After reuniting with Anchises, Aeneas is shown the souls waiting to be reborn as future Romans. This "parade of heroes" (lines 756-892) is the emotional and political climax of Book 6âand arguably of the entire Aeneid. Anchises reveals Rome's glorious destiny, culminating in Augustus.
Why the Parade Matters for Exams
The parade of heroes shows: Rome's destiny as divinely ordained, the Julian family (Augustus) as climax of history, Roman values (pietas, military virtue), and Virgil's political purpose (legitimizing Augustus). It's THE key passage for questions about propaganda, Rome's mission, or the role of fate.
Structure of the Parade
756-787: Silvius and early Alban kings (Aeneas's descendants before Rome's founding)
788-812: Romulus (founder of Rome) and the seven kings
Anchises leads Aeneas to a vantage point where they can see souls gathered, waiting to be reborn. These are not random deadâthey are future Romans, lined up in chronological order, ready for their historical moment.
"Come now, I will show you the whole extent of your fame, what glory awaits the Trojan race, what descendants from the Italian people are to come, illustrious souls destined for our name, and I will teach you your destiny."
â Anchises to Aeneas, Book 6.756-759
What Anchises Promises
"the whole extent of your fame": Aeneas's legacyâmeasured not by his deeds but by his descendants
"what glory awaits the Trojan race": Troy lost, but its people will achieve greater glory as Romans
"descendants from the Italian people": Romans will be MIXEDâTrojan + Italian, not pure Trojan
"illustrious souls destined for our name": These heroes already exist as souls, waiting for their turn to live
"I will teach you your destiny": Knowledge = understanding why suffering was necessary
The Souls Waiting to Be Born
Anchises has explained (earlier in Book 6) that souls are purified in the underworld, then drink from the river Lethe to forget their past lives, before being reborn. These souls have completed purification and are ready for incarnation.
This makes Rome's history feel PREDETERMINEDâthese heroes already exist, just waiting for time to unfold. Their existence proves Rome's destiny is real, not hypothetical.
Dramatic Irony for Roman Readers
Virgil's original audience KNEW these heroesâRomulus, Brutus, Caesar, Augustus. They're seeing their own history presented as Aeneas's future. This creates powerful dramatic irony: we know these heroes succeed; Aeneas is learning it for the first time. The parade validates Roman pride by making their achievements seem fated from the beginning.
Romulus: Founder of Rome
The parade's first major figure is Romulus, Rome's legendary founder. Anchises introduces him with reverence and joyâthis is the man who will transform Aeneas's mission into reality.
"Turn your eyes here now, and look at this people, your Romans. Here is Caesar, and all the line of Iulus, destined to pass beneath the great vault of the sky. This, this is the man you have heard promised to you so often, Augustus Caesar, son of a god, who will bring back the Golden Age to Latium, to the fields where Saturn once reigned, and extend Rome's empire beyond the Indians and the Africans."
â Anchises showing Augustus, Book 6.788-795
Romulus (Traditional founder, 753 BC)
Role: Abandons Alba Longa (the Alban city) and founds Rome itself
Symbolism: "Mother Mars's son"âdivine heritage like Aeneas (son of Venus)
Achievement: Rome will grow from his "augury" (divine sign) to rule the world
Connection to Aeneas: Completes Aeneas's missionâbuilds the city that fulfills Troy's destiny
Why Romulus Comes First
Chronologically firstâestablishes Rome as a city
Divinely born (Mars's son) like Aeneas (Venus's son)âdivine favor continues
Links Aeneas's journey to Rome's beginningâthe mission succeeds
But quickly surpassed by AugustusâRomulus founds Rome; Augustus perfects it
The Seven Kings of Rome
After Romulus, Anchises shows the six kings who followed him (traditional Roman history lists seven kings total before the Republic). These are briefly mentioned, establishing Rome's monarchical period.
The Kings (briefly mentioned)
Numa Pompilius: Religious king, established Roman ritual and law
Tullus Hostilius: Warrior king, destroyed Alba Longa
Ancus Marcius: Expanded Rome's territory
Tarquin the Elder: Built Rome's infrastructure
Servius Tullius: Organized Roman society
Tarquin the Proud: Tyrannical last king (overthrown to create Republic)
Why Rush Through the Kings?
Virgil spends little time on the kings because monarchy isn't Rome's gloryâthe REPUBLIC is. The kings establish Rome's foundations, but republican and imperial heroes represent Rome's true character. This reflects Augustan ideology: Augustus restored the Republic (allegedly), so republican values matter more than monarchical power.
