Fate and Destiny in the Aeneid

Destiny, the Gods, and Fate in the Aeneid Playwright Lucius Annaeus Seneca said that “Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant,” (Beautiful Quotes) and perhaps nowhere is this idea better illustrated than in Virgil’s epic poem The Aeneid. Fate drives the course of events throughout the twelve books of The Aeneid, pushing both the mortal and divine, to the unwavering destinies laid before them, and destroying those who attempt to defy, or even hinder, the course of destiny.

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Today, fate is regarded as a benign force which can be easily combated with free will. However, As Virgil conveys in his epic, fate was once considered to be so unyielding that not even the gods themselves could intervene to prevent its coming to fruition. There are those in Virgil’s epic who recognize the great power that is fate, and their inability to change it, such as Aeneas, a man who carries, perhaps the largest mantle of destiny on his shoulders.

However, even though Aeneas accepts his fate, this does not free him from tribulation, as others, both human and immortal, attempt to resist fate, and alter its course according to their will. Juno, queen of the gods and the main antagonist in Virgil’s foundational fiction, is not affected by the same fate that rules over humans. Nevertheless, she actively attempts to obstruct Aeneas in his journey to fulfill his own destiny, which Juno suspects will be responsible both for the downfall of her favorite city, Carthage, and the death of her most cherished mortal, Turnus.

Although some may argue that Venus is responsible for foiling Juno’s intentions, it is ironically Juno herself, in her actions to thwart Aeneas, who brings about the fated events she tries to prevent. This is demonstrated by Dido’s death coupled with Carthage’s fated demise as well as Aeneas’ prophesied founding of Rome. Upon learning that he is fated to destroy her city of Carthage, Juno vows to do everything possible to hinder Aeneas’ course of destiny.

However, even this divine god realizes that there is no way to change what is fated, and all she can do with all of her power is meddle, perhaps even helping Aeneas’ destiny along, as Jupiter says “Even haughty Juno, who, with endless broils, Earth, seas, And heaven, and Jove himself turmoils; At length atoned, her friendly power shall join, to cherish and advance the Trojan line,” (Book 1). Juno is never informed explicitly that Aeneas will be the one responsible for destroying Carthage, though she “had heard long since that generations of Trojan blood would one day overthrow her Tyrian walls,” (Book 1).

To stem this threat the Trojans pose, Juno instructs Aeolus to cause a storm which will destroy the Trojan fleet. Venus intervenes to save the Trojans, though the initial disturbance drives their ships off-course, away from Italy and onto Carthaginian shores. Thus, in trying to destroy the Trojans and contradict fate, Juno’s storm sends Trojan ships to the very place she is trying to keep them away from, while she inadvertently elicits Venus’ protection over the Trojans. Juno therefore makes possible the first step leading to Carthage’s prophesied downfall; Aeneas’ exposure to Dido, queen of Carthage.

Not all those that go against fate have the benefit of being immortal, and Aeneas’ Carthaginian love Dido meets her demise when trying to stay him from his course. Although under the influence of Venus’ subordinate Cupid, and driven mad with love, her attempt to possess Aeneas for herself fails completely, proving that even a power such as love has no effect on the greater force of fate. Aeneas’ willingness to part with her whom he loved in pursuit of the destiny laid before him alludes to his acceptance of the role of fate within his life.

This determined pursuit of destiny is illustrated most clearly after Mercury visits Aeneas from Jupiter, who understanding that fate must be obeyed sends the message “What means thy lingering in the Libyan land? If glory cannot move a mind so mean, nor future praise from flitting pleasure wean, Regard the fortunes of thy rising heir: The promised crown let young Ascanius wear, To whom the Ausonian scepter, and the state Of Rome’s imperial name is owed by fate,” (Book 4). After receiving this message, Aeneas grows restless, “Revolving in his mind the stern command, he longs to fly, and loathes the charming land,” (Book 4).

This is all just another step towards Aeneas’ greater destiny; He flees, and Dido is driven into a suicidal rage; she throws herself upon a sword in view of all of her subjects, ending her existence, as well as her kingdoms. Despite the fact that Dido felt love for Aeneas before Juno attempted to cause their wedding, Aeneas did not, and the love he returned as a result is arguably what drove Dido into the throes of her maddened passion. Thus, without Juno’s forced nuptials, Dido would have acted more rationally in response to Aeneas’ leave, and probably would have lived.

