Essays from Mrs. Sontag's 2002-2003 class:

Robert F.
Language Arts
Mrs. Sontag
June 29, 2003

The Aeneid
Essay Choice A

Fate, according to the Scott, Foresman Intermediate Dictionary, is "power supposed to fix beforehand and control what is to happen. Fate is beyond any person’s control." In The Aeneid, the power of fate is controlled by the gods. There are many gods with different powers over humans and events, such as Juno (wife of Jupiter), Jupiter, Aolus (god of the wind), Neptune (god of the sea), Venus and Cupid (love), and Mercury (son of Jupiter) and Mars.

The ultimate fate of Aeneas is to survive all hardships and perils, tame fierce nations, impose laws and build cities. He is also destined to become the father of many important descendants, including the Roman race. When Aeneas set out to get to Italy and was in a fleet of ships in the Mediterranean Sea, Juno tried to stop Aeneas by having Aolus create a fierce wind to destroy Aeneas’ ships. But Neptune stopped Aolus and saved Aeneas and many of his ships. This action allowed Aeneas’ fate to continue.

Jupiter had the power to know the fate of Aeneas. Venus and Cupid also used their powers to guide Aeneas to Queen Dido and marry her. Both Venus and Juno (who plotted against Aeneas) interfered and schemedwith Aeneas’ life. Then Jupiter had to intervene and use Mercury to remind Aeneas of his fate to command a powerful race and the Latian lands. So Aeneas told Dido goodbye because he was forced by his fate to do what the gods commanded.

Next Aeneas traveled to Sicily. Juno tried to interfere with fate again by using her messenger, Iris, to set the ships on fire. Jupiter saved all but four by stopping the fire with a great storm. He then arranged for Aeneas to meet with his father in the Underworld to "hear all that shall come to you and your children after you." Aeneas and his strongest followers sailed to Italy. He passed a test to get to the underworld and saw the fate of people who have died. Aeneas’ father told him of his fate by showing him a line of important people yet to come, all descendants of Aeneas.

Neptune assisted Aeneas again by helping him sail to Italy quickly. This was where he received a sign that his homeland fate was to be where they landed. The country was called Laium. Here, the god of the river, Father Tiber, told Aeneas in a dream, "Do not be troubled by wars and rumors of wars, nor give up the work you have begun. It is the will of the gods that you shall prosper in the end." Aeneas was again helped by Venus and her husband, Vulcan, who made him weapons to "conquer his enemies and be safe against their spears and swords." Juno still did things to cause harm and there were many long battles between the Latins and the Trojans.

Finally Jupiter asked Juno how long she was going to fight against fate. They agreed to end the fight as long as the "men of Troy shall become Latins" and Rome will rule the world. Aeneas defeated Turnus, married Lavinia and had a son, all predicted by fate. The era of the Romans then began. Even the mighty powers of the gods couldn’t stop the final fate of Aeneas.

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Colin S.
19 June 2003
Mrs. Sontag
Sixth Grade

Aeneas’ Fate
Essay Choice A

Fate….fate is what is destined to be. It the final outcome of which we do not know ahead of time what will happen. It is destined to be. Fate is a decision that has been made for us and is set. How we get to that fate is usually a series of events that also are fate bound. In the Aeneid, Aeneas’s fate would be of greatness.

In the Aeneid, the God of Wind, Aolus, was told by Juno, wife of Jupiter, to throw great winds to Aeneas’s ships to throw them off course. She disliked the hero of Troy, Aeneas. Aolus had partially succeeded in this task when Neptune, God of the Sea told Aolus off. Since Aeneas was floundering and crashed upon the treacherous rocks, Neptune sent his Nymphs to tow Aeneas' ships to the gentle beaches of Carthage. I suppose this was fate, since it led Aeneas to meet Dido. It was fate as told by Jove that Aeneas would wage a successful war and he would tame nations.

In Carthage, the North African shore, Aeneas met Dido, who had a reputation of being double faced. With Cupid’s help from Venus, Aeneas mother, Cupid was able to instill love into Dido. Dido would only love and serve Aeneas. This was fate as Venus had determined for her son. Dido was originally being used by Juno, who protected Carthage. While hunting, a huge storm raged and Dido and Aeneas were left to fend for themselves. They found a cave and in that cave they became married. Juno had once again tried to intervene and turn fate to her advantage. She did not wish to have Aeneas become full of greatness. She was a jealous woman. Mercury stepped in to have Aeneas continue on to what his true fate would be. Aeneas looked to Jove for guidance. He knew he must go to the Latium lands as foretold by the Gods. He then hastened to leave his bride, Dido.

Aeneas then traveled onward and found himself and his fleet again in a great storm. They realized they could not go further on to Italy and they stopped in Sicily. Aeneas' father, Anchisis, was buried here and Aeneas felt that fate had put him there. Once in Sicily, he was befriended by Acestes, who was the King of Sicily. He was a friend of Aeneas because they had met before and they were kind. Acestes wanted to return the kindness. Juno was once again trying to destroy all of destiny by putting the Aeneas fleet on fire. Four ships were lost. Ascanius, Aeneas’s son, came to the rescue. He cried to Jupiter for guidance. A great rain came and put the fires out.

Aeneas was troubled. He felt his fate was in Italy and he must go there. He decided to travel on and leave behind some of his young and old citizens who did not want to travel across the vast sea to Italy. Aeneas then told King Acestes to make a town for the people who were left behind and name the city Acestes after himself. Aeneas and his fleet once again left and headed for Italy. Once in Italy, Aeneas realized he wanted to be taken to the Underworld where his dead father resided. The Dove that was his Goth's brought him to the prophetess Sibyl. She told him if he could pluck the golden bough off the tree in the forest she would take him to the Underworld. Once in the Underworld, he was told by his dead father what was to come in the future for him. He is shown a great leader and told that this leader will be a distant descendant who foul become the founder of Rome. His name would be Romulus the Great and from him the Roman race would rise.

After Aeneas returned to the land of the living he was faced with the nations of Italy against him. It was fate that he would have to fight this mighty war with few of his own Trojan soldiers. But few as they were, they were strong. Father Tiber had appeared in Aeneas' dream and reassured him of his strength to be. In the city of Evander, Aeneas is met by King Evander who will join forces with Aeneas against the Latins who so despised the Trojans. He also gained the support of the Tuscans who would fight alongside him. With these armies they would be strong and conquer.

Once Aeneas and his armies were preparing for war, the Goddess Venus asked her husband to help Aeneas by making him weapons strong enough to fight the Latins. Vulcan gave the weapons to Aeneas and declared that with the weapons he should have no fear of his enemies. Fate once again had stepped in to help Aeneas.
It was a tragedy that Pallas was struck down, but fate had a play in this too because, in the end, Aeneas fought man to man with Turnus, who was the King of the Latins. Venus and a Nymph intervened and gave their men spears to fight with. Juno was very upset by this. She had wanted to see Aeneas fail, but Jupiter told her that she could not interfere with fate. She finally realized he was right and asked that the Italians not change their name and that Rome rule the world. She requested that Troy be destroyed and that she be honored by all. And so it was fate that this came true, as handed down by the god, Jupiter. Turnus told Aeneas that he would accept his fate and asked that he be spared by Aeneas. In the end, however, he was slain by Pallas' spirit through Aeneas.

Aeneas married Lavinia and built a city. They bore a son who built a city of his own. He in turn had children who were descended from Aeneas and thus became Romans.

Fate…Aeneas' fate had been foretold by the gods that he would do great deeds and leave behind a kingdom with strength and a future.