Which concept does Gransden identify as dominating the Aeneid?

• A. The gods dominate the Aeneid.
• B. Fate dominates the Aeneid.
• C. Human will dominates the Aeneid.
• D. The landscape dominates the Aeneid.

Answer: (B)

Fate dominates the Aeneid in Gransden’s reading. The gods do intervene, but their actions are always in service of a larger, preordained outcome—the founding of Rome. Aeneas’s decisions are framed within this bigger plan; his pietas guides him, yet his choices operate within the bounds set by Fate, underscoring how personal virtue must align with an inevitable destiny. Prophecies, omens, and divine messages continually point toward Italy and the rise of a Roman state, shaping the epic’s course from Troy’s fall through to the Italian wars. This makes the narrative feel as if it’s moving toward a predetermined result, with human will acting in concert with, or sometimes in resistance to, Fate. The gods function as instruments of that fate rather than independent powers reshaping the outcome. The landscape itself is more a stage for these events than the primary driving force.