Aeneas' journey to establish a new home was a difficult and arduous task. At every turn Juno placed another obstacle in her way, trying to prevent Rome from being founded to save Carthage. Aeneas dedicated himself to his mission, despite all the trials, and moved forward. During his journey, Aeneas had to undertake a task that few heroes had ever attempted. He had to travel to the underworld. Before Aeneas can leave the Underworld to continue his journey, he is shown a parade of his descendants, the future city of Rome, and the result of his hard work. He is shown Romulus, the founder of Rome; he is shown Caesar Augustus, “who will once again bring a golden age” (6.1065); and many other famous Romans. Together with these great men, Aeneas is shown Marcellus, a young man killed in his prime, his future destiny. Aeneas is even told about the upcoming battles his city will face and how to deal with them in the future. Having told all this, Aeneas departs from the underworld. Of the two doors available to him, Aeneas makes an interesting choice and decides to exit through the door of false dreams. Exiting through either door would likely bring Aeneas back to the world above, so why did he exit through the door of false dreams? In my opinion, Aeneas left through the door of false dreams because he didn't believe everything he was told about the future and/or he didn't want to accept what the future held for him. The exit from the door of false dreams could be seen as a reflection of what Aeneas thinks of what he saw and a denial or rejection of the misfortune that would befall Marcellus. The journey of Aeneas until his journey to the Underworld was not easy to tell in the slightest. It had to wait... halfway through the paper... hey, it wouldn't seem right for it to be cut in its prime. Aeneas would probably view being killed in his prime as a kind of punishment rather than a reward. Aeneas would also probably reject the idea of Marcellus being killed in his prime, because he would have just truly begun his life. Marcellus would therefore be appropriately juxtaposed with Euryalus as a brilliant flower cut by the passing plow droops and slowly withers, or a poppy bows its head to its weary stem when overwhelmed by a passing rain. (9.617-20) Marcellus could also be juxtaposed to Pallas “like a flower plucked from the fingers of a girl” (11.91). All these young people were taken from the world just as they were starting their lives and becoming adults. The fact that they died so young is tragic and a life taken so young is unforgivable in Aeneas' eyes (10.745-50).
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