a number of forces that work on the motives and actions of Aeneas. The biggest of these is that it is prophesied that Aeneas is slated to be the founder of Rome. Aeneas is the vehicle chosen by fate to found Rome. While Aeneas does not resist his fate as other characters in the story do, like Turnus who’s excess of free will sees him unsuccessfully try to shape destiny to his ends. Yet though Aeneas is committed to his destiny he still suffers from a tension between duty and emotion. External factors like the gods, prophecy, and his father showing him the events that will lead to Roman greatness drive Aeneas to accept his duty and behave in ways that show he accepts this fate. Yet internal factors conflict with these choices. His love for Dido and his longing to rule without the horrors of warfare place him into conflict. What makes Aeneas heroic is that he sacrifices self-desire for the good of all and accepts his duty. Yet we see that the depiction of fate and destiny in this work imply that human beings do not actually have the ability to control their fate or destiny through free will alone. Turnus tries to do so and comes to a tragic fate. When he loses confidence in the ability of his military might and will to be victorious, he becomes tragically resigned to accept his fate even though his sister tries to spur him on, “Is it so bad a thing to die? Be gracious to me, you gods of the underworld, since the gods above have turned their faces from me” (Virgil 322).
Aeneas even admits that his choice to leave Dido was not one he willfully made. Yet the difference between the heroic and the non-heroic is the ability to either accept one’s fate or resist it. By resisting it, one not only lacks the heroic qualities of Aeneas’ character but such efforts are futile and often end tragically. In his words to the Latin envoys asking for a truce, we see that Aeneas often refers to fate as being in control of the act...