Book V: Funeral Games & burnt bridges

Sailing away from carthage- They reach Drepanum in Sicily, forced by a storm- funeral games on anniversary of Anchises’ death- ceremonial cavalry parade- Trojan women try to set fire to ships, tired of all tis sailing around the world- Aen. Undecided and despondent- fleet sets out blessed by Neptune- Palinurus the helmsan lost at sea over night.

Book VI: Underworld


Aeneas & company reach Italy landing at Cumae- a prophetic Sybil- journey to the Underworld- a soul’s journey
VI= focal point of Aeneid: ‘preceeding half resumed, succeeding provided with new impetus’
‘3 particular aspects of the book may be distinguished: provides V. setting exposition religious thought; final section most outstanding patriotic expression whole poem; events underworld personal experience for Aen. with profound effect upon his character & resolution’
Discuss patriotic & religious vision of VI

Once again a tripartite structure: A Descent- B Journey through underworld-
C Revelation in Elysium, Anchises

A 1-263
Introduction
‘The landing in Italy with all its easy opportunities for rhetoric is underplayed. V. leaves unasserted the excitement of arrival, and allows the emotions of the Aeneadae to emerge from a brief but brilliant opening Tableau, almost Brueghel-like in its rugged, stylized simplicity...’ Quinn, K. (read 3-8, what do you think?)

Arrival at Cumae 1-8
Sibyl: at the Temple of Apollo 9- 155
Misenus 156- 182
Aeneas finds the Golden Bough 183- 211
Misenus 212- 235
Sibyl B: at nus; departure 236- 263


B 264- 636

Invocation 264-267

i. At the entrance; the entrance to the underworld described 268- 294
ii. Crossing Acheron: Charon A- Palinurus- Charon- B- Cerberus 295- 425
iii. Various tableaux of the Mourning Plains- Dido- the War Dead- Deiphobus 477-493
iv. Tartarus described by the Sybil; depositing the Golden Bough 548- 636



C Elysium 637- 901
As sorrow & gloom of past to B so hope & glory of future to C, leaves behind Troy & history for Rome & future.
i. Arrival in Elysium 637- 678


ii. Aeneas meets Anchises 679- 702
iii. Anchises’ first speech: doctrine of the souls 703- 751
iv. Anchises’ second speech: Rome’s men of destiny 752- 892
v. Return to life 893- 901

Read out Quinn p.174 ‘A note of haste is apparent...the conflict between the book’s structural purpose (the enlightenment of Aeneas about the tasks that confront him and the symbolic statement of some kind of mystical experience) and its function as propaganda...’

SOURCES:Quinn, K. Virgil's Aeneid: a critical description (London, 1968)Williams, R.D. The Aeneid of Virgil: Books I- VI (London, 1972)West, D. (trans. & ed.) Virgil: The Aeneid (London, 1990)
Plessis, F. & Lejay, P. (edd.) Oeuvres de Virgile (Paris, 1913)
Otis, B. Virgil- a study in civilized poetry (Oxford, 1964)
Camps, W.A. An Introduction to Virgil’s Aeneid (Oxford, 1969)
Hardie, P.R. Virgil’s Aeneid: Cosmos & Imperium (Oxford, 1986)