In this way, Juno is responsible for the very fall of Carthage she struggled to prevent. With his potential wife no longer living, Aeneas is free to take on an Italian wife, a union that leads to the foundation of Rome. The manipulation of Dido by Venus, in an attempt to make the way for Aeneas easier by motivating the queen to assist him with quarter and goods, shows again how even the Gods must obey the dictates of the Fates. Even after failing to prevent the downfall of Carthage, Juno remains steadfast in her efforts to contradict fate as she tries to trap Aeneas in Sicily to prevent him from continuing to Italy.

Seeing that the Trojan women are growing tired of their journey, Juno sends down Iris to exacerbate their worries and distribute torches among them. Frightened to continue themselves, the women then set the Trojan ships ablaze while the Trojan men celebrate. Sobered by the flames, the Trojan ships are saved only when Aeneas’ prayer to Jupiter is granted and rain begins to fall. Nevertheless, the riot Juno inspires causes severe doubt within Aeneas himself, and he is unsure whether or not he should continue.

This doubt, however, brings forth encouragement from the shade of Anchises, Aeneas’ father, who is sent in Response to Aeneas’ prayer: “’I come by Jove’s command who drove away the fires from your ships… Obey the counsel… given by Nautes: embark for Italy,’” (Book 5). Aeneas is heartened by these words and gains new vigor to complete his mission, which “now stood decided in his mind,” (Book 5). Thus, if Juno hadn’t caused the Trojan women to retaliate, Aeneas would have had no need to pray to Jupiter, and the new vigor brought on by the encouragement of his father’s Ghost never would have inspired Aeneas to continue.

Therefore, Juno’s plans once again backfire and instead of discouraging Aeneas from continuing, she is in fact responsible for motivating him to push on with renewed hope. At this point, Juno recognizes that she can no longer keep Aeneas away from Italy, but decides that she might still have a chance to defeat him by stirring war between the Trojans and the otherwise welcoming Latins. To do this, Juno sends down Allecto to enrage the Latin queen, Amata, and Turnus, her favorite Latin, to oppose a wedding between the Latin Princess Lavinia and Aeneas.

Allecto then ignites war as instructed by causing Ascanius, Aeneas’ son, to kill a Latin stag. Amata and Turnus cry for war and the neutral Latin king relinquishes his power over the kingdom. Though Juno succeeds in inciting conflict and initially preventing Trojan occupation, her arousal of Latin furies proves to be the first in a series of events which lead to the fall of the Latin empire, clearing the way for fate. One of the great prophetic moments that serve to reveal the secrets of fate is the magnificent shield Vulcan makes for Aeneas.

The shield holds various images of Rome’s founding and magnificent future, including the battle of Actium, which hadn’t yet occurred in the time of The Aeneid, showing that the gods, though unable to change fate, are privy to more of their secrets. Throughout the epic, similar occurrences help guide Aeneas on his journey, from his lineage as told by his father, in the land of the dead, to the prophecy from his deceased wife, who tells him that “after many painful years are past, On Latium’s happy shore you shall be cast, Where gentle Tiber from his bed beholds The flowery meadows, and the feeding folds.

There end your toils; and there your fates provide A quiet kingdom, and a royal bride: There fortune shall the Trojan line restore,” (Book 2). Though fate does determine the course of all things in The Aeneid, apparently it is a power that still requires minute amounts of prodding to remain on course. Apart from the larger destiny of Aeneas to found Rome, several prophecies are made of him and his men that are fulfilled in the course of The Aeneid, sometimes even just by accident.

Aeneas’ wife had made mention “a queen for you” (Book 2) when speaking his prophecy, which later turned out to be Lavinia, the Italian princess with whom the basis of Rome is set. It was also prophesized that the Trojans would eat their own tables by a witch who claimed “Fierce famine is your lot for this misdeed; Reduced to grind the plates on which you feed,” (Book 3). This also comes to pass when, the Trojans sit down to feast, and “Beneath a shady tree, the hero spread his table on the turf, with cakes of bread… and soon devour, to mend the scanty meal, their cakes of Flour.

Ascanius this observed and smiling said ‘See, we devour the plates on which we fed,’” (Book 7). In these ways Aeneas and his company prove that prophecies must always be fulfilled and they must never make a mindful effort to prevent the progress of destiny, in fact, as proven here, destiny is sometimes accomplished through unconscious proceedings. However, the character of Turnus, Lavinia’s suitor, proves to be the polar opposite of Aeneas when it comes to fulfilling one’s destiny.

