Book 10 Reflection

There are so many names. They're so confusing, and there is no way I'm keeping track of all of them. 

Because the chapter starts with a meeting of the gods, I'll start my blog with divine intervention. They are a lot more present in this book than they have been in others, probably because this is the most intense part of the book! Venus, as always, remains bound by the laws of love that seemingly apply to everyone, and is concerned with her son and grandson's well-being. Juno remains hostile, and has a fight with Venus that Jupiter settles by saying that "individual effort makes or breaks fortune today," but he never refers to whose effort will do that (112). Venus as well as Juno intervenes in the war in this book, favoring those they cherish even though, Pallas reassures his troops that "no supernatural forces are crushing" them (which is pretty true I guess, because they are only aiding and not fighting) (375). However, when Juno takes Turnus away, it hurts him more than it helps him because he is so overcome with shame at leaving he tries to take his own life. It's funny that even sometimes when the gods do what they think is best, it ends up being devastating for humans, and it's not overly fair that they have to suffer at the gods' hands. Next, Jupiter addresses Juno much more lovingly than the reader would suspect later in the book, and during that he hints that Juno can help Turnus, at least for now. I'll address this more in the next paragraph, but I think Jupiter plays a bigger role than I first originally believed. 

Does Jupiter himself control fate? Or at least have a say in it? I've started to get the inkling for a few books, but this book made me take it seriously and think hard about it. Is it possible that all of the gods have a say in the fate of what they are patron god of? For example, Mars, "dealing out grief and destruction on both sides," seems to be controlling what goes on during the battle (755-756). Also, there are times in the epic that Jupiter hints that he has a say in, or controls fate itself, such as during his individual conversations with Venus and Juno. In line 100, he is described as "the omnipotent Father, who wields prime power over nature," and that gives him a lot of power, even though he does not imply that he has any power over fate in the group meeting. If Jupiter does indeed control fate, that means that divine will and fate are the same thing, as long as the divine will is Jupiter's plan. Another interesting quote I found was "fortune favors the bold," which is left as an incomplete line for reasons only Virgil can be positive about (284). However, Pallas acts very bold in taking on Turnus and still ends up suffering the ultimate ending. The last thing I would like to mention is that every once in a while, Virgil refers to fate as "the Fates," such as in line 814, throwing another wrench into the whole fate situation. Maybe fate is a lot of forces combined to create one destiny. 

Mars may be the power in a hero's hands, but love is the fire in their hearts that keeps them fighting (280). Love of glory, love of fighting, love of a country, love of a friend, love of a family, love of a partner, all of these are the forces that keep the men fighting on in war. It's unreasonable to fight for no purpose, and human instinct goes against risking your life for no reason; therefore, love seems to be an appropriate answer, especially when "love [lashes] to mindless rage" and fuels a battle so much stronger than any other (872). Furthermore, the reader can see Jupiter's love for Juno as he sits down for the first time to talk to her one on one. I thought about what Mr. V. said about men being less sensitive, but being careful not to stereotype, and I've come to the conclusion that Jupiter is man supreme, and therefore, not overly sensitive, but still capable of feeling love. I believe everyone is capable of feeling love, but how it is felt and expressed varies from person to person.

So I've established that morality is different when involved in war, and any life-or-death situation for that matter, but couldn't choosing war and choosing how to fight be looked at as moral issues? Choosing to fight in general is a choice that the answer seems so clear to, but when under the pressure of external forces, a person's opinion must be swayed. Furthermore, there is a difference in fighting and killing to get it done and do the job, and brutally murdering everyone you encounter. Maybe men with more rage and less sense of morality make better soldiers, but there needs to be balance, because outside of war, what is life without some sort of moral code? A person isn't fighting their whole life, so when all is said and done, and the war is lost and won, how does a person make that transition? (I know it's a little early to be addressing this because I have two more books left, but I figured I'd do it). My last question on morals is, how do they define a person? A lot of factors go into personality and demeanor, but where is morality assessed and how?