Both Vergil and Ovid imbedded underlying meanings in their epics The Aeneid and Metamorphoses. In this paper I will focus on the underlying meaning in the Underworld scene in Vergil's The Aeneid (lines 356 through 1199). I will also focus on three scenes in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Both epics contain a larger message about the importance of the Roman past for its present and future under Augustus.
The story of Aeneas in the Underworld can be interpreted as a brilliant rendition of the story of Rome's past, present, and future. When Aeneas descends into the Underworld, he is escorted by th…
