The descent into the underworld is a myth of comparative mythology found in a diverse number of religions around the world, including Christianity. The hero or deity of the upper world travels to the underworld or the land of the dead and returns, often with a sought-after object or loved one, or with greater knowledge. The ability to enter the realm of the dead while still alive, and return, is proof of the classic hero’s exceptional status as more than just mortal.
Virgil, the greatest of all the Roman poets, modeled his masterpiece, The Aeneid (30-19 BC), on the basis of the ancient Greek epics The Iliad and the Odyssey, written by Homer. On the other hand Aristophanes (448-385 BC), Athenian playwright, is considered one of the greatest comedy writers in literary history. The Frogs is one of his masterpieces. Plot wit, incidental quirks, fresh and sparkling wit, delicate literary criticism, sweet bursts of lyrical songs, and incomparable parody snippets make Aristophanes The Frogs the greatest literary satire in any language. The Aeneid is divided into different books. Of these, Book VI is very significant because it gives an account of the underworld that is visited and experienced by Aeneas, the Trojan hero after the fall of Troy. However, the story of The Frogs of Aristophanes can be related to that of The Aeneid of Virgil (Book VI) regarding the journey to the underworld, especially with regard to the theme, characters, places, description of the underworld, etc.
You can compare the initial part of these two trips. Before embarking on the journey to the underworld, Aeneas, the Trojan hero, visited Cumaean Sibyl. She, in her prophetic vision, told Aeneas that very soon he would have to fight a battle in Lazio. It was Sibyl who instructed Aeneas to tear off the Golden Branch. Aeneas was escorted by her to Hades through the cave of Avernus. They came to the River Styx, on one side of which they could see the ghosts of the unburied dead. In The Frogs we see that Dionysus, the patron god of Drama as the hero of the play, begins his journey to the Underworld accompanying his slave Xanthias. Unsure about the best way to break into the Underworld and always unstable in his courage, he devises an ingenious plan. He will don the guise of Heracles, who in the last and most spectacular of his famous works made his way into the realm of Hades and stole the guard dog of hell, the three-headed hound Cerberus. Dionysus imagines that if the Hades guards see “Heracles” return, they will all flee and let him in without a fight. However, dressing in the lion’s skin and the full club, like Heracles and accompanied by his slave Xanthias with the luggage, he begins his dangerous journey. If we compare The Frogs with The Aeneid, we see that Dionysus acts as a hero in The Frogs who is actually a god (god of drama) while Aeneas; a human being plays the hero role in The Aeneid. The Golden Branch, which has a magical effect to rescue itself from any danger, can be compared to the lion skin dress that Dionysus wore.
The main purpose of his journey to the underworld is to receive instruction on how to build (Aeneid) or save a country (The frogs) from the dead who were great in his life. We can see that in both trips there is the presence of Charon, who is the old ferryman who transported the souls of the dead through a river that separated the world of the living from the world of the dead and brought them to the gates of the underworld. In both pieces, the protagonists have to ask Charon to take them along the River Styx (Aeneid), which is also called Lake Acheron (The Frogs), and the river is the same for both trips, albeit with different names. In Aeneid we can see that Aeneid is suggested about the precondition and procedures of Hellenus’ journey. Similarly, Dionysus is suggested by Heracles, who is his half brother.
In both trips the protagonists meet many souls, ghosts, horrible creatures. Cerberus, a monstrous dog is found on both trips. Cerberus, a three-headed dog with a dragon’s tail that guards the entrance to the nether world or Hades. The monster allowed all spirits to enter Hades, but would not allow any of them to leave. Sibyl who gives guidance and stays with Aeneas as a companion on the journey can be compared to both Heracles (from whom Dionysus gives suggestions before starting the journey) and Xanthias. Xanthias is a comical figure who works as a servant to Dionysus. Sibyl is a prophet who guided the Trojan prince Aeneas through the underworld to visit his father Anchises and her role in the journey was very remarkable because without his prophecy and assistance.
The experiences that Aeneas and Dionysus gathered on their journey to hell are not the same. But in both The Frogs and The Aeneid, Hell is described as dark and muddy, ugly and full of dangerous creatures never seen before. Aeneas’ experience on the journey is more bitter than Dionysus’s experience. In the epic Aeneid the journey to the underworld has a serious purpose and in the other writing we can find that throughout the comedy seriousness is absent and is replaced by humor, irony and witty comments. Many comical incidents can be found throughout the journey made by Dionysus such as Dionysus’s slave costume and Xantio’s master costume that is made out of fear of Dionysus from Empusa.
We can see that in Aeneid the hero Aeneas acts boldly and remains determined and confident throughout the Journey. On the other hand in The Frogs the hero Dionysus is cowardly, selfish, carnal, a not very masculine person and throughout the trip to Hades. In Frogs we observe that the choir is present throughout the trip and in The Aeneid there is no choir. We can find that Aeneas is prophesied to establish the Roman Empire and descend into Hades to meet his dead father, Anchises, for suggestions on what to do. But in the case of the frogs there is no prophecy about Dionysus’s journey to the underworld.
A notable difference between the journeys of these two pieces is the difference in the treatment of nature in the description of two journeys. In the Aeneid we can find a detailed description of the environment and the natural landscape of Hades. For example, there is a description of Dis with shadow and light like a forest on a moonlit night. On the other hand, there is no such description in the frogs of the journey made by Dionysus. I Aeneid Charon is described as an old man who has the same youthful vigor with a fiery red beard. We can find the presence of song and dance in the journey of Dionysus in the frogs, but there is no such element in the journey made by Aeneas in the Aeneid.
Although The Frogs and Aeneid are a different type of literary work, there are some similarities between these two pieces regarding the journey to the underworld. In The Frogs the situation was very funny and satirical, but in The Aeneid it was serious. In fact, it is patriotic zeal that is a common similarity in both pieces.