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:
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
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.