Turnus knows that he is not destined for greatness, but rather to step aside for Aeneas, for the prophecy told King Latinus to “Seek not, my seed, in Latian bands to yoke Our fair Lavinia, nor the gods provoke. A foreign son upon thy shore descends, whose martial fame from pole to pole extends. His race, in arms and arts of peace renowned, not Latium shall contain, nor Europe bound: ‘Tis theirs whatever the sun surveys around,” (Book 7). Determined to change the tides of his destiny, Turnus builds an army to defeat Aeneas, but all to no avail.

Turnus fails even to burn their unattended ships, for destiny will not allow him to violate his fate and conquer the Trojan army, and as Dido was struck down after her attempt to overcome destiny, so also was Turnus, defeated in battle by Aeneas, after attempting to slay him, further illustrating that to go against your pre-ordained destiny is not only foolish, but often times fatal in The Aeneid. At first, it seems the rage Juno rouses in Turnus is enough to keep the Trojans at bay, as Turnus kills many influential Trojan allies, notably a young Pallas.

However, Aeneas quickly retaliates in response to Pallas’ death and Juno is forced to separate Turnus from the battle to save his life. It is at this point that Juno is told by Jupiter that Turnus must be killed sooner or later and that she can only act to delay his death, not prevent it (Book 10). We therefore learn that it is Turnus’ fate to die, a fate which Juno clearly tries to contradict by momentarily saving his life from Aeneas. However, not only is Juno powerless to change this fate, but she is largely responsible for the now Inevitable death of Turnus since she incites him to fight to prevent Aeneas’ destiny in the first place.

As a subsequent result of Juno’s attempt to save Turnus, Turnus begins to lose support from his army and is forced to settle the war with Aeneas in a fight to the death. When the fight finally commences, Aeneas soon has Turnus pleading for mercy. Aeneas is initially moved by Turnus’ reasoning, but spots the young Pallas’ belt on Turnus’ arm. This sight reminds Aeneas of Turnus’ own brazen ruthlessness and Aeneas executes Turnus, which clears the way for the founding of Rome.

Since Juno originally inspires Turnus to fight against the Trojans, and Turnus murders Pallas, she secures Turnus’ doom. When Juno tries to save Turnus’ life for her own pity’s sake, Turnus loses his men’s support and is thrown to Aeneas, who serves to fulfill Turnus’ destiny as well As Aeneas’ own. Therefore, Juno, both in her actions to hinder Aeneas’ destiny and save Turnus’ life, actually makes herself indirectly responsible for Turnus’ fated death as well as Aeneas’ prophesied founding of Rome.

Following her realization that her actions to prevent destiny are futile, Juno tries to exercise the last ounce of influence she has by pleading to her husband in order to abolish the Trojan name: “‘Never… change [the Latins’] old name… never make [the Latins] alter their dialect or dress. Let Latium be… Troy fell, and with her name let her lie fallen,’” (Book 12). Jupiter willingly agrees, and Juno’s wishes are granted. Thus, it seems that even though Juno concedes that she cannot win, she struggles to erase the Trojan name from memory, a subtle revenge she is finally awarded.

However, in having this plea granted, she resigns her grudge against Trojan prosperity, withdraws herself from the epic as the antagonist, and clears the way for Roman success, exactly what had been prophesied. By finally having her desire to cause injury to the Trojan race fulfilled, she relinquishes her mischievous efforts and makes the fate she originally sets out to prevent possible. Among all the players in The Aeneid, only Jupiter seems to not be subject to the Fates, as when Venus worries that that Aeneis’ foretold destiny will not come to pass, he claims that “No councils have reversed my firm decree.

And, lest new fears disturb thy Happy state, know, I have searched the mystic rolls of Fate,” (Book 1). From this, it appears almost as if fate and the will of Jupiter are one and the same. No matter what your beliefs on the subject are, the fact that destiny, the Gods and fate were central in Virgil’s epic poem is undeniable. As Seneca claimed, the great power of fate truly did drive Aeneas to his goal of Rome, and drug all of those who tried to hinder his course, both man and god alike. In the ancient world of The Aeneid, following the will and course of the Fates is the only one true way to live life to its fullest.

The Trojan Aeneas embodies this ideal, and on that value, overcoming all who oppose him, he builds the great city of Rome, and finally fulfills his destiny. Works Cited iLand. 10 December 2008. “Beautiful Quotes about fate. ” 11 December 2008. http://mayaa. rediffiland. com/blogs/2008/02/05/beautiful-quotes-on-FATE-. html Virgil. The Aeneid. Bibliomania: 10 December 2008. http://www. bibliomania. com/0/2/173/1106/frameset. html Virgil. The Aeneid. Trance. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated: 2006.

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