Brutus: Founder of the Republic
Lucius Junius Brutus overthrew the last king (Tarquin the Proud) and established the Roman Republic (traditional date: 509 BC). He's a hero of republican libertyâbut his story is also tragic.
"Would you see Tarquin the kings, and the proud spirit of avenging Brutus, and the rods of office regained? He will be first to receive the power of consul, and the cruel axes, and when his sons stir fresh warfare, the father will call them to their deaths for the sake of lovely liberty. Unhappy man, however posterity judges those deeds! Love of country will prevail, and limitless desire for glory."
â Anchises on Brutus, Book 6.817-823
Brutus (Founded Republic, 509 BC)
Achievement: Overthrew monarchy, established Republic and rule of law
Tragedy: His own sons conspired to restore the monarchy; he executed them himself
Roman value: Public duty over private familyâultimate pietas toward state
Anchises's judgment: "Unhappy man"âbut "love of country will prevail"
The Brutus Dilemma
"cruel axes": Symbol of authorityâbut used to kill his own sons
"unhappy man": Anchises pities himâdoing right doesn't mean feeling good
"however posterity judges": Moral ambiguityâis killing your children ever justified?
"love of country will prevail": Public duty trumps private feelingâthis is Roman heroism
Parallels Aeneas leaving Didoâpersonal loss for collective good
Republican Military Heroes
Anchises shows a procession of Republican generals and heroesâmen who expanded Rome's territory and defended it against enemies. These are the warriors who made Rome an empire.
Key Republican Figures
The Decii: Father and son who sacrificed themselves in battle for Rome's victory
The Fabii: Noble family, one entire branch (300 men) died fighting Etruscans
Fabius Maximus "Cunctator": Defeated Hannibal through delaying tactics (saved Rome)
Scipio Africanus: Finally defeated Hannibal at Zama (ended Second Punic War)
Pompey and Caesar: Civil war leaders (ominously pairedâforeshadows destruction)
Fabius Maximus: The Delayer
Virgil singles out Fabius Maximus for special praiseâthe general who saved Rome from Hannibal by avoiding direct battle and wearing the enemy down through attrition.
"One man, by delaying, restored our fortunes"âpatience and strategy valued over reckless courage. This reflects Roman pragmatism: victory matters more than glory.
Pompey and Caesar: Ominous Note
Anchises mentions Pompey and Caesar togetherâbut they fought a civil war that nearly destroyed Rome. He begs them: "Don't turn your strength against your own homeland! You first, Caesar, descended from Olympus, cast away your weapons!" This reminds Roman readers that even great men can cause catastrophe through civil conflict. Augustus ended this cycleâmaking him greater than either.
Augustus: The Climax of History
After parading Republican heroes, Anchises reaches the climax: Augustus Caesar, Rome's current emperor (when Virgil wrote). He's presented as the fulfillment of all Roman historyâthe man who brings the Golden Age.
"This, this is the man you have heard promised to you so often, Augustus Caesar, son of a god, who will bring back the Golden Age to Latium, to the fields where Saturn once reigned, and extend Rome's empire beyond the Indians and the Africans, to a land beyond the stars, beyond the paths of the year and the sun."
â Anchises on Augustus, Book 6.791-796
Augustus's Divine Presentation
"This, this is the man": Emphatic repetitionâhe's THE one, the awaited savior
"promised to you so often": All prophecies (Books 1, 3, etc.) point to him
"Augustus Caesar": Uses his full title, emphasizing authority
"son of a god": Julius Caesar was deified; Augustus is technically divi filius (son of divine Julius)
"Golden Age": Saturn's reign = mythical paradise; Augustus restores it
"beyond the stars... beyond the sun": Empire extends to cosmic limitsâuniversal rule
Augustus as Fulfillment
Every hero before Augustus is preparation; he's the culmination. Aeneas founds the line, Romulus founds the city, Republican heroes expand the empireâbut Augustus PERFECTS everything. He's presented as divinely destined, the man for whom all Roman history was merely prologue.
What Augustus Achieves (According to Anchises)
Restores the Golden Age: Peace, prosperity, moral renewal after civil war chaos
Extends empire: Beyond existing boundariesâto India, Africa, the limits of the world
Surpasses Hercules: "He will extend his power beyond Hercules"âgreater than demigods
Surpasses Dionysus: Even the god who conquered India is less glorious
Closes gates of war: The Temple of Janus (closed only during peace) will finally shut
Why This Is Propaganda
Legitimation: Augustus's rule isn't political accidentâit's cosmic destiny fated since Troy's fall
Divinity: "Son of a god" makes his authority sacred, not just political
Historical inevitability: All Roman heroes lead to himâhe's the telos (end goal) of history
Peace and prosperity: He ended civil warsâpositioned as Rome's savior, not just another general
Comparing Augustus to Past Heroes
Greater Than Hercules and Dionysus
Anchises explicitly compares Augustus to Hercules (Rome's greatest mortal hero) and Dionysus/Bacchus (god who conquered the East). Augustus surpasses BOTHâhuman and divine.
