Fate and Human Responsibility in the Aeneid
If you're going to write an epic about great heroism, don't use the Aeneid as your primary guide. It's not that heroism can't be found in the Aeneid, it's just hard to prove. First off, Virgil writes a story in a fatalistic universe, wherein every action and every event is under Jupiter's divine thumb . Fatalism "is all-pervading in Virgil . . . in it [the Aeneid] the words fatum and fata occur some 120 times" (Bailey 204). And in the first three books alone "the word 'Fatum' or 'Fata' occurs more than forty times" (Sellar 334). Venus praises Jupiter as one who: "command[s] and govern[s] the events of gods and men . . ." (1:321-21). Furthermore, Phoebus tells Aeneas that "the king of gods allot the fates, revolving every happening . . ." (3:484-87). So whenever Aeneas wins a battle, whenever Aeneas needs help, whenever Aeneas catches a cold, Jupiter has control. And though not all events are fated (e.g. Dido's suicide), most events are under the control of the gods . Aeneas even admits that he doesn't have a free will (4:491-92), because he is bound for Latium. If a universe is fated, how can anybody be responsible for his or her actions? The very idea of fatalism obliterates any notion of heroism because it removes the potential for human responsibility .
Why should Aeneas be praised for conquering Latium? Why should Aeneas be called a hero? The interesting paradox within the Aeneid is the idea of human responsibility interwoven with fatalism. Though Aeneas knows that "fate has promised" his settlement in Latium (1:286-87), he doesn't sit around waiting for Jupiter to zap them all into Latium; he is on a constant quest to settle there. And t...
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What is a hero? We would like to think that a hero is someone who has achieved some fantastic goal or status, or maybe someone who has accomplished a great task. Heroes find themselves in situations of great pressure and act with nobility and grace. Though the main character of Virgil's Aeneid, Aeneas, is such a person, it is not by his own doing. He encounters situations in which death is near, in which love, hate, peace, and war come together to cause both good and evil. In these positions he conducts himself with honor, by going along with what the gods want. Only then goes on to pave the way for the Roman Empire. His deeds, actions, and leadership would never have come to be if it were not for the gods. The gods took special interest in Aeneas, causing him misfortune in some cases, giving him assistance in others. On the whole, the gods constantly provide perfect opportunities for Aeneas to display his heroism. Without them, Aeneas would not be the hero he is. This gift does not come without a price, though; he must endure the things heroes endure to become what they are. Despite his accomplishments and the glory associated with his life, Aeneas only achieves the status of hero through divine intervention, and this god-given position causes him just as much grief as it does splendor.
In the state of Arizona, teenagers that are 15 years and six months can apply for their learner’s permit. A written driving test of basic driving laws and rules is then taken. Upon passing the new driver is given six months to drive a minimum of 30 daytime hours and 10 nighttime hours, with a licensed driver present. This allows teens to become comfortable driving alongside a licensed driver before taking on the task of driving alone. After the six month period of practicing, the teenager can take the driving part of the exam to attain their driver’s license. “Crash risk is particularly high during the first months of licensure.” (Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet 1) The need for more driving practice and defensive driving is relevant.
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It also shows the special function of the House of Representatives. Only the House of Representatives is allowed to propose bills that raise revenue. Article 7 also instills the idea of getting presidential approval on all bills that have passed both the senate and the House of Representatives. If the president vetoes a bill, the bill will go back with suggestions on how to make it better. After the edits from the president, there is another vote. A 2/3rd vote is needed to pass the bill into law (US Const. art I. sec VII).
When discussing the fate of Aeneas, a thought provoking question is posed that is commonly debated. If Aeneas is commanded by fate, does he have free will? It is important to approach this question with a solid understand of fate. There are two common sides to the debate of whether Aeneas had free will or not. One view believes Aeneas had no choice but to follow his destiny because he was commanded by fate, and prophesied to found the race that will one day build Rome. The other side states Aeneas did indeed have free will, and even though his fate was set, room is available within his fate for events to change. One can argue Aeneas makes some of his own choices, but no particular detail of his life is untouched. Destiny determines that the Trojans will found a city in Italy, but it does not stipulate how that will happen. This is where room is left for free will. After much research and considering the views of many commentators and the proof they showed, the answer can simply be found by going back to the text of The Aeneid.
One of the reason people say that the legal driven shouldn't be raised is because they think teens should practice at age of 15-17 so by the time they are 17 they will be ready to drive. This can be shown where the author writes, “ … how to drive around 14-15 easing they into gradually, and with supervision so that by the time they are 17 or 18… [and]... there some very young pro drivers.” (Eric, text-1) These quotes shows how they teens can be successful by training. But, guess what those people are wrong because driven is not all about training , it is also about your brain (how you react to things such as answering, text-messaging, and using phone during driven) and teens brain is not developed. This can be shown where the author states, “ a study done at the National Institute of mental health concluded that at the age of 16, the adolescent brain remains undeveloped in vital areas…” (Parker, text-2) This quote also shows that the author uses informative tone to show that teens brain is still not developed which is why the legal driven should be
... attempts they do just the opposite. With Venus’ many interventions, Aeneas is prevented from making mistakes and is guided to his fate, from not killing Helen [book 2] to leaving behind the old and the weak for Italy [book 4] . He is shown enough times to be the puppet of their play: from obeying the will of the gods while enduring the wrath of other gods, all this in order to set the wheels in motion for the far off future Roman race. However, there are also times when he is also shown to be exerting his won free will. For example, in book 12, killing Turnus when he is begging for mercy, something not heroic and which Susanna Braund debates the positive and negative aspect of in her essay on Virgil and the Meaning of the Aeneid [1.17-18]. nonetheless, this act demonstrates that even the gods and the fates require his cooperation to fulfil his destiny.
Thomas Hobbes has a primary emphasis on the state of nature and the social contract. Hobbes’s theory is categorized in several different ways. First, he is considered a pseudo natural law theorist. This is because he bases many of his premises on natural law. Additionally, Hobbes is referred to as a social contract theorist because he initiated the philosophical concept of the social contract. Finally, Hobbes can be categorized as a justice theorist, since many of his writings deal with justice and the state.