The Place of Book 6 in the Poem

Virgil: Aeneid: Book 6

In this course, Professor Philip Hardie (University of Cambridge) explores the sixth book of Virgil’s Aeneid. Beginning with a discussion of the place of Book 6 in the poem as a whole, we then go through the whole of Book 6 in order, focusing on the description of the sculptures on the doors to the Temple of Apollo, the figure of the Sibyl, the layout of the underworld, the ghosts from Aeneas’ past, and the parade of Roman heroes with which the book ends.

The Place of Book 6 in the Poem

In this module, we think about the position of Book 6 in the poem as a whole, focusing in particular on the idea of the poem as being split into two halves—the first ‘Odyssean, the second ‘Iliadic’—the importance of Cumae as the first place in Italy where the Trojans spend any amount of time, and the purpose of Aeneas’ descent to the underworld at this point in the narrative.