This is extraordinary claim: Virgil positions a living political leader as superior to mythological demigods and gods. It shows how far Augustus's propaganda went in elevating his status.
Is Virgil Being Sincere?
Scholars debate: Is Virgil genuinely praising Augustus, or is this propaganda so extreme it becomes ironic? Arguments for sincerity: Augustus DID end civil wars and bring peace. Arguments for irony: The epic ends with Aeneas killing in rageâundermining the "perfect peace" narrative. Virgil may be both celebrating Augustus AND showing empire's moral costs. The ambiguity is probably intentional.
Marcellus: The Tragic Ending
After the triumphant presentation of Augustus, the parade ends with devastating sadness. Aeneas sees a beautiful young man surrounded by gloom and asks who he is. Anchises reveals: Marcellus, Augustus's nephew and heirâwho will die tragically young.
"Who is that, father, walking with him? His son, or one of the great race of his descendants? What noise his companions make around him! How great his presence! But dark night hovers round his head with its sad shadow."
â Aeneas seeing Marcellus, Book 6.863-866
Aeneas's Question
"walking with him": Near Augustusâsuggesting closeness, importance
"What noise his companions make": Surrounded by admirersâclearly special
"How great his presence": Noble bearingâworthy of attention
"But dark night hovers": Visual sign of doomâdeath shadows him
Aeneas sees the tragedy before knowing who this isâforeshadowing creates pathos
Then father Anchises began, with rising tears: "O my son, do not ask of the great sorrow of your people. The fates will only show him to earth, not let him stay longer. The Roman race would have seemed too powerful to you gods, if this gift had been lasting. What groans of men that Field of Mars will send to Mars's great city! What funeral rites you will see, Tiber, as you glide past his new-made tomb!"
â Anchises on Marcellus, Book 6.867-873
Anchises's Lament
"with rising tears": Even in the underworld, this death causes grief
"do not ask of the great sorrow": The loss is too painful to fully describe
"fates will only show him": He'll live briefly, then dieâteasing Rome with what could have been
"too powerful to you gods": Gods jealous of Roman greatnessâso they take Marcellus away
"What groans... What funeral rites": Rhetorical questions emphasizing magnitude of mourning
Who Was Marcellus?
Historical Context
Marcus Claudius Marcellus (42-23 BC) was Augustus's nephew (son of his sister Octavia). Augustus adopted him as heir and married him to his daughter Julia. He was being groomed to succeed Augustus as emperor.
In 23 BC, when he was only 19, Marcellus died suddenly (possibly from illness). Rome mourned deeplyâhe represented hope for dynastic continuity. His death left Augustus's succession uncertain.
"No youth of the Trojan race will raise his Latin ancestors to such heights of hope, nor will the land of Romulus ever boast so proudly of any of its sons. Alas for his piety! Alas for his ancient honor, and his hand unconquered in war! No one could have opposed him in combat unscathed, whether he met the foe on foot or dug spurs into his foaming horse's flanks."
â Anchises praising Marcellus, Book 6.875-881
What Marcellus Could Have Been
"raise ancestors to such heights of hope": He would have exceeded even Augustus's glory
"land of Romulus never boast": Rome's greatest sonâcomparative to Romulus himself
"Alas for his piety": Had the key Roman virtue (pietas)
"hand unconquered in war": Military excellenceâperfect Roman leader
All potential, never realizedâmakes the loss more tragic
Why End on Tragedy?
After celebrating Augustus and Rome's glorious destiny, Virgil ends with grief over Marcellus. This complicates the triumphant narrativeâeven fated glory involves loss. Rome achieves greatness, but individuals suffer. The parade could have ended with Augustus's triumph; instead, it ends with mourning. This is Virgil's complexity: yes, Rome is glorious; yes, that glory costs everything.
Effect on Original Audience
When Virgil (allegedly) first recited this passage to Augustus and his family, Marcellus's mother Octavia fainted from grief. The wound was freshâMarcellus had died only a few years earlier. Virgil's poetry immortalized him, but also reminded everyone of Rome's loss. The tragedy wasn't abstract; it was real, recent, raw.
