Gods in the Aeneid Essay Example

the most beautiful goddess on Olympus with a golden apple and Juno, Venus and Minerva all claimed that they deserved it.

It was decided that the contest was to be resolved by the verdict of Paris, the most handsome mortal man. All three women secretly bribed him, but in the end, Venus won him over by offering Helen, the fairest woman on the planet. This fueled the hate and rivalry between Juno and Venus, and the fact that Paris was a Trojan made her despise the race. On top of that “Juno, we are told, cared more for Carthage Than for any walled city of the earth” (1. 24-25) Juno simply cannot accept this the destiny of Carthage, which is to be destroyed by a Trojan who is of kin to her rival.

Juno’s deep rooted anger compels her to defy fate, “The Fates forbid me, am I to suppose? ” (1. 56-57), with all her power to bring torment and suffering to Aeneas. In many cases throughout the journey, in is necessary that Jupiter takes sides with Aeneas and Venus and moderate the gods in oder to make sure that “destiny has not been changed [... ] Will call by his own name his people Romans” (1. 373-374) No matter what happens, when Jupiter decides the fate of Aeneas, none of the gods can interfere with his final decision.

Even though Juno despises it, she can only slow the hero down and make hims suffer along the way, but in the end, Carthage will be destroyed and the Trojan will lay the foundations of Rome. One of Juno’s paramount efforts occurs as Aeneas and his fellow Trojans

are out as sea, fleeing from Troy and traveling, searching for the place upon which they will lay the foundations of their empire. Juno petitions, seeking revenge and satisfying her resentment, to Aeolus, asking him to “Put new fury Into your winds, and make the long ships founder! Drive them off course!

Throw bodies in the water! ” (1. 95-100) As the queen of the gods, she obliges Aeolus to conjure up a storm. Aeolus, answers “To settle on what you wish Is all you need to do, your majesty. I must perform it. You have given me What realm I have. ” (1. 106-110) Addressing the queen as a majesty, he states that he must follow her orders as she has provided him with his realm. This enforces the image of a hierarchy of the gods, where Aeolus not in a position to debate or question the orders of the queen. This is leads a second epitome of the hierarchical restrictions of divine activity.

The storm that Aeolus summons quickly disrupts the oceans and soon, "Neptune became aware Of hurly-burly and tempest overhead, Bringing commotion to the still sea-depth and rousing him. " (1. 171-174) It is portrayed as enemy troops spotted in Neptune’s territory, "Aeneas' squadron far and wide" (1. 176), and Neptune questions "How could you dare [... ] by no will of mine" (1. 182) while threatening Aeolus him, "You'll pay a stricter penalty" (1. 187) The incident increases the tension between the gods regarding Aeneas’ journey, and Neptune cannot tolerate the fact that Aeolus caused a disturbance of the seas.

Neptunes scorn, condemn, and threats towards Aeolus and his action further supports the

hierarchical class of the gods. In the Aeneid, relationships between gods also plays a major role in setting and enforcing the differences in status amongst the divine community. When Venus pleads to Jupiter, "Venus appealed to him, all pale and wan, With tears in her shining eyes: 'My lord who rule [... ] Great king, What finish to their troubles will you give? '" (1. 310-330) Venus distinctively treats Jupiter as king, whos status is much higher than her own.

Her indirect ways of speaking to the king makes their interaction unquestionably impersonal. On the other hand, when Jupiter replies to her, an entirely different dynamic is observed. "He smiled at her, [.. ] And lightly kissed his daughter. Then he said: 'No need to be afraid Cyntherea. '" (1. 344-350) Jupiter answers in a comforting, paternal manner, treating her as her child, which is radically different than Venus’ approach. He kisses her, and addresses her by her first name, which exemplifies his intention of connecting with Venus on a personal level.

This interaction encapsulate the different statuses and classes between the gods, although Jupiter’s answer might seem as if they are both of similar statuses, but Venus’ manner of approach suggests otherwise. The direction and destination of Aeneas’ course is sealed by Jupiter’s verdict, and the only thing that is subject to change is the way in which the Trojans succeed in founding Rome. Although Juno is aware that she cannot prevent Aeneas from reaching his destiny, she unleashes her anger and resent by laying down obstacles in Aeneas’ way to slow his down and inflict pain on the Trojan race.

Virgil reveals early in the poem

that although Aeneas is “Burdened and sick at heart” as a result of his loss of men, “He feigned hope in his look, and inwardly Contained his anguish. ” (1. 285-286) As he motivates his men, he tells them that “God will grant us an end. ” This illustrates the role Aeneas believes divine power plays in his life. He is aware that there are gods doing all they can to stop him from founding Rome, namely Juno who, ever since the golden apple incident, seeks revenge on the Trojan race.

This demonstrates his perception that Jupiter’s power will trumps the will of any and all other gods, and the interference caused from the lesser gods striving to advance their personal and whimsical interests is confined within the larger destiny that is under Jupiter’s control. His trust in Jupiter’s supreme power over the rest of the gods is evident in his incapability of emotional self indulgence and the placing of his divine mission, to found Rome, above everything else in his life.

Even by merely looking at the beginning of the poem, we discover the way in which the human world of Vigil’s Aeneid perceives divine power. Aeneas is convinced that he has had interactions with the gods, and fully trusts that once Jupiter has stated his verdict on the fate of something, it cannot be altered. Although the conflicts and rivalries between gods can have dramatic effects on mortals, the hierarchy that has developed in the divine community makes it so that it is impossible for a god of a lesser status to veto or have any effect on the fate that Jupiter has designated.