What is the role of prophecies and/or fate in The Aeneid?
In this epic, Aeneas was aware of his fate and destiny. The gods had made it clear that Aeneas has a specific path to Italy. The prophecies that were displayed in this epic drove Aeneas to his actions and his life. Life became chartered for Aeneas and he followed it without complaint. Even when Dido asked him to stay because of her undying love for him, he left her and because it was the will of the gods and he had no free will in place. This shows how much Aeneas allowed the gods and their prophecy to rule over him.
I could not agree with you more on how much Aeneas allowed the gods and their prophecy to rule over him. The book where Dido asked him to stay, and he couldn’t because he knew what his fate was, showed how much significance this role had. Even throughout the whole story, we see that him knowing what the gods have planned for him, was an incentive for him to keep moving forward.