The Story So Far…
What happens in Book Five?
Aeneas and the Trojans reach
the home of their kin in Sicily.
There they rest and Aeneas
holds funeral games for his
father Anchises, who died near
the end of Book 3. The Trojans
compete in a number of
contests, including archery,
ship races and boxing. After a
brief holdup, when Juno tricks
the Trojan women into burning
their ships, Aeneas and the
Trojans set off for the Italian
coast. However, Aeneas loses
his friend and helmsman
Palinurus during the voyage.
Book VIWhat
happened?
BOOK SIX – The Visit to the Underworld
The Cumaen Sibyl –
prophecy and long life
but not eternal youth.
Aeneas in Hades – looking
frightened and rightly so.
DAEDALUS’
STORY
A useful site: http://www.minotaur-websites.com/minomyth.htm
DAEDALUS’ STORY - SUMMARY
Explain the following
quotes:
• “Athenians obeying the
ghastly command.”
• “A warning against
wicked love.”
• “Daedalus … had taken
pity on the Princess
Ariadne.”
• “O Icarus! … Daedalus
had twice tried to
express your fate.”
The Sibyl’s Prophecy (pp.149-150)
What are the key points?
• “I see war and all the horrors of
war.”
 Aeneas will have to fight again.
• I see Tiber streaming with blood.
You will find there a Simois and a
Xanthus…”
 Tiber = Roman river.
Simois/Xanthus = Trojan rivers.
• “…and a camp of Greeks, a new
Achilles…”
 The Greeks = The Local Latins.
New Achilles = Aeneas’opponent
Turnus.
• “Juno, the Trojan’s affliction, will
never be far.”
 affliction = curse, disease.
• “You … will go begging to every
city in Italy for aid.”
 Aeneas will need new allies.
• “The cause of dire calamity for
Trojans will be a wedding with a
foreign bride.”
 Like Paris’ marriage to Helen,
Aeneas’ marriage to Lavinia will
cause a war.
Previous Trips to the Underworld
Aeneas wants to descend to the Underworld to seek his
father Anchises’ advice. However, his descent is also
included in the Aeneid to show that he is a match for
previous heroes who have made the same trip.
Question: What tasks does the
Sibyl
tell Aeneas
complete
Your task: Find
out about
each of the to
heroes
and briefly
summarise before
their journeys
into the underworld.
descending
to Hades?
Theseus
Hercules
Orpheus
What do YOU think the Underworld might look
like?
Draw your own map of the Underworld.
Include the different places within the
Underworld and the people Aeneas meets. Also
include WHY those people are where they are.
Be creative!
The Journey through the Underworld
Crossing the River Styx
The Fields of Dead Warriors
Underworld Landscape with the River Styx
Patinir, 1521
Key Quotes from Bk 6 so far…
• “He gave his fleet the rein and at last came
smoothly to Euboean Cumae’s coast.
• “There he had depicted the Bull’s brutal passion…”
• “You have passed through every peril on the sea,
but have to face still graver risk on land.”
• “I also am descended from highest Jove.”
• “Suddenly, they saw.. lifeless and dead, the Aeolid
Misenus.”
• With dauntless pace Aeneas followed where she
led.”
MONSTERS! (pp.155-6)
Clockwise from top: Chimaera,
Geryon, a Centaur, Hydra (Lerna’s
Beast), Scylla, Harpies, the Gorgon
Medusa
Crossing the River Styx (pp.156-159)
1. Who are
Leucaspis and
Orontes? Who
is Palinurus?
Why are
these three
unhappy?
2. How did
Palinurus die?
What does he
ask of
Aeneas?
3. Why is
Charon
unwilling to
take Aeneas
on board?
What changes
his mind?
Encounter with the Cerberus (p.159)
Left and Below: Hercules and the
Cerberus – ancient and modern
Q: How do Aeneas and the Sibyl get
past the Cerberus?
The Untimely Dead and the Fields of Mourning
(pp.160-161)
Phaedra – loved Hippolytus (her
step-son), commited suicide.
1. What themes do these
stories have in common?
Procris – jealous wife, accidently
killed by her husband while
spying on him during a hunt.
2. Why is Dido in their
company?
Eriphyle – killed by her son
Alcmaeon as revenge for her
persuading her husband to fight a
battle in which he was killed.
Evadne – Threw herself on her
husband’s funeral pyre when he
died in battle.
