Final answer:
Aeneas uses examples of individuals he meets in the underworld, including war heroes, innocent victims, and mythological figures, to justify his entry. Figures from Stoic philosophy and those who improved life through their inventions are also used to explain the complexity of the underworld journey he undertakes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Aeneas justifies his entry into the underworld using examples of individuals he encounters in the mythological landscape crafted by Virgil in the Aeneid. He encounters various souls who represent certain virtues or challenges, including famous war heroes, innocent victims, and figures of Stoic cosmology and Platonic thought presented by his father Anchises. Souls on the verge of reincarnation drink from the river Lethe to forget their past lives, further emphasizing the theme of rebirth and underscoring the Stoic and Platonic ideals of the soul's imprisonment in the mortal body and subsequent purification.
The mythological women such as Dido and the presence of Charon, the ferryman of the dead, unify Greek influences and Roman narrative elements. Aeneas also meets historical figures such as poets and those who bettered life through inventions, creating a complex interconnectedness between cultural heroes, the virtuous, and the embodiment of philosophical ideals to justify his underworld journey.