The apparent modeling of Virgil’s Aeneid around Homer’s epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey is evident in the sixth book as the protagonist in the former’s work visits the Land of the Dead. In particular, the eleventh book of the Odyssey gives a similar account as Odysseus visits Hades in his efforts to return home and reclaim his rights as King of Ithaca. Naturally, Virgil does not adopt a blind imitation of the Homeric account and instead, approaches the adaptation process while making sure it serves his purposes. For that reason, while the visit to the underworld in the Aeneid shows some similarities to the one in the Odyssey, some significant differences are also evident.
Foremost, unlike in the Odyssey where Odysseus does not physically enter the underworld, Aeneas in the Aeneid goes into the realm courtesy of some rituals performed before the journey. On one hand, Homer’s protagonist does not appear to be underground because he lands on Persephone’s Island that happens to be one of the entrances to the Land of the Dead. According to the author, Odysseus performs a ritualistic sacrifice at the entry of the underworld, and the spirits have to drink the animal blood before they can talk to him (Homer, 11.50-58). On the other hand, Aeneas does enter the Land of the Dead with the Cumaean Sibyl acting as his guide. On that note, his presence in the land of the dead gives Virgil’s readers a considerable advantage over Homer’s audience just because he gives a detailed description of the geographical makeup of the realm. For instance, Aeneas mentions the Elysian Fields to which good people go upon death and Tartarus as the destination of the evil doers (Virgil, 6.631-640).
Conclusively, the underworld in Virgil’s perception, as depicted in the Aeneid, differs from Homer’s idea of the realm in the Odyssey because their protagonists had different experiences based on their ability to enter the Land of the Dead.
Works Cited
Homer. "The Odyssey." The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall, Lee Patterson, Patricia Meyer Spacks, William G. Thalmann, and Heather James. Trans. Robert Fagles. 9th. Vol. I. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2014. 206-483. Print.
Virgil. "The Aeneid." The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall, Lee Patterson, Patricia Meyer Spacks, William G. Thalmann, and Heather James. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. 9. Vol. 1. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2014. 930-1023. Print.
