What is the role of Jupiters Prophecy in the Aeneid? Free Essay Example

Introduction

The Aeneid, while principally a story, is also Virgil’s praise for Augustus, his Emperor and patron. It is not overtly praise, nor is it flattery, but the way it is written allows the reader to come to the conclusion that the legacy of Aeneas is truly great. Jupiter’s prophecy in Book 1 is most likely to be the most overt and important praise of both the Julian dynasty, and the Emperor Augustus. The Julian family is known to anyone with a modicum of knowledge of the classical world.

One of the most widely known individuals in history is Julius Caesar, known as the first link in a long chain of Emperors of what was effectively the known world at the time. In order to look at Jupiter’s prophecy, we must first observe the genealogy of the Julian family. Aeneas’ son, Ascanius Iulus, is the origin of the Julian name (which in turn he received from the city of Troy, also known as Ilia), and after Aeneas, rules the newly founded Trojan/Italian settlement for 30 years.

Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome

300 years after that, the Priestess Ilia (perhaps a link with Augustus – his beloved daughter was named Julia) would give birth to twins, sons of Mars, the Roman god of war. These, of course, were Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome. This does nothing but accentuate the divinity and honour of the Julian name, thus increasing the perceived worth of Augustus’ blood – it does not matter that he was adopted, due to the Roman belief that upon adoption it was no different than being born again into the family – and so indirectly praises him.

The prophecy goes further, praising Caesar, Augustus’ adoptive father – “…. there will be born a Trojan Caesar to bound his empires by Oceanus at the limits of the world, and his fame by the stars. He will be named Julius, a name passed down to him by the great Iulus. ” – which serves to praise Julius Caesar for effectively conquering the known world, and so praises his tremendous efforts. “In time to come, have no fear, you will receive him in the sky, laden with the spoils of the East. He too will be called upon in prayer.”

Julius Caesar

This prophesises the deification of Julius Caesar – for a mortal to be formally recognised as a god was, understandably, an enormous honour for the Julian family, although it could be argued from the point of view of a Roman that due to the large part that divines play in the Julian family, all Julian’s can be seen to have the potential in them – their lineage was started by Atlas, Aeneas’ mother was Venus, and Romulus’ father was Mars. Indeed, Augustus was deified as well, resulting in a prophecy that foretold great achievements for the Julian family.

Therefore, Jupiter’s prophecy serves to praise the Julian family, specifically Julius Caesar and Virgil’s patron, Augustus. The reason that Venus comes to Jupiter is because she wishes for the trials that Aeneas’ has been facing, and will face, to end. However, she is told by Jupiter that is the fate of the Trojan people, with Aeneas at their head, to found the great Roman race, and so is assured that no matter what, her lineage will survive. In being told by Jupiter the fate of the Roman people, to rule an empire that has “…no limits of time or place.

” It serves to assure Venus that her son’s destiny remains unchanged, but also serves to seal the fate of Carthage, which was razed and ploughed with salt by Scipio Aemilianus in the Third Punic War. Such a systematic purging of Carthage, a great and possibly the most damaging enemy to the Roman Republic, could have been nothing but a source of pride to the Roman people, and links to the prophecy that Juno is afraid of, that Aeneas’ descendants will destroy her favoured city.

The downfall of Carthage

In confirming the destiny of Aeneas’ descendants, Jupiter also cements the downfall of Carthage, a great event in Roman history. The prophecy also discusses the more recent history for the Romans. Civil war had been a major part of Virgil’s life: when he was born, the war between Marius and Sulla had not yet ended, and then the war between Pompey and Caesar after the collapse of the First Triumvirate, and the war between Mark Antony and the then Octavian after the collapse of the Second Triumvirate, meant that Virgil went most of his life in either a state of impending, or current civil war.

After Octavian had defeated Marc Antony at Actium and Alexandra, an end was signalled an end to the civil wars which had engulfed Rome for the better part of a generation. This peace is foretold by Jupiter – “Then wars shall be laid aside and the years of bitterness will be over. Silver-haired Truth and Vesta, and Romulus Quirinius with his brother Remus, will sit dispensing justice. The dread gates of war with their tight fastenings of steel will then be closed, and godless Strife will sit inside them on his murderous armour roaring hideously from bloody mouth, hands shackled behind his back with a hundred hands of bronze.”

The vividness with which this is described actually has a personal meaning for Virgil – because of the civil war, Augustus seized Virgil’s farm in Mantua in order to give the land to his veterans, part of the deal which won him the ultimately all important support of the army in his journey towards becoming Emperor. As well as this, Romulus’ role is again accentuated, as the dispenser of justice, which serves to remind us of the divinity and importance of the Julian line.

In a way, the prophesy also makes everything that the Julian family does or will do licensed by the gods – Jupiter’s speech is aimed towards the praise of the actions of the Julian family, and with divinely ordained actions, it lends a great deal of legitimacy towards Augustus’ claim to power. The prophecy, in telling us that it is inevitable that the city founded by Aeneas survives, also tells us about the role of the gods in the poem – they cannot go against fate, as it is a higher power, however, Juno can do all that is in her power to prevent it, including setting the tribes of Italy upon the Trojans.

The men of the Julian line

However, this is the most that she can do – she herself cannot directly interfere, for to do so would be to interfere with fate, which, as stated before, governs the actions of all, including the gods. When we think of the Roman empire, we think of what this prophecy describes – a golden age, an empire that reached to every end of the known world at that point, and several men of the Julian line – Romulus, the founder, Caesar, the conqueror, and Augustus, the Emperor. This prophecy ties together all three of these men, and praises the divine lineage and prophesised authority of the latter, Augustus.

In giving this praise to Augustus, and making light of his divine lineage tracing back to Venus, Mars and Atlas, Virgil also serves to create an Augustus for people that only know him from his speeches, or what others have said – here is a prophesy from the lips of Jupiter himself, reading from the “scroll of the Fates”, divining the situation around Augustus taking the post of Emperor, and promising more, an empire upon which time and place shall have no jurisdiction.

Indeed, it is proof of this that we are reading a poem that has endured for near on two thousand years; the ways in which the Roman Empire shaped the modern world still endure today, with this very text considered one of the greatest epic’s written, on par with Homer.

Conclusion

Jupiter’s prophesy is designed to be a source of pride to the Roman populace above all things – among other things, it tells them of their ruler’s divine given authority to rule, and that their people shall be “the rulers of the world”. In doing this, Virgil both creates propaganda, creating a respect and love for his ruler, but also a sense of national pride, in remembering that their Race and country were created by divines – Romulus, the son of Mars, descendant of Atlas, Aeneas, and Venus.