Pasiphae – mother of the
Minotaur.
3. Why is Sychaeus also
there?
Tartarus, the Place of Punishment
The Tormented Souls in Tartarus (pp.164-5)
Titans, Sons of Earth – Gods who ruled before
Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto overthrew them.
Sons of Aloeus – Giants who attempted to
overthrow the gods.
Salmoneus – Claimed equality with the gods.
Tityos – Attempted to rape Leto, mother of Apollo
and Diana.
Lapithae – Tribe that included Ixion (attempted to
rape Juno) and Pirithous (attempted to kidnap
Proserpine with Theseus)
Phlegyas – Attacked Greeks at Apollo’s sanctuary
at Delphi.
Tantalus – Invited the gods to a banquet that
included his own son in the meal, supposedly to
test the gods all-knowing nature.
1. What do these
crimes have in
common?
2. What other
crimes are
said to lead to
punishment in
Tartarus?
3. For what
reasons do
you think
Virgil has
included this
description of
Tartarus?
Elysium – the Land of Joy, the Fortunate
Woods, the Homes of the Blest, etc…(pp.166-174)
The Roman View of Life, Death and
Rebirth (p.168-9)
In this important passage, Virgil outlines the Roman
belief in the rebirth of souls. Briefly summarise this
belief, according to Anchises’ speeches on
pages168-9.
Anchises’ Prophecy (pp.170-174)
Anchises’ Prophecy (pp.170-173)
“Come, I shall now explain to you your
whole destiny.”
This long passage sees Anchises
describing to Aeneas his whole line of
descendants, covering over 1000 years
of Roman History to come. The line of
descendants stretches right through to
the ‘present’ for Virgil, including Augustus
“founder of the golden centuries”. This is
political propaganda for Augustus and
Rome. Rome’s Mission, we’re told, is to
“guide the nations by your authority”, in
other words civilise the world, through
conquest.
Anchises’ Prophecy – Key Messages
• The Romans are descendants of the Trojans
• Aeneas will have a son by Lavinia
• Romulus is of Trojan descent (and the gods)
• Rome will conquer the world
• Augustus will bring a Golden Age to Rome
• Augustus will out-travel Hercules and Bacchus
• Kings will rule Rome, then the Republic will be
established by a guy called Brutus
• Civil War will take place between Caesar and Pompey –
this is ‘wicked’ and should never happen again.
Anchises’ Prophecy – Key Messages
• Romans should be merciful
• Rome will conquer Greece
• Rome will conquer Africa / Carthage
• Other races might be cleverer than the Romans…
• But the Romans’ skill is to bring peace to the world
(through conquest) and to rule it.
• Marcellus (a nephew of Augustus) was ‘too mighty’ to
succeed Augustus, so he died young, unlike a previous
great Marcellus.
The Death of Marcellus (pp.173-4)
Two Marcelluses are mentioned at the
end of Anchises’ Prophecy. One is a
warrior who was victorious against
Carthaginians and Gauls. The other
Aeneas sees walking beside him, is
also called Marcellus. This ‘young
Marcellus’ was the Emperor
Augustus’ nephew. The Emperor’s
hopes that this Marcellus would
eventually take over from him were
dashed when Marcellus died of fever
in 23BC, aged just 20. The mention of
his death provides an unhappy
counter to the glorious events and
personalities that have been
described in Anchises prophecy.
Thought: Why is young Marcellus not
in the Hades of Untimely Deaths?
Augustus’ sister Octavia (mother of
Marcellus) faints as Virgil reads the
passage from Book VI concerning the
death of her son.
Augustus in The Aeneid
The Emperor Augustus does
not actually appear in the
Aeneid, but several
references are made to him.
The Prophecies in Books I
and VI in particular contain
many political propaganda
messages designed to glorify
Augustus.
Task: How is Augustus portrayed
in Jupiter’s prophecy in Book I?
How is he portrayed/what is said
about him in Book VI? Write down
points with evidence for each.
What does Anchises’ prophecy
add to this portrayal?
The Character of Aeneas
Book VI is a key book in the development of Aeneas’ character. He
begins the book downcast and backward-looking, but ends it with a
new hope and determination to follow his destiny.
Task: Fill out the table on the handout entitled: “Aeneas’ Journey
Through the Underworld” showing the effects of Aeneas’
encounters with the people from his past in Book VI.