Does Aeneas Control his own fate in the Aeneid?

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While reading The Aeneid, a reader may wonder whether Aeneas has control of his own fate or not. The very large number of interactions of the gods and goddesses may sway the reader’s opinion one direction. Jupiter, Juno, and Venus are always interacting with Aeneas’s life. They were notorious for decisions that affected Aeneas’s life like: first arriving in Carthage, leaving Dido, burning down the Trojans ships, and much more. Throughout Virgil’s work The Aeneid, a reader wonders whether it was Aeneas who had any control of his fate because of the numerous interactions of the gods.
In the first book, Aeneas’s journey was intervened by multiple different gods and goddesses. Aeneas did not even want to leave Troy without “the pleading of his wife as well as a divine sign from heaven to persuade him, as well as his father, to flee the city” (Shen). Aeneas had to avoid the wraith of Juno at the beginning of this epic. Juno’s favorite city was Carthage and she knew of the prophecy that the Trojans will someday destroy Carthage. She calls upon Aeolus, the wind god, to attempt to destroy Aeneas. Neptune had to stop Juno’s attempt because “Power over the sea and the cruel trident/ Were never his [Aeolus] by destiny, but mine” (I, 188-189). Venus is worried for her Aeneas, so she tries to get Jupiter to end his suffering. Jupiter tells her this, “In Italy he will fight a massive war, / Beat down fierce armies, then for the people there/ Establish city walls and a way of life” (I, 355-357). Eventually, Venus tells Aeneas to go meet Dido and sends Cupid to make the queen fall in love with Aeneas. The summary of the first book just goes to show you, how little control Aeneas has of his fate. Jupiter telling Venus of the glorious futur...

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...inued Aeneas’s journey. Juno tried to complete stop Aeneas’s journey, which was his fate from book one. Jupiter kept him going causing Dido to kill herself, after Venus got Dido to fall in love with him. Each of these interactions makes a reader think that Aeneas he is only following the God’s predetermined fate for him.

Works Cited
Caldwell, Lauren. "Dido's Deductio: Aeneid 4.127-65." Classical Philology 103.4 (2008): 423-435. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
Gutting, Edward. "Marriage In The Aeneid: Venus, Vulcan, and Dido." Classical Philology 101.3 (2006): 263-279. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Shen, Michael. "The Facets of Passion and Duty." Columbia University. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics, 1990. Print.

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