Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
In Vergil’s Aeneid, Aeneas finds himself in a situation in which he is being led by his fatum while being leader of the Trojans. It is up to him to on the one hand motivate the other Trojans to...Show moreIn Vergil’s Aeneid, Aeneas finds himself in a situation in which he is being led by his fatum while being leader of the Trojans. It is up to him to on the one hand motivate the other Trojans to follow his lead and to on the other hand motivate himself to follow the demands his fatum makes of him. Aeneas finds himself in three situations regarding his fatum: situations in which (1) he is openly forced by his fatum to behave a certain way and he has no choice but to submit, (2) gods and ghosts advise him on which path to follow, but he has some room to decide for himself how to react, and (3) he is free to choose his actions with little to no interference from his fatum. In the first kind of situation, Aeneas proves his worth as a leader by trying to take the time to set some form of hierarchy, to put the situation into his own perspective, and to thank the gods before taking action as required by his fatum. The second kind of situation allows Aeneas to really think about the consequences of all possibilities of action and to deliberate with others before acting. The final kind of situation truly shows Aeneas’ pius personality as a leader of the Trojans. Without force from his fatum, he want the others to know he is one of them and the honor of his father and his homeland weights heaviest when facing his own moral dilemmas.Show less
