What Symbolism Has Gold Played In The Aeneid

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What symbolism has gold and the color purple played in the Aeneid specifically during Aeneas’ trip to the underworld?
The use of gold and the color purple in descriptions of the underworld contributed substantially to the imagery and symbolism of book six. Aeneas is told by the priestess that a golden bough must be piously harvested from the forest and given as a special offering to Hades if Aeneas wishes to enter the underworld. (Pg. 4) Gold and the color purple are generally used in describing gods or royalty throughout the Aeneid. However, on line 254 the shroud that Aeneas wraps the limbs of his fallen friend Misenus are described as a deathly purple, a sharp contrast to the godly and royal use of the color. Virgil uses the color to convey