Book 6 Summary Flashcards
Where do Aeneas and his comrades land, and what prompts him to visit the underworld?
- They land at Cumae on the Gulf of Naples;
- following his father’s shade’s instruction, Aeneas visits the underworld
Who guides Aeneas on his underworld journey, and what is her role?
- The Sibyl of Cumae, a priestes, guides him &
- explains the trials ahead in Italy
Where does Aneas meet the Sibyl
at the temple of apollo
What significant prophecy does the Sibyl reveal about Aeneas founding a new land?
- She foretells the future lineage of Roman heroes, culminating in Augustus,
- but also predicts the early death of his heir-designate, Marcellus
What trials does the priestess warn awaits in italy
- fighting on the scale of the Trojan War, a foe of the caliber of the Greek warrior Achilles, and further interference from Juno
What is Aeneas’s initial request at the Temple of Apollo in Cumae?
He prays for the Trojans to be allowed to settle in Latium
What challenge does the Sibyl set for Aeneas before he can enter the underworld?
- He must retrieve a golden branch from a tree in a nearby forest—if it breaks off easily, it signals that his fate calls him to the underworld
How does Aeneas secure the golden branch?
After a prayer, a pair of doves guide him to the correct tree, from which he tears off the golden branch
What river does Aeneas encounter at the entrance of Dis, and who ferries souls across it?
- He encounters the river Acheron, and the ferryman Charon transports the souls across
How does Aeneas learn about the fate of those denied passage across the Acheron?
- The Sibyl explains that souls of the unburied remain on the near bank,
- as seen with Palinurus among them
Which notable figures or groups does Aeneas encounter in the underworld?
- He sees the wailing souls lined up for judgment, the Fields of Mourning (including Dido), and the field of war heroes from the Trojan War
What role does the fortress and the figure of Rhadamanthus play in the underworld journey?
- Inside an enormous fortress, Rhadamanthus passes judgment on the worst sinners,
- administering tortures to the condemned
What critical information does Aeneas receive from his father, Anchises, in the Blessed Groves?
- Anchises explains the future of the Trojan descendants in the pageant of heroes—
- including the founding of Rome by Romulus,
- a future Caesar from the line of Ascanius,
- and the coming Golden Age of Roman rule.
How does the chapter conclude after Aeneas’s underworld journey?
- Anchises accompanies him out of the underworld;
- Aeneas returns to his comrades on the beach,
- they promptly set sail along the coast toward Italy
What is the signficance of Aeneas meeting Anchises in the underworld
- crucial for character building
- for much of the time in the underworld he is backwards looking, regretful & uncertain
- after meeting daddy and teh revelation of the future destiny of rome, he graps the profound signfiance of his long-journey - and is strengthened & resolved to be successful in his mission
How is Aenas’ grim task outlined by the Sibyl
- '’I see wars.. the thyrbis foaming with much blood….a second achilles is already born… juno..will never be far away’’
- yet she ends with the words ‘‘you must not give way to these adversities but face them all the more boldly’’
what is the effect of aeneas meeting 3 ghosts from his past
- he is sorrowful & backward looking
- he is filled iwth great remourse over the disasters of the past
- though he knows he has done the right thing with Dido, it gives him no satisfaction
- he needs to man up and learn that the past is dead
- & by Dido’s total rejection of him its mkaes it easier for him to learn this hard lesson
What does his encounter with Dido show
- the suffering Aenea’s mission has caused them both
- '’It was against my will O’Queen rthat I ledt your shore’’
What does Trojan deiphobus advise Aeneas
- '’go great glory of our troy, and enjoy a better fate than mine’’
How does Anchises greet Aeneas
- i knew your devotion would prevail..i so feared the kingdom of libya would od you harm’
what does Anchises ask Aeneas
- do we still hesitate to extend our courage by our actions
- aeneas does not reply, but he has now passed from passive, almsot reluctant to a psoitive active love for the mission
How does Virgil draw on Homeric models in depicting Aeneas’s underworld journey?
- Like Odysseus, who conversed with shades over a blood-filled trench, Aeneas speaks with the dead—but while similarities exist, the differences in tone and purpose are profound
What are the “eloquent silences” mentioned, and how do they differ between Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid?
In the Odyssey, Ajax remains silent before joining the dead, whereas in the Aeneid, Dido refuses to speak and retreats into a dark wood, highlighting their different narrative and emotional roles
In what way does Virgil “plunder Homer” for his epic?
He reworks Homeric themes and scenes—like dialogues with the dead—adapting them to suit the Latin epic’s distinct cultural and political aims.
What philosophical dimension does the descent to the Underworld add to the narrative?
Anchises explains the creation of the world and the nature of life and death, echoing Plato’s Myth of Er, where death leads to rebirth and a cosmic understanding of destiny
How does Virgil integrate Roman funeral traditions and ancestral pride into the Underworld scene?
He mirrors Roman customs where ancestral masks and achievements are celebrated, with the pageant of heroes ascending to rebirth—thus linking Aeneas’s personal journey to Rome’s imperial destiny
How does Virgil use prophecy to connect the heroic past with the political present?
Through divine speeches, prophetic shields, and Anchises’ predictions, Virgil intertwines the legendary fate of Rome with praise for Augustus in a eulogy of the Julian family with tragic note of Marcellus’ early death, thus making the epic relevant to his own times.
