The poem opens with Juno who is the supreme goddess and who is angry. Aeneas is going away from Troy because of its destructions by the Greeks. He recuperates his strength and his remaining men and sets on a journey towards Italy in order to set up a new home. Juno is angry because she favors Carthage and there is an ancient prophecy saying that the Trojan race will one day ruin this city.
The trip has many dangers on the way and Juno is also angry at Trojans because Paris announced that Venus is the most beautiful goddess and not Juno. Venus is the mother of Aeneas and Juno engages Aeolus, who rules the wind to bring a storm towards Aeneas so that he and his fleet have to make a stop in Libya. Venus asks Jupiter to put an end to this kind of behavior because it only brings destruction. Jupiter promises her that her son is to set a new homeland when he reaches Italy and that he will be the ancestor of the founders of ancient Rome. Jupiter helps Aeneas by making sure nothing bad happens to him in Carthage. All the time, Aeneas is ignorant by the scheme of the gods and even his mother comes to see him disguised.
Queen Dido lives in Carthage and she is a widow who is fascinated by Aeneas when she meets him. She is very welcoming and many of their friends have already received help from her in Carthage. There is a mural of the war on Troy and Aeneas observes it without feeling angry or bitter because he accepts the faith as it is and he never laments instead of making the future better. Venus is worried about the fact that Phoenicians might be asked by Juno to attack Aeneas and she makes her other son, Cupid, go and help him out. Cupid sparks love between Dido and Aeneas and they begin to talk about the war in Troy.
The gods are great rivals and this has an impact on the story and on everything that happens to Aeneas. Sometimes, it seems that the plot revolves around the manipulations of god, specifically Juno, Jupiter and Venus. However, the moral of the story is that fate is what prevails whether the characters are mortals or immortals. Therefore, it is obvious that Aeneas has his own free will and that he is not so influenced by the will of gods because he mother is a goddess as well and he himself is a hero who is the role model for all the Trojans and who is admired across the world even by his enemies.
Aeneas has the goal to reach Italy and create a settlement there so that he can start the new civilization. This is predestined and not even Juno and her wrath can corrupt his plans. Jupiter is the main god and he makes sure that everything goes in accordance with the master plan. When Juno tries to interfere with the fate, he helps Venus so that her son would be safe on his journey. Juno is angry because of his help, but she can do nothing about it and the strong will which Aeneas has prevails in the story. Juno says: "Give up what I began? / Am I defeated? Am I impotent / To keep the king of Teucrians from Italy? / The Fates forbid me, am I to suppose?" (1.56-59). She wants to exert power and to prove that she is the highest goddess above all others. Aeneas is a strong character who can do the righteous things and work for the benefit of his community. He is not influenced by gods because they neutralize one another and they are not so important on his life path. He has great human qualities which surpass those that are attributed to gods and he has a sense of duty and piety. His sense of duty and his determination lead his way to success and he is greatly respected for his righteous personality.
Aeneas has a certain fate and it is sure that he will fulfill it, but he needs to make much effort and to work hard in order to get what his people deserve. He brings them a promise of a bright future and this motivates people to follow him. He is their leader and savior who has both human and god-like characteristics. His mission is to be the founder of the most powerful civilizations ever and, although he is unaware of that. This is a prophecy that comes true in spite of the fact that Aeneas only wanted to save his people.
Aeneas cannot fail while being on his mission because the situation in which he is has been determined long time ago. Jupiter says: "[] young Romulus / Will take the leadership, build walls of Mars, / And call by his own name his people Romans. / For these I set no limits, world or time, / But make the gift of empire without end." (1.371-375). This means that Trojans are the ancestors of the ancient Romans and that Aeneas is the person who establishes the first Roman settlement at the location of the future empire.
Aeneas is strong throughout his journey and he is never tired and always takes care of his people. He is a true leader everybody can lean on and people listen to him no matter what. They are even ready to die for him and the Trojan war which led to the ultimate destruction of Troy was necessary for the Roman empire to be established. This is the work if the Universe which is above the powers of the gods and it makes everything possible so that the final outcome can be achieved. When something is predestined, it will happen in spite of all the obstacles and the protagonists will find the way to make things happen because it is their duty.
Aeneas has a father who us human, so he is only half-god, but that makes him even more capable of achieving anything because he has the best divine as well as human characteristics. Jupiter is the first who advises him to set sail for Italy where he would establish a new homeland and he does that. The trip lasts for seven years throughout which Juno, Venus and Jupiter interfere with their personal wishes. However, nobody can change the final outcome because the prophecy has to be fulfilled. Aeneas sails through the Mediterranean and he loses his father in one of the places along the way. This journey is full of emotions and temptations which Aeneas overcomes because he is god-like. He is even capable of feeling love towards Dido, but this ends tragically because she kills herself when he leaves her. This proves the fact that his mission cannot be changed for any reason. Not even love is strong enough to diminish his determination because he is the driving force of fate.
The gods make interferences all the time, but they are unable to change the destiny because Aeneas is a mere tool of fate. He meets many interesting people along his way and all of them are benevolent and help him. There are also many obstacles, but he overcomes them. The final destination is Lazio, where king Latino gives him a part of his land to make a settlement. He promises to give him his daughter, Lavinia’s hand, but Juno interferes again by causing a war against Aeneas. In the end this war is over and Aeneas is the winner, while his main opponent, Turnus, dies, which puts an end to all the sufferings. It is understood both by gods as well as by humans that everything happened so that the fate could be fulfilled. This is the beginning of the future Roman Empire and the whole story is fascinating.
Works Cited
Virgil,The Aeneid. N.p.: The Project Gutenberg, 2008. Web. 5 Apr. 2016. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/228/228-h/228-h.htm>.
