Major Themes

Fate:
Fate is perhaps the overriding theme that governs the Aeneid. The action centers
around Aeneas’s determination to fulfill his destiny – if not for himself, then for his
son, Ascanius, and for the generations of heroes who will succeed him. Although
there are many who attempt to sway Aeneas from his destined path – most notably
Juno, the goddess whose anger leads her to set countless obstacles to disturb the
Trojans on their journey – and some of them are successful in delaying the course of
events, there is nothing that can be done to prevent Aeneas from building the city
that will one day become the great Roman Empire.
Even Jupiter, at the outset of Book X, chides the gods for attempting to meddle in
the affairs of mortals. Although they may alter the manner in which the events
transpire, they can do nothing to change what Jupiter has decreed will be.
Throughout the Aeneid there are many references to the inevitability of Aeneas’s
success. Two notable instances are when Anchises takes Aeneas on a journey
through the Underworld and shows him his great descendants, and when Vulcan
builds Aeneas a shield that depicts the founding of Rome and the future of the
Roman Empire.
The Gods: The gods in the Aeneid are, quite often, even more interesting than the
mortals with whom they appear so fascinated, having highly distinctive personalities
and taking extraordinary measures to see their wishes achieved. The gods’ alliances
drive the action of the story. Modern readers may be more comfortable with the idea
of gods who are above the petty grievances of individual mortals, but Virgil creates
supreme beings who appear to have little more to do than discuss the intricacies of
the lives of those below them. Jupiter even calls a council on Mount Olympus to
mediate between Venus and Juno and to discuss the fates of Aeneas and Turnus.
Interestingly, although the gods do have the power to manipulate the manner in
which events transpire, they cannot change the ultimate outcome; destiny is
supreme (see Fate, above).
Patriotism:
Virgil quite clearly intended the Aeneid to appeal to the patriotic spirit of the
Romans, documenting the origins of the great Roman Empire. Virgil’s
contemporaries, who relished their belief that they were direct descendants of the
mighty Trojans, undoubtedly would have enjoyed a story portraying their race as one
destined for greatness. The epic often refers to the destiny of Aeneas’s descendants;
most importantly, Aeneas’s victory is inevitable because it is his fate, as well as the
fate of his son Ascanius, to lay the groundwork for Rome’s shining future.
Virgil’s patron, Caesar Augustus, is even directly mentioned twice in the epic. He
appears in the Underworld, when Anchises points out the shade that will become
Augustus, and again when Aeneas sees the image of Augustus leading the Italians
into battle as depicted on Vulcan’s extraordinary shield. These references to
Augustus would have been particularly appealing to Virgil’s contemporaries,
portraying their leader as a heroic man directly descended from the gods.
Prayer: One of the most important values of Virgil’s day was piety, or reverence for
the gods. Throughout the epic, the virtuous characters send prayers to the gods
asking for assistance, whether in the form of sacrifices (such as Aeneas’s sacrifice of
the white cow and sucklings to Juno), celebrations (such as Evander’s ceremony for
Hercules), or mere requests (such as Ascanius’s prayer to Jupiter for aid in killing
Remulus). Time and again, Virgil reveals that prayer works: the characters who ask
for the gods’ help frequently receive it, while those who disrespect the gods or claim
not to need their aid are punished. During the battle between Aeneas and Mezentius,
for example, Aeneas calls on Apollo for aid and is victorious; Mezentius, however,
cries out that he does “not fear death or care for any god” (1208), and he dies within
moments.
Religious Rituals and Omens:
Throughout the Aeneid, many of the characters make offerings to the gods in order
to secure their favor or assistance. Indeed, Aeneas appears to spend much of the
book making sacrifices to one god or another (even sacrificing a white sow and thirty
white sucklings to Juno, the source of his trials). Respect for the gods was viewed as
a great virtue during Virgil’s era, and Virgil frequently depicts characters engaged in
ceremonies for the gods in order to indicate the characters’ essential goodness. For
example, the epic first presents King Evander engaged in celebrations honoring
Hercules, thereby indicating that Evander is a morally upstanding individual.
The gods themselves frequently respond to mortal requests with omens, signs that
they are taking an interest in and might intervene in particular human affairs. For
example, Venus sends Aeneas a thunderstorm to indicate that he should indeed join
forces with the Etruscans. Omens were a part of life among Virgil’s contemporaries,
and Virgil may have included so many of them in his epic in order to appeal to his
audience, who may have been heartened by the idea that the gods listened to the
needs of mortals and sent them signs intended as guidance.
Respect for Ancestors:
The most intimate relationships found in the Aeneid are those between fathers and
sons: Anchises and Aeneas, Aeneas and Ascanius, King Evander and Pallas, and even
Mezentius and Lausus. Indeed, it is more out of concern for Ascanius’s welfare than
out of a true desire to achieve renown himself that Aeneas is determined to fulfill his
destiny and journey to Latium.
Virgil’s contemporaries placed great importance on these familial relationships,
feeling that respect for one’s ancestors was one of the most important virtues. This
perspective can be seen in the deep and abiding respect that Aeneas has for
Anchises – a respect that continues even after Anchises’s death. A particularly
interesting expression of this bond is found between Mezentius and Lausus: even
though Mezentius is truly evil, Virgil arouses the audience’s sympathies for this
character by revealing his deep sorrow over the death of his son. Likewise, Aeneas
feels pity and regret when he is forced to slay Lausus, because thoughts of his own
father run through his mind.
Humanity: One of Virgil’s most extraordinary skills was his ability to craft truly
complex characters. Even though the line between “good” and “evil” in the Aeneid is
rather clear (e.g., Aeneas is “good” and Turnus is “bad”), even the most admirable
character displays flaws, and even the most heinous villain has moments where he
seems somewhat redeemed. Although Turnus is clearly the antagonist of the story,
he displays a courage that rivals Aeneas’s own. Even Aeneas, who frequently
appears almost too perfect, reveals that he, too, has human shortcomings when he
is swayed off course by his passion for Dido, as well as in his panicked flight from
Troy, when he loses his wife, Creusa. Virgil was not interested in creating hollow
shells into which he could pile his values; he was interested in crafting real,
multilayered humans to whom his audience could relate.