Fate in the Aeneid: Exploring the Theme of Predestination in the Poem

Fate in the Aeneid is a major theme that explores how the ancient Romans viewed the concept of predestination. The entirety of the poem hinges on Aeneas's destiny which is to set the foundations for the establishment of the Roman Empire.

We learn from the Aeneid that fate is in cast stone and nothing, both divine and human, can alter its course. This article will discuss the theme of fate and give relevant examples of fate in the Aeneid.

What Is Fate in the Aeneid?

Fate in the Aeneid explores how Virgil treats predestination in the epic poem. From the Aeneid, it can be deduced that whatever is destined to happen will happen regardless of the obstacles. Both the gods and their human vehicles are powerless in changing fate.

Fate in the Aeneid

Fate is one of the major themes in the book written by Virgil, the aspects of it are written and elaborated below:

The Fate of Aeneas

Aeneas was fated to found Rome and regardless of whatever befell him, his destiny was fulfilled. He had to face the vengeful Queen of the gods, Juno, who did all in her power to thwart his destiny but Aeneas displayed heroism in the Aeneid.

Hera had developed a hatred for the Trojans (the country of Aeneas) when their prince, Paris, chose Aphrodite as the prettiest goddess over her. Her anger drove her to exact revenge on the city and brought it to its knees after a drawn-out war that lasted 10 years.

However, her vengeance was not satisfied, thus when she got wind that the Trojans would rise again through Aeneas she pursued him. Juno used both force and persuasion to keep Aeneas from fulfilling his destiny. She persuaded the keeper of the winds, Aeolus, to send a storm that would drown Aeneas and his fleet. She worked through the fury of Allecto to incite violence against Aeneas and to hide his bride, Lavinia, from him.

Juno also used Dido, the Queen of Carthage, to distract Aeneas from his goal of reaching Italy. She manipulated Aeneas' love for Dido and was almost successful as Aeneas almost forgot about his destiny to settle with her.

Jupiter, her husband, whose role was to ensure that destinies were fulfilled, intervened and kept Aeneas on his path. Thus, though the gods and humans had the will to choose and act freely, they were powerless against fate; a situation referred to as primacy of fate.

Juno's Aeneid About Fate

Juno acknowledges her powerlessness over fate, yet she strives to fight it. as he questions if he should give up, whether she is defeated or impotent when it comes to keeping the king of Teucrians away from Italy. Following this, he raises the question of whether it's fate that forbids him.

Fate of Ascanius

Though Ascanius played a minor role in the Aeneid, he, like his father was fated to play a crucial role in the founding of Rome. It wasn't just sheer luck that he, his father Aeneas, and his grandfather Anchises escaped the burning flames of Troy.

He accompanied his father on all his journeys, and until they finally settled in Latium. Once there, Ascanius accidentally killed the pet stag of Sylvia, the daughter of Tyrrheus, during a hunting expedition.

The hunting mistake nearly resulted in his death as the Latins rallied some troops to hunt him down. When the Trojans saw the Latins approaching they protected Ascanius and the gods granted them victory over the Latins.

During the skirmish, Ascanius prayed to Jupiter to "favor his audacity" as he threw a spear at Numanus, one of the Latin warriors. Jupiter answered his prayer and the spear killed Numanus – a sign that the gods favored Ascanius.

After the death of Numanus, Apollo appeared to the young Ascanius and prophesied to him. According to the god of prophecy, from the line of Ascanius would emerge "gods as sons". Apollo then ordered the Trojans to keep the boy safe from the war until when he was old enough.

The gods knew that he would continue the line of his father in Italy until Rome was established. Just as his father, Ascanius was fated to play an important role in the founding of Rome and it came to pass.

The Fate in the Aeneid and the Kings of Rome

The Kings of Rome, especially those from the Gens Julia, trace their ancestry through Ascanius, also known as Iulus. For example, Augustus Caesar, used the prophecy by Apollo to Ascanius to justify his government. Since the prophecy stated that Ascanius' descendants would include "gods as sons", Augustus Caesar's government attributed to itself divine power and authority. The Aeneid was also written when Augustus Caesar was king of the Roman Empire, thus the poem helped advance his propaganda of having divine origins.

Free Will in the Aeneid

Though the characters were fated in the Aeneid, they could choose whatever path they wished to take. Their fate was not forced on them as demonstrated by Aeneas when he chose to freely love Dido even though he had the destiny to fulfill. Their destinies were presented to them and they chose to follow through with them. However, their free will choices did little or nothing to thwart their destinies – exemplifying the complex relationship between fate and free will.

Conclusion

So far, we've explored the theme of fate in the Aeneid and looked at some examples of how fate played out in Virgil's epic poem. Here is a recap of all that we've covered in the article:

• Fate as exemplified in the Aeneid was how the Romans understood the concept of predestination and the role of free will.

• In the poem, Aeneas was fated to found Rome, and regardless of whatever obstacles were thrown at him, the prophecy was eventually fulfilled.

• Both gods and humans were powerless against fate as demonstrated by Juno when she tried all she could to prevent Aeneas from fulfilling the prophecy but her efforts were useless.

• Ascanius, the son of Aeneas, was also fated to continue his father's legacy so, when he killed Numanus, the gods ordered that he was to be protected till he comes of age.

• The Kings of Rome used fate in the poem to justify their rulership and to affirm their divine authority and power as they traced their ancestry to Ascanius.

Free will in the poem meant that the characters were free to make decisions but these decisions had little effect on their ultimate destinations. Ultimately fate brought about the Aeneid resolution which was peace in the land of Italy.