In the first three books of The Aeneid, Virgil portrays Aeneas as a brave, relentless man destined for greatness in a time of sheer dismay. He is empowered by the gods with the task of leading his Trojan refugees from their destroyed city to Italy, where he will find an empire that will out last the ages. Divine intervention aids Aeneas throughout his journeys and Virgil emphasizes his qualities in leadership, strength, courage, perseverance, and kindness. Facing many obstacles such as the storm that washed his fleet upon the shores of Carthage, or landing on the isle of the Cyclops, Aeneas is driven forward by the will of the Gods, forced from one place to the next in order to fulfill his unacknowledged destiny.

Throughout the first three books of The Aeneid, Virgil stresses how the gods intervene in Aeneas' path several times, aiding him and plotting against...