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Aeneas as a hero
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Recommended: Aeneas as a hero
Compare Aeneas and Odysseus in Their Role As Leaders And Prospective
Hero's?
Virgil's 'Aeneid' and Homer's 'Odyssey' are two very different
stories, told from opposing viewpoints: that of the Trojans in 'The
Aeneid,' and of the Greeks in 'The Odyssey.' The two leaders, Aeneas
and Odysseus, that feature are therefore very different in their
approach to leadership. However, despite their differences they both
rise to the challenges set to them as true leaders.
In each work, the first time the great leaders feature, the first
impression given of each is hardly one of a strong leader and future
hero. When we first meet the Greek hero, Odysseus, he is sitting on a
rock despairing on the island of Ogygia, where the demi-goddess
Calypso has kept him for eight years. He appears hopeless and
defeated; not exactly typical leadership qualities. This mirrors the
first appearance of Aeneas, except for the fact he is still amongst
his own men, who is facing fierce sea storms ordered by the goddess
Juno. He too is crying in desperation and appears to have lost all
hope in his destiny:
'A sudden chill went through Aeneas and his limbs grew weak. Groaning,
he lifted his hands palms upward to the stars and cried'
From these first impressions, you would view both men as being
incapable of leading men if they cannot even control their own
emotions. However, this first impression is what allows their eventual
successes to appear even greater.
Aeneas is actively in charge of men from the very start of 'The
Aeneid.' After Neptune causes the ferocious storm to subside, we see
Aeneas and his fellow Trojans land on Libya. It is here that we get
our first glimpse of Aeneas the leader as he immediately checks the
sea for...
... middle of paper ...
...amp and the walls.'
It is clear that both are great leaders in their own rights and
equally suited to their own race. 'The Aeneid' itself tells us that
the Greeks were a much more scheming race and therefore the cunning,
quick witted Odysseus is the ideal leader for their race. The Trojans
on the other hand were a much more trusting city, as we see in their
innocent but foolish acceptance of the scheming Sinon (he let the
Greeks into Troy after gaining the Trojans sympathy and trust.)
However, trust is not a downfall in Aeneas' case. It is this trust
that allows him to be such a pious man; he takes the advice of the
gods even if there is doubt in his mind. His fatherly care for his men
and careful planning for war is ideally suited to the Trojan race.
Both men live up to the reputations they have as great leaders, and
each is successful in their quests.
Although some could possibly call Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey, a great leader, the fact that he fails to earn his men’s respect, endangers his men’s lives repeatedly and allows them to die due to his own selfishness states otherwise.
is and how to be a religious person. He gives more than he receives. In fact,
Both Atticus and Odysseus could be qualified as a leader but in their own unique way. Atticus Finch, being the father of two
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
Aeneas’s mission is to find a new home for him and his family. Both these characters had many similarities and differences in their ways of fighting. Both Odysseus and Aeneas were helped by different gods. Odysseus was helped by Calypso in a way. She held him captive, but was forced to release him from the father of all Greek gods,Zeus.
In Book I, we learn that Aeneas will be facing many obstacles on his journey because Juno (Hera) “in her sleepless rage” does not favor him (1.7). An issue Odysseus also had to deal with. The difference here is, unlike Odysseus who has angered Poseidon by blinding his son, Cyclops, Aeneas has not done anything to provoke this rage. Juno holds a grudge against Paris for not choosing her in a beauty competition against Minerva (Athena) and Venus, “that suffering, still rankled: deep within her, / Hidden away, the judgment Paris gave” (1.39-40). She also knows what is to come of Carthage, “That generations born of Trojan blood [Aeneas] / Would one day overthrow her Tyrian walls,” a city “[Juno] cared more for…/ Than any walled city of the earth” (1.31-32, 24-25). We know that Aeneas is set to build Rome so she will try her hardest to make him fail on his journey. In the case of Odysseus, Athena interc...
