Virgil’s “Aeneid” describes many scenes of predicted situations, capturing reader’s attention of the occurrence that is to take place. Many of the dreams that take place in the story of fate. Aeneas deals with many obstacles throughout this story and gives a significance to events, which are indefinable in their fluidity. It is an enabling condition of significant action and of free, consciously chosen action. Therefore, the role of fate pertains to this story because of Aeneas’ destined kingship that the gods seek to discover in him through his love for Dido, the dark times of war, and the journey to the underworld. The portrayal of fate begins in Book Two. On his way home, Aeneas runs into Helen. She tries to hide, but is afraid of …show more content…
“It is not the detestable beauty of Tyndarean Helen or sinful Paris that is to blame. No, it is the gods, the remorseless gods, who have ruined Troy and burnt the topless towers of Ilium.” Venus takes the mist away from Aeneas' sight to view the various gods at work destroying the city. Venus reminds Aeneas that his fate is elsewhere in Hesperia. After his meeting with Venus, Aeneas runs home, finds his father, and orders him to prepare for their journey to Hesperia. However, Anchises refuses and says that he has lived and suffered long enough. After Aeneas convinces his father to settle on the journey, they process on until they notice Creusa is lost from the group. Aeneas turns around to look for her. However, he sees the spirit of Creusa. The spirit spoke to Aeneas saying, “These …show more content…
When Jupiter learns of Dido and Aeneas’s affair, the god sends Mercury to Carthage to warn Aeneas that his destiny lies elsewhere and departs to Italy. “Are you, of all people, laying the foundations of lofty Carthage and building a beautiful city – for a woman? What about your realm, your own affairs? If your own glory means nothing to you, think of the inheritance you owe to Ascanius – a kingdom in Italy and the soil of Rome.” With these words, Aeneas had no choice and left Dido by the order of the gods. Aeneas does not know how to explain to Dido of his departure and attempts to prepare his fleet to set sail in secret, but Dido suspects his ploy and confronts him in rage. This portrayal of fate reminds the readers of Aeneas’ kingship is waiting for him. According to an article by Gillian McIntosh, Aeneas has been in flight since the fall of Troy and continues to search for several years for a sort of Promised Land as decreed by fate and the gods. Aeneas knows he is to find a new place, but has a vague prophesy about the location of this new place, while Juno strives to delay him from his destiny. Most of these fateful moments are by the will of the gods. The gods and goddesses send him many signs of a specific place, while Juno strives to delay his
After the city of Troy is taken over, Venus comes down to tell Aeneas that he must leave the city. Anchises is finally able to convince him, and so Aeneas takes his family and attempts to flee. However, his wife is unable to escape (Aeneid II. 800-840). Apollo tells Aeneas and Anchises to go “to the land of their ancestors.” Anchises takes this to mean that they should go to Crete (Aeneid III.
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
At the orders of Jupiter, Mercury is sent down in Book Four of the Aeneid to remind Aeneas of his true fate for Aeneas had fallen in love with Dido and was content to stay in the fertile lands of Carthage, The messenger god mocks and scolds Aeneas for forgetting his duties, especially to his son, Ascanius. As a result of this, Aeneas finally decides to leave Dido and depart Carthage, although he fears losing the queen’s love and her wrath. This demonstrates that he is incredibly pious (as to choose the wishes of the gods over his own love) and that he is noble for attempting to leave Dido as gently as he can. In addition, he displays his admirable hero qualities and commitment to paternal duty in this section.
“I was obliged to memorize the wanderings of a hero named Aeneas, while in the meantime I failed to remember my own erratic ways. I learned to lament the death of Dido, who killed herself for love, while all the time, in the midst of these things, I was dying, separated from you, my God and my Life.
The need of a proper burial in the underworld is essential in attaining some feelings of gratification for carrying out duty to his people and country. Aeneas can now realize what it means to be "Roman" and carry out his duties as destiny prescribed to avoid the chance of an overlooked and proper burial. Virgil uses Aeneas to personify the spirit of the Roman Empire by encompassing the scope of both Iliad and Odyssey. By allowing the underworld to open many aspects of Greek history, Aeneas is able to understand the importance of his family values, striving to fulfill his duty, or his mission, even though Dido almost prevented it. Because of the underworld, he has gained compassion for his lost men by always thinking about the welfare of his people.
