The Role of Gods in Aeneas's Mission - Essay Example

To Aeneas, he considered himself a dutiful servant of the gods and fate. On this basis, there was a need for Aeneas becoming faithful and loyal in accomplishing the tasks given to him. This is depicted when he can live with Dido, the queen of Carthage to pursue his duty. This is upon receiving a message from Mercury, the messenger of gods, that his destiny was elsewhere, and not with the queen of Carthage (Hoena, 26). On this note, it is important to denote that Aeneas never loses sight of his goals, when it comes to fulfilling the duties assigned to him. Aeneas was bound by duty, mainly because he was supported by the gods, and he was considered a son of a goddess.

For purposes of pursuing his duty, there are several sacrifices that Aeneas must make. He has to sail to Italy and sacrifice his love for Dido. Furthermore, he also has to make sacrifices and offerings to Juno, for purposes of appeasing the goddess. On the other hand, Aeneas had to go to the underworld for the purpose of consulting his father regarding the mission, and to achieve this, he had to sacrifice seven young ewes, and bulls. Furthermore, Aeneas has to find a sprouting bough for the queen of the underworld for the purpose of gaining acceptance into the mission. Other sacrifices include his sacrifice of a white cow, and a suckling to the goddess Juno (Hoena, 34).

In conclusion, the gods have played a great role in preventing or helping Aeneas in his mission. For instance, to prevent Aeneas from continuing with his journey, Juno wanted to make Aeneas stay in Carthage by marrying the queen of Carthage which is Dido.  However, Mercury is sent by Jupiter to remind Aeneas of his journey (Hoena, 29) Furthermore, Aeneas also receives prophecies of Apollo from other gods. For instance, the hearth gods of Troy can tell Aeneas to sail to Italy.  In discussing the fate of Turnus and Aeneas, Jupiter calls a meeting of the gods to mediate between Juno and Venus, to prevent them from interfering with the fates of the two men.