Prompt In what ways does the Aeneid develop a sense of ambiguity about the "destiny" of Rome to become a dominant world power and how is this shown through the actions of Aeneas or other characters in the epic?

 

The ambiguity about destiny of Rome

The Aeneid is the story of a tropical priest in exile who founded Italy in the 12th century BC when the Greeks defeated Troy. It is the story of Rome's earliest days, a national epic which honors Rome and preaches the rise of the Roman Empire. The Narrator, Aeneas, knowingly reflects Roman values of state allegiance, family fidelity and admiration for the gods. Virgil felt that these virtues would help protect Rome's historical position. 

Therefore the Aeneid is double-time. The narrative tells of Rome's very early days through the hero Aeneas' acts. Yet Virgil also writes of Rome's fate for harmony and morality. This work is a reflection of Augustus' own zeal for New Rome and for the stabilization introduced by the new emperor.

 Actions of Aeneas and other characters in the epic

Fate

The fate (or destiny) of the Aeneid is an omnipotent power and what the destiny decrees are must take effect. Aeneas' destiny is, and will do, to found a city in Italy. Characters should fight the destiny to have the free will. However this resistance is inevitably futile. Juno may hesitate for a while but not forever, Aeneas reaching Lazio. Dido will make Aeneas remain for a while in Carthage, but not always. Turnus can briefly, but not indefinitely, fight against Aeneas. And while withstanding gods often seldom appears to have a kink, an occurrence for offenses like the Maidens end tragedy for humans such as Turnus indicates that combating opposition against destiny seems adverse. Although predestined fates which tend to destroy the tension of the plot, in the Aeneids (whether and how they obtain their fates) as well as in their trips to the fulfillment of their destinies, there is another form of drama at work.Destiny also helps associate Aeneas' story with Augustus Caesar who, when the Aeneid was written, controlled the Roman Empire. The fate of Aeneas is to begin with the Rome civilization, and begin with Augustus' line of rulers. As a result, the poem gives invulnerable, divinely enforced power to the government of August: into a destiny which extends all the way back to his great ancestors! In the Underworld, Anchises makes this clear when he reveals future representatives of Rome to Aeneas. Fate not only justifies the conspiracy of the poem, but also the government of Augustus.

The Gods and Divine Intervention

The gods participate actively in the lives of humans and use characters sometimes as pieces of chess to combat their own forces. Juno hates the Trojans and does his utmost to avoid the fate of Aeneas and even to start the war which fills the second half of the poem. Venus is trying to shield her son and support him. It just annoys Neptune that other god feels he can confuse the ocean with them. However there is constant debate of whether the gods can be characters of maximum meaning, such as superpowered civilization with its own motivation, or whether it has a more symbolic function and serves for Virgil to enter into the feelings and choices of human beings. In certain instances, the ends of godly power and the beginning of individual liberation are impossible to tease apart. Perhaps Dido was too carefree in her desire, or perhaps the enchantery of Venus made Dido too carefree in her affection. Without Juno's participation, maybe Turnus may have never desired a battle at all.

Perhaps it is not appropriate to determine what comes of the god and what is from the human being, because all these deeds of the gods are only only one way to explore the human spirit in a poetic way. Everything mortals may do about the persistent and often unseen intervention of the gods is pray for divine signs to direct them, attempt to reach the positive sides of the gods in times of difficulties and turn to seers and oracles to achieve a greater picture of the wishes of the gods.

Piety

Virgil describes Aeneas as remarkable for his piety, which in the poem is the most frequently used adjective to characterize Aeneas. These duties are often put above Aeneas' own thoughts or wishes. Nevertheless, he pursues his destiny as the waves blast his ships and wishes he had died protecting Troy. He is depressed but not adamant as Juno torments him. When Dido likes him, he deserts her because he thinks he should stay in Carthage. Being pious doesn't mean being without free will. In comparison, being pious every day means choosing, choosing hard and having no other characters. To retain her affection, Dido attempts to thwart destiny. Turnus does not agree that destiny allows Aeneas to marry Turnus' wife. Things end disastrously for both characters. In the Aeneid, it is only by being religious that one may be heroic, free to surrender one's own wishes to the great powers of nature, gods and kin.

However, it must be remembered that Aeneas was not necessarily considered by Virgil a great hero. What about Dido's awkward and sly leaving? Why does he leave the Underworld, instead of the real and pure gates, through the gate of false dreams? And why does Aeneid end with a fiery killing of a defenseless man who begs for mercy, not with the image of Aeneas' leadership in his destined land? This topic leads to uncertainty in the destiny of Rome.

Rome

The nucleus of the poem is Rome. Aeneas' destiny is the endpoint of its foundation and the kingdom that will rise from it. Once Aeneas has understood Rome directly from the accounts of Anchises in the Underworld, the city symbolizes him in all its ensuing trials and torments the height of his absolute success. Rome stands also for Aeneas and his people to be the embodiment for a new house in which he and his people will create a community, worship their Gods, play their destiny and replace those they lost in troy. Simply placed, a home is the center of belonging and the location for constructing all the things they deserve.The Aeneid also holds up Aeneas as a reason for the grandeur of Rome. Virgil was author of the poem during Rome's Golden Age and by explaining how Roman is grounded in the ideals of piety and just leadership exemplified by Aeneas, he identifies the myth that ties Rome to the ancient Greek tradition of the Odyssey with that of the Iliad. Anchises is going too deep in the Underworld to demonstrate to the Greeks and other nations the supremacy of Rome. He explains that Rome is capable of spare and defeat the defeated. The greatest virtue of Rome is in other words, the desire not only to invade new lands but to make them a peaceful part of the whole. For this very cause, Rome was also extraordinary. Rome has invaded much of the world, such as the Mediterranean, and has enjoyed prosperity for two hundred years.

War and peace

The nucleus of the poem is Rome. Aeneas' destiny is the endpoint of its foundation and the kingdom that will rise from it. Once Aeneas has understood Rome directly from the accounts of Anchises in the Underworld, the city symbolizes him in all its ensuing trials and torments the height of his absolute success. Rome stands also for Aeneas and his people to be the embodiment for a new house in which he and his people will create a community, worship their Gods, play their destiny and replace those they lost in troy. Simply placed, a home is the center of belonging and the location for constructing all the things they deserve.Yet in the Underworld remark of Anchises that Rome is special in the capacity to rescue the conquered, Aeneid indicates that by Aeneas, the Romans are taking to war something different, that they are fighting to bring peace.