Agency and Fate

The novel depicts the forces of agency and fate as working together and complementing one another. Agency and fate are not depicted as working in conflict with one another. Throughout the novel different characters are forced to act out the fate that has been assigned to them, even if it appears to be contrary to their immediate interests. This is the case when Latinus publicly pledges Lavinia in marriage to the leader of the Trojans, despite the outrage that he knows it will cause among his citizens. This is also true of Aeneas, who tears himself away from his love for Dido in order to comply with the fate given to him. The overwhelming role that fate plays in guiding the events of the novel seems to give the impression that it trumps all human agency, that the characters involved do not really have...