not mean that she meant nothing to him (p. 117). Sullivan believes that Aeneas’ deep love for Dido was evident in any passages of the epic and should not be written off. Dido was one of Aeneas’ greatest sufferings and he did not want to leave her in Carthage, but he was drawn to by the divine plan of the gods. When he ventures into the Underworld and is met by Dido, he learns what she did to herself and he broke down and began to cry. This proves to Sullivan that she was more than just a stumbling block in Aeneas’ path. Dido was a lover and one of Aeneas’ most painful memories. The pain of leaving her was almost too much for Aeneas to bare, so much so that he resisted the gods and wanted to stay. His personal feelings told him to stay and love Dido for the rest of his life, but his pietas and duty helped him