The Odyssey And Aeneid Vs. Today - 992 Words

Essay 1: Hell in The Odyssey/Aeneid vs. Today As humans, we are always imagining what our lives will be like when we die. While the depictions of what hell or heaven may be from the ancient times and now, what has stayed consist is the idea of an afterlife altogether. In The Aeneid, Aeneas has his own version of what the underworld is. Hell is depicted in Book VI of The Aeneid where the Trojans sail back to Sicily where the death of Anchises is marked. Aeneas enters the underworld after meeting with Sibyl, who is a priestess at the Temple of Apollo and asks to enter so that he can visit his father. In order to enter and return from Hell, he has to find a golden branch and if it breaks off the tree with ease, then that will be his sign that he can enter. â€Å"So lift your eyes and search, and once you find it pull away the bough. It will come willingly, easily, if you are called by fate. If not, with all your strength you cannot conquer it, cannot lop it off with a sword’s ed ge. (6.213-217)†. A pair of doves direct him to the tree that he needs to chose the branch from and alas, he has entered into the underworld. When entering, Aeneas sees that there is a river called Acheron where the ferryman Charon transports spirits across the river, but not all souls can cross the river. Sibyl tells him that this is because those souls did not have a proper funeral and were not appreciated the way they were supposed to be. The souls that do pass have to line up in front of Minos to getShow MoreRelatedGreek and Roman Culture Essay examples1240 Words   |  5 Pagesalmost identical to the Greek temples, except for a few details such as domes and vaults which made the temples sturdier and more beautiful. The Romans developed a great skill of building roads. The roads were complex, and the design is used still today. The roads are higher in the middle so that the water runs off the sides. These roads were made so well that they basically lead the Romans to victory, allowing the Romans to move quickly and efficiently to the battlefield. Greek didn’t have theRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pagesthrough dread of a series of terrible possibilities feature landscapes of dark forests, extreme vegetation, concealed ruins with horrific rooms, depressed characters Effect: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · today in literature we still see portrayals of alluring antagonists whose evil characteristics appeal to one s sense of awe today in literature we still see stories of the persecuted young girl forced apart from her true love Historical Context: ï‚ · industrial revolution brings ideas that the old ways of doing