The Aeneid Vergil Analysis

This paper presents The Aeneid Vergil, a book translated by Sarah Ruden. It will mainly focus on the books 4 and 6, in which the principal character Aeneas experiences important events: love and its arrival to the promise land. This analysis will consist in identifying how fate has impacted Aeneas’s life since the beginning of his journey. Also, it will discuss on whether fate goes along with one’s happiness or contradicts it. First of all, Aeneas and his crew arrive involuntary to the City of Carthage due to a violent storm. Once there, they are welcome by Dido, the queen of Carthage who asks the reason of their presence. Aeneas explains that they were heading to Italy because their city was destroyed. In fact, the city of troy entered in
a war against the Greeks after being tricked by Simon, a Greek spy. Based on Simon’s claims, the Trojans accepted to install a wooden horse in the city in order to be victorious in an eventual war against the Greeks. Unfortunately, none could imagine that it was a strategy established by the Greeks to invade the city of troy. Hidden in the horse’s belly, Greek soldiers attacked the Trojans by surprise once in the walls of the city. This situation led to a war that completely destroyed the city of Troy. Aeneas reveals its desire to fight for his city during this war, but he had to leave as commanded by the gods. According to the gods, he was fated to conduct the Trojan survivors in Italy in order to build a new city. Dido feels compassion and admiration for Aeneas as he tells his story. She reveals to her sister Anna “ I think it must be true this is a god’s child(…) how I pity his hard fate and the long, grim was he told of!” In addition to the admiration, the queen of Carthage starts developing love in heart for Aeneas. She tries to control her feelings, because she made the vow not to get into any marriage ties after the death of her husband. She loves the Trojan leader, but her vow prevents her to fully express her feelings. For her sister Anna, there is nothing wrong for Dido to be remarried. She replies to Dido” Will you let lonely grief devour your whole youth, without sweet children and the gifts of venus?” In other word, Anna is supporting Dido to have a relationship with Aeneas for her sister’s fulfillment. Also, she believed that this love would benefit Carthage since the Trojans would increase the city army.
Next, the queen of the gods, Juno and the mother of Aeneas, Venus make some arrangements to have both Dido and Aeneas alone. In doing so, Juno’s goal is to prevent Aeneas from strengthening Italian power. Venus did not formulate any objection to this idea although she knew Juno’s real plans. While the queen and the Trojan leader are out hunting, the queen of the gods sends a storm on them. They are forced to stop hunting and to quickly find a shelter. Once alone in the cave, they finally materialize their love by their physical union, which Dido presents as a marriage. Perceived as a tragedy, some hideous goddess report everywhere what happened in Carthage. They declare” What kind of rulers spend the whole long winter sunk deep in luxury and sordid passion?” In other words, one could not be a leader and publicly exhibit its personal affair. There were some guidelines that a ruler had to follow while ruling. One of these guidelines was to privilege the society’s interests above all things else. For this reason, Mercury is sent by Jupiter to recall Aeneas that his fate is not in Carthage but in Italy. After being informed, Aeneas is surprised but agrees to leave. He asks his men to get prepared to leave Carthage without the knowledge of the queen. Finally, Dido discovers Aeneas’s plan to leave the city for Italy. “Don’t goad me and yourself with these complaints. Italy is against my will” ,said Aeneas while she confronted him. Dido could not support Aeneas’s departure so she kills herself after this crew left. The Trojans finally arrive in Italy precisely at Cumae after encountering difficulty throughout their Journey. Once there, Aeneas meets a priestess that allows him to make a request. Then, the leader of Troy clarifies his desire to settle in Latium with his comrades. Also, he asks the permission to visit his father in hades. The priestess realizes Aeneas’s vow since he was fated to enter the underworld. Aeneas observes that the underworld is organized in different levels with different groups of people. Among those, there is a group of unburied people, a group of people waiting for their judgment, another one for those who died for love and a group for war leader. It is with surprise that Aeneas identifies Dido in the group of people who died for love wander. He continues to a different place, where good people live in peace and in comfort. There, the leader of troy finds his father who reveals him the purpose of his journey and the directions to follow for the future.
From these books, one can perceive that fate plays an important role in Aeneas’s life and in the city as a whole.
Gods are very present in every scene, which denotes their superiority and power over the world. Aeneas is the one chosen by the gods to be responsible for the survival of his people. Although it can be a tough responsibility, it remains a noble act to be a leader for the best interest of its society. On one hand, fate contributes to direct people toward what is good. As for Aeneas, it conducted him to Italy, where he built a new city with his crew. Also, Aeneas and the other Trojans could have ended up dying if the gods did not instruct them to escape Troy during the war against the Greeks. On the other hand, it seems that too much fate can prevent people from enjoying life on earth. In fact, one must have the right to have a balanced life, which characterizes the human nature. The relationship of Aeneas is a concrete example that human being aspires to found a family. Because of his love for Dido, Aeneas believes that his happiness is in Carthage until the gods remind him to leave. His response to Dido before leaving Carthage and when he sees in the underworld show somewhere that he gave his happiness under instruction of the gods. However, can one fully assert that fate and happiness are related? The case of Aeneas and Dido seems to show the negative side of fate, which tends to separate human from its nature. Unlike to Odysseus who takes control of his life,
the leader of Troy appears to be very passive and with no conviction.
In conclusion, the story of Aeneas presents to the reader fate under two different aspects.
Firstly, fate plays a key role while commanding the Trojans to escape the war. It directs Aeneas for the best interest of his people. Secondly, fate appears to be in conflict with Aeneas’s happiness. He expresses that his desire was to stay with Dido, but he had to leave as ordained the gods. However, follow its fate must in any case prevent one from being happy as long as this happiness is not grounded on
vices.