In Book I, we learn that Aeneas will be facing many obstacles on his journey because Juno (Hera) “in her sleepless rage” does not favor him (1.7). An issue Odysseus also had to deal with. The difference here is, unlike Odysseus who has angered Poseidon by blinding his son, Cyclops, Aeneas has not done anything to provoke this rage. Juno holds a grudge against Paris for not choosing her in a beauty competition against Minerva (Athena) and Venus, “that suffering, still rankled: deep within her, / Hidden away, the judgment Paris gave” (1.39-40). She also knows what is to come of Carthage, “That generations born of Trojan blood [Aeneas] / Would one day overthrow her Tyrian walls,” a city “[Juno] cared more for…/ Than any walled city of the earth” (1.31-32, 24-25). We know that Aeneas is set to build Rome so she will try her hardest to make him fail on his journey. In the case of Odysseus, Athena interc...
The roles of Aneas and Turnus are reversed as the Aeneid progresses. The erasure of Aneas' free will accounts for his triumph and success. Time and time again, Aneas' courage, loyalty, and will are tested in the Aeneid. Through seemingly endless journeys by sea, through love left to wither, and through war and death, Aneas exhibits his anchored principals and his unwavering character. "Of arms I sing and the hero, destiny's exile... Who in the grip of immortal powers was pounded By land and sea to sate the implacable hatred of Juno; who suffered bitterly in his battles As he strove for the site of his city, and safe harboring For his Gods in Latium" (Virgil 7).
Aeneas also went to fight in the Trojan War. He also was a national hero. He was a great warrior. Both Odysseus and Aeneas were trying to head home.
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.
When he fled he took his father, and his son Ascanius with him (Ott 102). Aeneas’s wife became lost during the evacuation. When he fled he also took “penati, the family gods, the most important and only specifically Roman divinity” (Ott 102). To Aeneas, it was an important part of his “identity, origin, and past” (Ott 102) that he needed in order to make sure that his fate was fulfilled when he set out to find new people. Like Romulus and Remus, Aeneas traveled the lands looking to fulfill his fate. It is said the ghost of his wife, who became lost at the battle of Troy, told him to go West to where the Tiber River flowed (Anderson 1). Aeneas traveled to Thrace, Sicily, and Crete before a storm pushes him ashore in Northern Africa (Anderson 1). Once there he fell in love with and married Dido, the Queen of Carthage (Ott 102). Soon Aeneas is reminded by Mercury that his destiny was to reach Rome, causing him to leave Dido who killed herself out of longing (Anderson 1). “Aeneas’s character as portrayed by Virgil is not only that of a heroic warrior. In addition, he guides his life by obedience to divine command, to which he sacrifices his own natural inclination” (Anderson 1). Although Aeneas is not Greek, his is “immortalized as a valorous citizen, brave soldier, respectful son, loving father, and caring husband…” (Ott 103). The Greek God Poseidon
Venus visits Jupiter, worried as it seems like Aeneas will die at sea despite his destined founding of Rome. Jupiter calms Venus, saying “…I shall tell you more, unrolling for you the secrets… of the Fates. He will…” (1.262 -263) – here Jupiter lists the future accomplishments of Aeneas, as well as his descendants. Fate is a solid entity in The Aeneid, and Venus becomes less worried after hearing Jupiter’s proclamations.
756 – 759) . This was followed by other instructions that will help Aeneas in locating and finding the founding site of Rome, which I see it to be very optimistic because it leads to glorious roman empire. Anchises words help to create a sense of optimism in the inevitability of Aeneas’ realization of his fate, although none of his predictions here concerns Aeneas; but rather, his entire prophecy concerns the descendants of Aeneas leading all the way up to noted figures in the contemporary Rome of Vergil. In book six, Sybil got possessed by god Apollo and prophesied to Aeneas that, they will fight a war in Italy to secure their territory which is going to be tough, Aeneas believed Sybil and decided to visit his father in the underworld to know the truth about his lineage. In order to create the gap between divine knowledge and mortal understanding, prophetic scenes typically have some sort of divine claim that legitimates the prophetic message.
The Odyssey portrays the victor, the mighty Odysseus. His story is about a man who has everything, a loving and loyal wife, an ambitious son, a devoted kingdom, and most of all a victory. By the end of Odysseus’ story he has an ideal life. On the other hand, The Aeneid is told through the eyes of a defeated soldier. Early on in the epic Aeneas has a comfortable life. It seems as though he is happy and complancent with his life in Carthage with Dido. Aeneas chooses to leave this life behind in order to fulfill his destiny. The Trojans were defeated in the war, however, Aeneas perceivers and fights for the future of his people. Through Aeneas’ story, Virgil demonstrates the resilience of the Roman culture; he shows just how much they value a sense of
... 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.
In Oedipus Rex, fate is something that unavoidably befalls two characters. The gods decide Oedipus and Jocasta’s fate even before they know it. Trying to avoid destiny is pointless because no matter what, it will catch up to you where ever you are. It is often thought that you can change your destiny, but in reality our fate was put into action the day we were born.