This paper highlights the device and effects of the divine sphere of activity in the
poem as well as the mortal. It first
deals with the issue of "Fate" and its relationship to the power and will of Jupiter. It then explains the notion and rhetorical effect of the "Optimistic Prophecy" in the
poem and the different characteristics of the various
gods as characters in a text, especially Juno. Finally, it considers a more psychoanalytical view of the gods as elements of Aeneas' psyche.