Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Theme of: Fate + Free Will
- Fate
- determines that the Trojans WILL found a
new city in Italy, but not HOW they will do
that
- power of fate stands above the power of the gods in
the hierarchy of supernatural forces
- Aeneas preserves his sanity + his life + those of his
men by subordinating his own anxieties + desires to
the demands of fate + rules of piety
- Fate is a devine, religious principal that determines the
course of history + has cumilated in the Roman Empire
- destiny assigned to gods + mortals by
the 3 fates + their law are inescapeable
- some details of fate not determined in
advance i.e. will happen but not how it
happense
- Juno gives up hostilites, recognises Fate decreed Aeneas will
triumph over Latins so asks Jupiter to preseve the Latins
language + customs because this is something which is still
possible + not laid out by Fate:: Nulla fata quod lege tenetur
(Book XII line 819)
- for each man his day stands fixed. For all mankind, the
days of life are few, and not to be restored. But to prolong
fame by deeds, that is valours task. Under Troy's high
ramparts fell all those many sons of gods; yes, and with
them fell my own son, Sarpedon. Turnus also has his doom
calling him; he too has reached the goal of his allotted years (Book X, said by Jupiter)?????
- Roman Beliefs
- believe in both fate AND free will
- i.e. you have an obligation but it is your choice to follow it
- Specific to Aeneas
- direction + destination of Aeneas's course is preordained,
all obstacles just postpone his unchangeable destiny
- sign of Aenea's maturity + leadership that he finds the
knowledge of nis destiny a source of strength + comfort
- tum socios maetisque metum solontur
Iuli, fata docens... (Book XII lines 110-111)
- he is sure that he will eventually be successful, no
matter what obstacles are put in his path, because
the fates have decreed his destiny
- Importance to Characteres
- development of characters
reflected in readiness or
resistance with fate
- Juno + Turnus fight fate , but at the finale , both
transform, resigning themselves ti fate, allowing the
story to reach its end
- Dido desires Aeneas, who fate denies
her, and her desire consumes her