While Aeneas by now has been given good reason to believe that his mission is destined to succeed, he is occasionally tried to the point of doubting or forgetting that fate is on his side. For example, after the Trojan women set fire to his fleet of ships, he asks whether or not he should forgo his destiny and make his home on Sicily. Fortunately, he listens to Nautës and his father's ghost, both of whom urge him onward to Italy. That Aeneas respects Nautës's opinion exemplifies what a good ruler he has become. He will hear advice from any who offer it, although the final decision, of course, is his entirely. His parceling land to those Trojans who are tired of traveling and wish to remain on Sicily recalls his similar actions in Book III, after the wanderers reached Crete.
Twice in Book V, Aeneas demonstrates his savvy as a leader who knows what speech to give at the appropriate time. After the foot race in which Nisus trips Salius so that Euryalus will win, many spectators balk at Euryalus's proclaiming victory. However, Aeneas decisively settles the matter by declaring Euryalus as the winner. Magnanimously, he gives a gift to Salius and even to Nisus. What is most noticeable is that after Aeneas passes judgment, no one questions his decision: The crowd acquiesces to his ruling. And later, when the boxer Darës loses his match to Entellus, Aeneas shifts the blame for Darës's loss from the boxer's lack of athletic prowess to that which the boxer cannot control: "Don't you feel / A force now more than mortal is against you / And heaven's will has changed? We'll bow to that!" By using the plural "we," Aeneas consoles Darës: If the great Aeneas cannot battle the will of the gods, why does Darës think he can? Aeneas's tactic works well, and Darës is placated.
Another familiar role of Aeneas's, that of the good son, is highlighted by his fulfilling the vow he made to Anchises to celebrate the anniversary of his death. Still deeply respectful of his father, Aeneas's resolve to honor him is noble: "Were I today exiled in Libyan sands / Or caught at sea off Argos, or detained / in walled Mycenae, still I should carry out / My anniversary vows and ceremonies, / Heaping the altars, as I should, with offerings." Aeneas sacrifices to the gods out of respect for Anchises and honors him with celebratory athletic games.
