Aeneid VI, Lines 305-316

Question 1

“huc omnis turba ad ripas effusa ruebat”

Answer 1

• Virgil places emphasis on the size and the eagerness of the crowd using the adjective “omnis” applied to the noun “turba” suggests a sizeable throng.
• the particle “effusa”(pouring) suggests both large number and eager haste.
• the juxtaposition of the verb “ruebat”(was rushing) with the participle “effusa” helps to reinforce the sense of eager haste.

Question 2

“matres atque…ora parentam”

Answer 2

• the long list of different sorts of people whose souls are thronging by the river. Repetition of words meaning “and” emphasises the size of the crowd, and its varied composition
• Virgil adds small details to his list to generate pity: fallen heroes were men of great spirit; the girls were too young even to have been married; the young men’s parents had to witness their funerals

Question 3

” quam multa…immittit apricis.”

Answer 3

• an extended simile in which thronging souls are compared first to leaves falling then flocks of migrating birds.
• Repetition of “quam multa…/quam multae…” at the start of 2 separate lines underscores the central point of the simile - that there were lots of souls.
• The fact that there is reference to changing seasons applies an image of the souls who have left the warm of light of the upper world and have arrived in the underworld

Question 4

“stabant orantes…ulterioris amore.”

Answer 4

• Emphasis on desperate longing of the souls to cross the river in a number of ways. In each clause the verb is brought to the start of the line, helping to suggest their pressing eagerness.
• They want to cross “primi”(first), which conveys their eagerness.
• The participle “orantes”(begging) in conjunction with “tendebant manus”(they were stretching out their hands) creates a sense of desperate entreaties.
• The emphatic positioning of “amore” (in longing) at the end of the sentence undersocres the desire to cross the river

Question 5

“navita”

Answer 5

• meaning ferryman, this is another description which emphasises the grim and pitiful appearance of Charon.

Question 6

“nunc hos nunc accipit illos”

Answer 6

• the balanced phrasing of “nunc hos…nunc illos” helps to suggest Charon’s carefully selecting particular souls from within this large crowd.

Question 7

“longe summotos arcet”

Answer 7

• the use of the verb “arcet”(he keeps away) with “longe summotos”(moved far away) helps to emphasise that certain souls are most assiduoisly prevented from coming near the river.