Virgil uses devices such as similes and foreshadowing to make the Aeneid more lucid. These devices allow the reader to have a greater understanding of Aeneas' character, and the people he comes into contact with. The devices give weight to Aeneas's unwavering character as he faces obstacles to the overall theme of achieving his destiny. Virgil uses a simile to give greater clarity to Aeneas' character in this excerpt. He compares the sisters' pleas to how "the north wind from the Alps / from here and there contend with each other / to tear an [oak] healthy with age." This demonstrates the fierce belief that the sisters repeatedly demonstrate towards Aeneas. To illustrate his steadfastness, Virgil compares Aeneas to a thriving oak, renowned for his courage and strength. Aeneas struggles between his desire and the will of the gods in his exchanges with Dido. Normally, Aeneas would have felt compassion for Dido "to calm and comfort her in all her sorrow, / to speak to her and turn her mind from sorrow" from her words, but the gods interfered with their multiple encounters. The word "cry" regarding the wind and the tree on line nineteen in the passage may refer earlier to the tears the sisters shed, when trying to convince him to stay. However, in the comparison of how "the beaten trunk / rains tall leaves on the earth", Aeneas does not shed a tear. Instead, he remains steadfast in his chosen path when facing Dido. While the oak simile provides a comparison of Aeneas's personality during Dido's persistent supplication, it also provides a moment of foreshadowing for his future exploits. Since his father's death, Aeneas longed to see him, and the gods also longed for him. Getting underneath... the center of the card... his lingering hatred towards her. Aeneas reminds the gods of his mortality when he remains with Dido, and so they urge him to leave her before thinking of building his kingdom with her. Virgil's use of a simile gives weight to Aeneas' fierce belief in fulfilling his destiny by comparing it to an oak tree, while he must consolidate his desires with the will of the gods. Moments of foreshadowing also further the prevailing theme of his destiny to found the powerful city of Rome after Troy fell to the Greeks in the Trojan War, as the reader experiences some of Aeneas' future adventures. Although numerous challenges consume a good portion of his time in reaching his destiny, due to Juno's hatred for him, the other gods ultimately help him reach his destiny. Works Cited Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1983.