1. Book Five: The Funeral Games for Anchises

2. Virgil and Homer
Virgil has to have a funeral games book due to the massive popularity of Iliad XXIII.
However, Virgil’s games are more varied, less repetitive and involve more characters.
The games are:
A ship race which is closely based on the chariot races that took place in the circus maximus in Rome.
A foot race (watch out for Nisus and Euryalus who will feature again in Book IX).
A boxing match.
An archery contest.
Finally a parade on horses with Ascanius in the lead.

3. The Ship Race
What similarities are there between this race and a quadriga chariot race in the circus maximus?
How does Virgil make this race exciting? In your answer refer closely to the passage.

4. The Romanisation of the Games
The ship race is closely based on the chariot races that took place in the circus maximus in Rome. This was the most popular form of entertainment in Rome in Augustus’ time.
All the competitors in the ship race are the forefathers of important patrician (aristocratic) Roman families: Mnestheus, Sergestus, Cloanthus and Gyas. These men will all also prove to be heroes in the fight against the Italians.
The shooting star at the end of the games which is supposed to represent Anchises’ soul is a very Iulian symbol and references the deification of Julius Caesar. See also the shooting star in Book II after Iulus’ hair set alight.

5. Aeneas’ Leadership and Character
Book V is a chance for Aeneas to re-establish his leadership after his failures in Book IV with the affair with and death of Dido.
The grief that he shows for his father also portrays him in a very human light and again brings in the theme of his need to sacrifice his personal suffering for the greater good of the mission.
Aeneas’ despair at the burning of the ships takes us back to his vulnerability in Book I.

6. Aeneas and Anchises
The funeral games bring Anchises to the forefront of the narrative so that he is in the reader’s mind for Book VI and Aeneas’ journey to the Underworld.
The funeral games also offer Virgil a chance to highlight the link between Sicily and Rome which is important. The Romans conquered Sicily as part of the Punic Wars against Hannibal. This is a further reminder of Rome’s greatness.
The death of Anchises, although hugely full of pathos, allows Aeneas to step forward and be the true leader. Until this point, he ultimately defers to his father due to paternal respect (this is the correct behaviour for a model Roman).

7. Just like Book Five, Book Three serves as a relief from the high tension of the violent and dramatic fall of Troy in Book Two and the violent and tragic story of Dido in Book Four. It is a book that celebrates the joy and skill of storytelling.