When discussing Aeneas' fate, a thought-provoking question is posed and commonly debated. If Aeneas is commanded by fate, does he have free will? It is important to approach this question with a solid understanding of destiny. There are two common sides to the debate over whether or not Aeneas had free will. Some believe that Aeneas had no choice but to follow his destiny because he was commanded by destiny and prophesied that he would found the race that would one day build Rome. The other side states that Aeneas did indeed have free will, and even though his destiny was fixed, there is room in his destiny for events to change. It can be argued that Aeneas makes some of his own choices, but no particular detail of his life is spared. Fate predicts that the Trojans will found a city in Italy, but it does not specify how this will happen. This is where there is room for free will. After much research and considering the views of many commentators and the evidence they have presented, the answer can simply be found by returning to the text of The Aeneid. Camps lays out both sides of the free will debate in more detail. One side believes that Aeneas was presented as being ordained, directed, and remembered from above through prophets and dreams. For this reason, readers sometimes have the impression that he is ruled by powers outside himself and that he has no character of his own. The other part states that although Aeneas is ordered by a powerful authority, he is not forced, and it is exactly the situation where his will is free and his choices are his own that differentiates his situation from that of the other characters of history whose will has been determined. ceased to belong to them because external forces took possession of them. Adding a little to these two sides, Duckworth considers that of Vergil...... middle of paper...... 1969. Print.Duckworth, George E. "Fate and free will in the 'Aeneid' of Virgil.” The Classical Journal 51.8 (1956): 357-64. Web. March 7, 2014. “Destiny.” The Oxford Classical Dictionary Ed. Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth, 3rd ed. E. “The destinies, the gods and the freedom of man's will in the Aeneid.” The Classical Quarterly 11.1 (1917): 11-26. JSTOR Web March 6, 2014. Tracy, HL "'Fata Deum' and the Action of the 'Aeneid'" Greece and Rome 11.2 (1964): 188-95. JSTOR. Web. April 19, 2014. Virgil. The Aeneid Trans. Robert Fagles New York: Penguin, 2008. Print. Williams, Gordon Willis. Technique and ideas in the Aeneid. .Wilson, CH “Jupiter and the Fates of the Aeneid.” The Classical Quarterly 29.2 (1979): 361-71 April 19.. 2014.