The Final Lines on Marcellus
"Alas, poor boy! If only you could break the harsh bonds of fate! You will be Marcellus. Give me handfuls of lilies, let me scatter purple flowers, let me load my descendant's spirit at least with these gifts, and perform this unavailing duty."
â Anchises's final words on Marcellus, Book 6.882-886
Funeral Imagery
"harsh bonds of fate": Even Anchises (dead) can't change fateâMarcellus must die
"You will be Marcellus": Future tenseâhe hasn't lived yet, but his death is already known
"lilies... purple flowers": Funeral offeringsâtreating him as already dead
"load his spirit with gifts": Ritual honor for the dead
"unavailing duty": Pietas performed even though it changes nothingâultimate Roman value
Rome's Mission Statement
In the middle of the parade (just before highlighting Augustus), Anchises gives the most famous statement of Rome's purpose. This is Virgil's definitive answer to "What is Rome FOR?"
"Others, I do not doubt, will beat the breathing bronze to softer lines, draw living faces from the marble, plead cases better, chart the heavens, and predict the rising of the constellations: you, Roman, remember to rule the peoples with power (these will be your arts), to crown peace with law, to spare the conquered, and subdue the proud."
â Anchises defining Rome's mission, Book 6.847-853
Most Important Lines in the Aeneid
"Tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento / parcere subiectis et debellare superbos" â "You, Roman, remember to rule peoples with power / to spare the conquered and subdue the proud." This is Rome's self-definition: our excellence is GOVERNANCE and MILITARY POWER, not art or philosophy.
Breaking Down the Mission
"Others will... ": Greeks excel in art (sculpture), oratory, science (astronomy)
"I do not doubt": Concedes Greek superiority in these fieldsânot claiming Romans are best at everything
"you, Roman": Direct addressâemphasizes distinct identity
"remember to rule": Imperativeâthis is command, not suggestion
"regere imperio populos": Rule peoples with imperium (legitimate authority/power)
"these will be your arts": Governance IS Rome's art formâpolitics as aesthetics
"Spare the Conquered, Subdue the Proud"
The Dual Policy
"parcere subiectis": Spare/show mercy to those who submitâclemency is strength
"debellare superbos": War down (utterly defeat) the proud who resist
Message: Submit to Rome = mercy and integration; Resist Rome = total destruction
This justified Roman imperialism: we're not cruel conquerors, we're bringing order
But "mercy to the conquered" assumes conquest is legitimate in the first place
Why This Matters
Legitimation of empire: Rome doesn't conquer for greedâit brings law, peace, order (Pax Romana)
Moral superiority: Greeks make art; Romans make civilizationâgovernance is higher calling
Clementia: Mercy (clementia) was Augustus's claimed virtueâhe spared enemies in civil wars
Justification: The "proud" deserve defeat; the submissive deserve protectionâimperialism as moral duty
Is This Convincing?
From Roman perspective: Yesâthey genuinely believed empire brought civilization, law, infrastructure, peace. From conquered peoples' perspective: Roman "mercy" still meant losing sovereignty, paying taxes, accepting subordination. Virgil presents this as Rome's noble mission, but modern readers often see it as propaganda justifying oppression. Both readings are validâwhich makes the passage complex and worth analyzing.
Connecting Mission to Aeneas
How Aeneas Embodies Rome's Mission
"Crown peace with law": Aeneas negotiates treaties, establishes order (not just conquest)
"Spare the conquered": Aeneas shows mercy to defeated Lausus, grieves for enemies
"Subdue the proud": Turnus is "proud" (superbus)âhis defeat fulfills mission
But ending complicates this: Aeneas kills Turnus in rage, not justice. Does he fail the mission? Or does "subduing the proud" require violence that looks unjust? Virgil doesn't answerâleaves it ambiguous.
For Essays: Using the Parade
Key Points to Make
1. Structure matters: Parade starts with kings, climaxes with Augustus, ends with Marcellusâtriumph mixed with tragedy
2. Propaganda function: Makes Augustus seem divinely destined, legitimizes his rule as culmination of history
3. Rome's mission: Governance, law, empireâpresented as moral duty, not mere conquest
4. Complexity: Marcellus's death shows even fated glory involves lossâVirgil both celebrates and mourns empire
5. Dramatic irony: Roman readers know these heroes; Aeneas is learningâcreates emotional connection to history
Ultimate Exam Point
The parade of heroes is simultaneously: celebration of Rome's greatness, propaganda for Augustus, statement of Roman mission, and tragic reminder of individual costs. Show examiners you understand this isn't simple triumphalismâVirgil both glorifies destiny and shows what's sacrificed to achieve it. Sophisticated essays analyze the tension, not just the surface meaning.