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AeneasandFate.docxexample-2.docxAeneas and Fate
Fate is a crucial concept in the Aeneid. Start by getting a good definition of fate from a dictionary. Be sure to copy it in quote marks and cite the source. Then look in the Aeneid for several places where fate is mentioned and discuss each example, explaining what you think Virgil meant by Fate. Do you think his concept of date is like the dictionary definition? How? Be specific and support your ideas with plenty of examples from the Aeneid. Is either the dictionary concept of fate or Virgil’s like yours? How or how not? Give specific examples to support your insights here.
Fate can be described as “The development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.” (google.com) For those who are not religious, I myself would be a perfect example; this is often a difficult concept to wrap our brains around. I personally have always felt that I have control over the paths and the choices I make and that they are not already “determined” by a supernatural power. I do however respect the faith of others in regards to what they believe to be their fate. A great epic- The Aeneid written by the famous poet Virgil- is a great story intertwined with the concept of fate. Through this story we explore Virgil’s views of fate and how his main character, Aeneas, has a different approach on life than I do. I believe that Aeneas lives his life based on the paths that his fate has chosen for him, versus choosing his own paths.
The above definition of the word fate is immediately justified in the opening lines of Virgil’s story. It starts with Aeneas on his ship trying to make it to the land of Italy which is where he is destined to start a new city after the fall of Troy. Not wanting him to achieve his goal, Juno- “wife of the ruler of the gods” (Fitzgerald 1055), changes Aeneas’s fate and sends a storm into the waters. Hence, he ends up in Carthage, located in North Africa, instead of Italy.
Assuming that this must be his fate for now, he settles in Carthage along with fellow survivors from Troy. He is asked by the Queen of Carthage to tell her the story of how Troy fell. The first few words that come out his mouth are: “…let me begin. Knowing their strength broken in warfare, turned ‘Back by the fates,’ and years-so many years-Already slipped away, the Danaan captains By the divine handicraft of Pallas built a horse of timber.” (Fitzgerald 1063). The start of his story begins with the essence of fate. Aeneas did not believe that the Greeks lost time and men because they were just horrible fighters. He believed that it was their fate that set them back. It was fate that caused them to loose in warfare which caused years to slip away from them (the Greeks).
In continuing his story, Aeneas also expresses many times to the Queen of Carthage that what happened in Troy was Troy’s fate. He says he is not sure exactly why this heartache and defeat came upon Troy but he believed that “Troy’s fate went that way now.” (Fitzgerald 1064).
One thing to try and understand further about fate is that it is not lead by emotion. When I am faced with a tough decision, I often choose my path in life based on a feeling. If I am sad, I choose a path that will make me feel happy. Those who believe in fate however are less concerned with working through emotions and trying to find the right path. They believe that the correct path is ultimately chosen for them and that they do not actually have a say in the matter. Their fate in a sense ultimately determines their destiny. Aeneas is a perfect example of a man who does not let his emotions get in the way. He is in the middle of a war, filled with emotions, and he simply believes that “Troy’s fate went that way now.” (Fitzgerald 1064) There was nothing he could do, his emotions had nothing to do with it and it was Troy’s destiny.
The city of Troy was attacked at night. Aeneas awoke and did try to defend his city. Along with a group of other people who lived in the city, he was successful at killing the first Greeks that he came across. He killed them and then wore their armor in order to disguise himself. He was eventually recognized as one who is not Greek and immediately reflected upon his fate. He believed that he must escape as there was no way he could defeat the Greek since he was outnumbered. He knew he would die if he stayed. He says, “And if it has been fated, my own hands had earned my death.” He then makes a quick plan to escape and says he will use “A rear door, secret, giving on a passage between the palace halls.” (Fitzgerald 1076).
Before his escape, Aeneas witnesses what he believes to be the fate of the King of Troy, Priam. We will not focus on the events here, rather Aeneas’s interpretation of the events. He does not believe the events that transpire to be simple evil, or the choosing of a wrong path. He perceives them as fate. “What was the fate of Priam, you may ask.” (Fitzgerald 1077). The fact that the whole city was doomed and was on fire was not the cause of the war. It was the cause of the city’s ultimate fate which was to be on fire and one day fall. The war was simply the tool which guided the fate, or helped the fate occur.
As he leaves the burning city of Troy, Aeneas takes his father, his son, and his wife with him. This is what he say’s to his family “ Then come, dear father, Arms around my neck: I’ll take you up on my shoulders, no great weight. Whatever happens, both will face one danger, Find one safety, Iulus will come with me, My wife at a good interval behind.” (Fitzgerald 1083) So, he carries his father on his shoulder, hold his sons hand, asks his wife to follow at a “ good interval behind,” (Fitzgerald 1083) as he seeks an exit from the city of Troy. Now for those who have never been in a war, it is difficult to imagine the chaos that comes along with it. You never know who is hiding in what corner, which direction you are going to have to go in to escape, and what dangers lay ahead of you. How could Aeneas had thought it was a good idea for his wife to follow at a good distance behind him in the middle of all of this chaos? His wife eventually gets lost and he blames it on fate. “Creusa, taken from us by grim fate.” (Fitzgerald 1083). Me, someone who does not live life based on fate, would have felt responsible for Creusa getting lost. Aeneas however, a man who believes that everything is “determined by a supernatural power,” (google.com) did not.
After Aeneas is done telling his story, the Queen of Carthage falls in love with him. After sorting out some inner issues, she and Aeneas grow close and shortly after she believes that they are married. Jupiter, one of the gods, is extremely unhappy with this as he feels that Aeneas needs to be reminded of his fate. Through the messenger Mercury, Aeneas is reminded that he needs to settle in Italy and built a city there for the people who were forced out of Troy. Immediately he realizes that it was “fate that permitted” (Fitzgerald 1095) him to spend some time in Carthage, but now he was “Duty-bound” (Fitzgerald 1097) to leave for Italy. So he assembles his people and his ships and heads on his mission.
When the Queen of Carthage hears that Aeneas will be leaving, she is furious amongst other things. She feels betrayed and does not know how she will face the people of her town once they see that her husband did not love her enough to stay. Overwhelmed with negative thoughts and sorrow, she plans to kill herself so she no longer has to bear such pain. Her suicide however was not what was supposed to be her ultimately destiny. She begged to the gods to change her fate and take her breathe and pain away. They however did not. She killed herself “not at her fated span.” (Fitzgerald 1106)
For the first time in Virgil’s story, you see someone who is not following their fate as carefully as Aeneas is. You realize that even back then, there were people who ignored their fate and choose the path that they saw most fit. How you view things really does make a big difference. For Aeneas, he really believed that it was his Duty to follow his destiny and that his ultimate fate could not be changed or altered. He was an emotional man who in spite of his emotions, believed that his fate was the development of events that were beyond his control and already determined by a supernatural power.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Mack, Maynard, ed. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. The Aeneid. Trans Fitzgerald, N.K. 2nd edition, Volume A. New York, 2002.
