Fate in the Aeneid

Fate in the Aeneid

The gods who so much affect the lives of Aeneas and Dido are depicted by Virgil in human shape and with human attributes, living and acting in human terms and with human emotions. This ANTHROPOMORPHISM is traditional and inherited by Homer. This does not mean that Virgil thought that the gods had human form in reality, it can merely be likened to artists who depict God as a man in a flowing robe with white hair and beard. The gods play a double role within the Aeneid; firstly they are connected directly with the plot and the theme that there is a divine plan controlling history. The second role of the gods is to symbolise the various aspects of human character. Central to the first role is the concept of a fixed order of things, which we may call FATE. Certain laws of Fate are unalterable e.g. that humans are mortal. What Fate ordains is rigid and cannot be changed by the power of the gods or prayer of man. However sometimes it can be postponed, e.g. the fall of Troy took 10 years, but never changed.

Co-existing with Fate are "the gods". The gods are individual powers with personal will and purposes. Jupiter is the supreme god and is always identified with Fate in the Aeneid. He is the executioner and personification of Fate and ensures that it is carried out. At the same time he tolerates rather than prohibits the unsuccessful attempts which other gods sometimes make to frustrate the outcomes of Fate. The other gods are concerned only with their own purposes. In their pursuit of these they cannot prevent what is laid down by Fate, though they may try to do so, with important incidental consequences e.g. the death of Dido. They may act without intruding on another god, or they may co-operate with other gods. There is a hierarchy of gods and when there is no greater god involved, then a lesser god has power- a great god when he chooses will overrule a lesser god e.g. in book 1, Neptune overruled Aeolus in the storm scene.

Unlike Fate, the gods are accessible to prayer and worship. However piety (pietas) will not ensure divine favour every time, but if an individual or nation consistently practises pietas then it improves the chances that they will prosper under heaven. For this reason the Roman state was extremely careful in the management of its relations with the gods. The victorious progress of Rome in history was naturally taken to show that the goodwill of the gods had in fact been promoted by prayer and sacrifice etc. During Virgil’s time the restoration of religion and peace under Augustus reflected a new age away from the destruction of the past civil wars- the history of Rome was itself proof that the Roman way of worshipping the gods was the way the gods themselves approved.

The second role of the gods is to symbolise the various aspects of human character:

JUPITER- is a symbol of man’s ability to organise and control himself both mentally and physically.

JUNO- is a symbol of the opposite elements such as anger or revenge, which causes a person to lose control of themselves and the situation.

VENUS- has a role of a protectress and a calm, reassuring influence. This is basically due to the fact that she is Aeneas’ mother.

THE LESSER GODS- are concerned with their domains e.g. Neptune is concerned with the sea.

EPIC POETRY

Epic poetry is defined as a "long narrative poem, full of action, which tells us about human life and makes us think about the relation between man and the superhuman powers, having as the chief characters ‘heroes’, that is, people who are in some way stronger than ordinary mankind but below the divine level."- W.F. Jackson Knight. Virgil draws heavily on Homer who wrote the Iliad and Odyssey and there is a tendency to compare the two. Homer’s main purpose was to tell a story. Virgil’s purpose is to show symbolically how Rome achieved her greatness. Both portray human character, but Virgil starts from the symbol and molds his characters to fit the symbol. Aeneas is symbolic both of the progress of Rome in history, and of Augustus’ rise to the position of head of the civilised world.

POINTS TO CONSIDER IN EPIC STORIES:

• The story begins in the middle
• The poetry is in a particular metre
• There is a pattern that emerges; the even numbered books are the most important (although book 1 is just as important). Books 1-4 concern Dido and Carthage, books 7-12 concern Turnus and Latium (where Aeneas lands in Italy). Books 1-6 deal with the past, while 7-12 deal with the future.