Virgil's Description Of The Underworld In The Aeneid And Book Eleven Of The Odyssey

The Greeks and Romans believed in an Underworld as a place where the souls of the dead live. Book six of the Aeneid and book eleven of The Odyssey are two stories that describe the underworld as where all the dead, live. Virgil’s description of the Underworld in Aeneid is a very elaborated setting where there are many different levels an individual can encounter depending on his or her sins in life. While, in book eleven of the Odyssey, Homer’s Greek description of the underworld is a place where every soul faces unhappiness and misery throughout eternity. Although both stories have several similarities, they also have striking differences when examined carefully. Virgil explains what the Romans believed in the afterlife, where one’s doings …show more content…
In the Aeneid and The Odyssey, Virgil’s and Homer’s description of the underworld show a difference in what one can encounter in the afterlife; Virgil’s version of the underworld is more appealing since it does not portray a dismal ending for all of mankind like Homer’s version of the …show more content…
describes the underworld though Odysseus journey of the underowlrd. s a one setting place, where all souls live. Odysseus slaughtered the black lamb, in order to rise up the dead, it was in a in a random order such that “Souls gathered, stirring out of erebos, brides and young men, and men grown old in pain, and tender girls who’s hears were new to grief; many were there, too, torn by brazen lanceheads, battle-slain, bearing still their bloody gear” (80). The dead in the underworld are all are being place into one place, despite of their doings in life. Those who were good or bad in their living are thrown together in the underworld for eternity. Even Achilles, the greatest warrior of the Trojans would rather “break sod as a farm hand for dome poor country man” than to rule the dead (86). Despite of what one did in life, everyone ends up in the same level in the