Art and Death in Virgil's Aneid

In the beginning of Book VI of the Aeneid, Aeneas and his men draw towards the coast of Cumae, nearing an Euboian settlement. While his men disperse into groups to various parts of the island for fuel and supplies, and to take some leave from their journey, Aeneas journeys to the temple of Apollo. There, as he stands before the gateway of the dead, he sees various scenes carved by the inventor Daedalus of his …

…and reasoning through an art historical consideration, only furthers this into plausibility. In this sense, the idea of death in Book VI, while not overtly beyond the narrative as opposed to the lyrical content of the poem, is linked to an idea of rebirth. It is art that summons this idea of self-recognition into being, by providing for us a metaphor for the larger narrational content. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography** no research was necessary for this paper