Resolute Destiny

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Virgil uses devices such as similes and foreshadowing to make The Aeneid more lucid. These devices allow the reader to have a greater comprehension of the character of Aeneas, and the people with whom he comes into contact. The devices give weight to the unwavering character of Aeneas, as he deals with hindrances to the overall theme of achieving his destiny.
Virgil uses a simile to give more clarity about Aeneas' character in this excerpt. He compares the sisters' pleas to how "the north winds from the Alps / this way and that contend among themselves / to tear away an [oak tree] hale with age." This demonstrates the fierce conviction the sisters show towards Aeneas time and again. To illustrate his steadfastness, Virgil compares Aeneas to a flourishing oak tree, which is renowned for its courage and strength. Aeneas fights between his desire and the gods' will in his exchanges with Dido. Normally, Aeneas would have felt compassion for Dido "to calm and comfort her in all her pain, / to speak to her and turn her mind from grief" from her words, but the gods interfered with their multiple meetings. The word "cry" in regards to the wind and tree on line nineteen in the excerpt could refer previously to the tears the sisters shed, when they try to convince him to stay. However, in the comparison of how "the buffeted trunk / showers high foliage to earth," Aeneas does not shed a tear. Instead, he stands resolute in his chosen path in front of Dido.
While the simile of the oak tree provides a comparison of Aeneas' personality during Dido's persistent pleading, it also supplies a moment of foreshadowing for his future exploits. Since his father's death, Aeneas wanted to see him, and the gods desired it as well. Going to the under...

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...of her lingering hatred towards him. Aeneas reminds the gods of his mortality when he remains with Dido, and thus they urge him to leave her before he thinks to build his kingdom with her.
Virgil's use of a simile gives weight to Aeneas fierce conviction to fulfill his destiny by comparing him to an oak tree, while he has to consolidate his own desires with the gods' wills. Moments of foreshadowing also promote the prevalent theme of his destiny to establish the powerful city of Rome after Troy fell to the Greeks in the Trojan War, as the reader experiences some of Aeneas' future adventures. Even though numerous challenges use up a fair portion of his time towards achieving his destiny, because of Juno's hatred for him, ultimately the other gods help him attain his destiny.

Works Cited

Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1983.

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