The Story So Far

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The Story So Far
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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.
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Book VI- What happened?
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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.
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DAEDALUS STORY
A useful site http//www.minotaur-websites.com/mi
nomyth.htm
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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.

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The Sibyls Prophecy (pp.149-150)

• What are the key points?
• I see war and all the horrors of war.
• I see Tiber streaming with blood. You will find
  there a Simois and a Xanthus
• and a camp of Greeks, a new Achilles
• Juno, the Trojans affliction, will never be
  far.
• You will go begging to every city in Italy
  for aid.
• The cause of dire calamity for Trojans will be
  a wedding with a foreign bride.

• Aeneas will have to fight again.
• Tiber Roman river. Simois/Xanthus Trojan
  rivers.
• The Greeks The Local Latins. New Achilles
  Aeneasopponent Turnus.
• affliction curse, disease.
• Aeneas will need new allies.
• Like Paris marriage to Helen, Aeneas marriage
  to Lavinia will cause a war.

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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
to complete before descending to Hades?
Your task Find out about each of the heroes and
briefly summarise their journeys into the
underworld.
Orpheus
Hercules
Theseus
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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!
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The Journey through the Underworld
Crossing the River Styx
The Fields of Dead Warriors
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Underworld Landscape with the River Styx
Patinir, 1521
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Key Quotes from Bk 6 so far

• He gave his fleet the rein and at last came
  smoothly to Euboean Cumaes coast.
• There he had depicted the Bulls 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.

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MONSTERS! (pp.155-6)
Clockwise from top Chimaera, Geryon, a Centaur,
Hydra (Lernas Beast), Scylla, Harpies, the
Gorgon Medusa
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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?

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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?
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The Untimely Dead and the Fields of Mourning
(pp.160-161)
Phaedra loved Hippolytus (her step-son),
commited suicide. Procris jealous wife,
accidently killed by her husband while spying on
him during a hunt. 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 husbands
funeral pyre when he died in battle. Pasiphae
mother of the Minotaur.

1. What themes do these stories have in common?
2. Why is Dido in their company?
3. Why is Sychaeus also there?

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Tartarus, the Place of Punishment
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The Tormented Souls in Tartarus (pp.164-5)

• What do these crimes have in common?
• 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?

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 Apollos
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.
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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)
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(No Transcript)
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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. Romes Mission, were told, is
to guide the nations by your authority, in
other words civilise the world, through
conquest.
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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.

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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.

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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 Emperors 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.
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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 Jupiters
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?
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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.