Which scholar argues that Virgil's fate has a long-range plan for hundreds and thousands of years and requires human cooperation?

• A. R.D Williams
• B. Galinsky
• C. Isabel Paintin
• D. Bob Cowan

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is a teleological reading of Virgil’s fate that extends far beyond the events of the poem itself, envisioning a plan that spans centuries and only comes to fruition through human cooperation. R. D. Williams is the scholar who articulates this view, arguing that Virgil embeds a grand, long-range destiny for Rome that requires active participation from people across generations to bring it to completion. This reading highlights how the epic negotiates between divine decree and human agency: the gods set a broad trajectory, but it is up to human leaders, citizens, and institutions to align with that trajectory and realize the future Rome is destined to become. The emphasis is on the poem’s prophetic horizon and the moral call for present actions to enable a future that extends far beyond the immediate narrative.

The other scholars typically center on different aspects—textual history, reception, or alternative interpretations of fate and power—and do not foreground this particular pairing of an expansive, centuries-long plan with a demand for ongoing human cooperation, so they don’t fit the question’s specific claim as well.