Dreams or Reality: Rome and the Gate of False Dreams

Aeneas’s journey to establish a new home was a difficult and arduous task. At every turn Juno was throwing another obstacle in his way, trying to prevent Rome from ever being established to save Carthage. Aeneas was dedicated to his mission, even with all of the trial and continued on. During his journey, Aeneas had to undergo a task that few heroes ever attempted. He had to travel to the underworld. Before Aeneas can depart from the Underworld to continue on his journey, he is shown a parade of his descendants, the future city of Rome and the outcome of his hard labor. He is shown Romulus, the founder of Rome; he is shown Ceasar Augustus, “who shall bring once again an Age of Gold” (6.1065); and many other famous Romans. Along with these great men, Aeneas is shown Marcellus, a youth cut down in his prime, his fate in the future. Aeneas is even told of upcoming battles his city will face and how to deal with them in the future. Once all this has been told to Aeneas he departs from the underworld. Of the two gates available to him, Aeneas makes an interesting choice and decides to leave through the gate of false dreams.

Leaving through either gate would probably return Aeneas back to the world above, so why did he leave through the gate of false dreams? In my opinion Aeneas left through the gate of false dreams, because he did not believe all that he was told of the future and/or he did not want to accept what the future held for him. Leaving through the gate of false dreams could be seen as a reflection of what Aeneas thinks about what he saw and a denial or rejection of the misfortune that would become of Marcellus.

Aeneas’s voyage up to his journey to the Underworld has not been easy to say the least. He had to wat...

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...ellus, it would not seem right that he should be cut down in his prime. Aeneas would probably see his being cut down in his prime as a sort of punishment rather than a reward.

Aeneas would also probably reject the idea of Marcellus being cut down in his prime, because he would have just truly begun his life. Marcellus would then be appropriately juxtaposed with Euryalus as a bright flower cut by passing plow will droop and wither slowly, or a poppy bow its head upon its tired stalk when overborne by a passing rain. (9.617-20)

Marcellus could even be juxtaposed to Pallas as well “like a flower a girl’s fingers plucked” (11.91). All these young men were taken away from the world just when they were beginning their life and growing into adulthood. The fact that they died so young is tragic and a life being taken so young is unforgivable in Aeneas’s eyes (10.745-50).