Katabaza i vizija rimske povijesti u VI. knjizi Vergilijeve Eneide
Katabasis and the Vision of Roman History in Virgil’s Aeneid VI

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines the ideological, philosophical, and narrative func tion of the motif of the descent into the underworld (katabasis) in Book VI of Virgil’s Aeneid by Virgil. Drawing on comparative and intertextual analysis, the study compares Virgil’s depiction with earlier Greek literary models, primarily the Homeric nékyia in the Odyssey by Homer, in order to highlight the distinctive features of the Roman reinterpretation of this myth. The central section of the paper analyzes the moral and philosophical topography of Virgil’s underworld, with particular emphasis on the “parade of Roman heroes” and the prophecy of Anchises. It demonstrates how the poet intertwines Stoic and Pythagorean con cepts with mythological genealogy in order to shape a teleological narrative about the rise of Rome and to legitimize the Augustan political order. Starting from the interpretative framework of the Harvard School of Vergilian interpretation and the theory of the “two voices,” the paper concludes that Virgil’s katabasis is not merely a panegyrical construct of imperial power. Rather, through the motif of transience and tragic loss–most notably the death of Marcus Claudius Marcellus– the epic retains a profound ambivalence, underscoring the enduring tension be tween the historical triumph of the Roman state and the intimate cost of human suffering.

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