The roles of Aneas and Turnus are reversed as the Aeneid progresses. The erasure of Aneas' free will accounts for his triumph and success. Time and time again, Aneas' courage, loyalty, and will are tested in the Aeneid. Through seemingly endless journeys by sea, through love left to wither, and through war and death, Aneas exhibits his anchored principals and his unwavering character. "Of arms I sing and the hero, destiny's exile... Who in the grip of immortal powers was pounded By land and sea to sate the implacable hatred of Juno; who suffered bitterly in his battles As he strove for the site of his city, and safe harboring For his Gods in Latium" (Virgil 7).
Aeneas also went to fight in the Trojan War. He also was a national hero. He was a great warrior. Both Odysseus and Aeneas were trying to head home.
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” includes a young, not Gary Busey, George Clooney at his finest playing, Ulysses Everett McGill. Ulysses is a fun character with a conman personality leading his crew to the treasure of a life time. The story takes place during the time of the great depression and Ulysses and his two fellow convicts escape from prison at the start of their journey. Throughout the movie, the three main characters go on an adventure to “secure the treasure”, with Ulysses depicted as their leader. He makes the men believe that fortune is in their future when, in reality, they are helping Ulysses get back to his wife before she remarries. The clock is ticking for our adventurers, as they do everything possible to make it on time. The
There has been much debate on who is the greatest hero of the ancient world. There has also been much dispute on which is the greatest epic poem of the ancient world. However, comparing The Aeneid to The Odyssey is entirely a difficult task itself. Odysseus' journeys, both physical and emotional, are essential in the overall work because it defines The Odyssey as an epic poem. Aeneas also shares a similar experience as Odysseus as well. Both stories are similar in countless ways because they both undergo comparable experiences on their travels and their life journeys. With that being said, they both demonstrated leadership in their own way. However, it is difficult to determine who the best leader actually is. Both men exhibit great leadership skills; therefore, causing a challenge for some in determining which the greater epic is. After analyzing both texts, it is possible to conclude that Aeneas is the better leader, but The Odyssey is the greater epic.
If there is any possibility that a comparison could be made with the famous journeys of Odysseus and Aeneas, it must be known that Aeneas is actually a hero in search of his own soul while Odysseus is a hero trying to find his old life and in a sense, his old soul. The Aeneid is very much of a spiritual quest, which makes it unique in ancient literature and in contrast with the Odyssey. Only Virgil admits to the possibility that a character can change, grow, and develop. In the story’s earlier stages, the character of Aeneas is obviously unsure of himself, always seeking instructions from his father or from the gods before committing himself to any course of action. In the underworld he sees a perspective of the future history of Rome down to the time of Augustus, and that vision gives him the self-confidence to act on his own initiative. Comparatively, Odysseus is driven though his journey beginning with apparent self-confidence and continuing with a vengeful vigor. While reviewing the myth’s fantastic journey, I wondered if Aeneas was great because his fate made him great or was he great because he had the courage and determination to live up to the role fate handed him? There is a side to Aeneas, I noticed that is not very impressive, even when I could almost understand why he feels the way he does. He is sad, tired, always waiting for his father or the gods to tell him what to do.
Plotinus challenges Plato 's theory that art imitates nature and the world of appearances and is therefore twice removed from reality. He gives art a higher position and develops the Platonic distinction between the world of appearance and true reality and takes art as an emanation from the ultimately unknowable "One". Throughout history, writers and philosophers have expressed their views about how the life of man is ultimately defined in their works. The Greeks have played their part in this quest as well. One of the great plays of the ancient Greek world that paved the way for others was Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex”. In this play, Sophocles shows us a chapter from the life of man. Throughout the book, he hints at the idea that life poses a riddle for man to solve thus being a
An analysis of The Iliad and The Odyssey show us that Achilles and Odysseus do have several qualities in common, but that they also have numerous makings that show the differences between the two epic heroes. Both of these men are very violent and kill in very vicious was, they are also very emotionally immature, and finally both Achilles and Odysseus are favored by Athena. With all those features in common they also have several things that make themselves stand out from each other. First off, their mindset is very different. Achilles is very linear minded; he doesn’t beat around the bush and gets straight to the point of why he wants to fight. On the other hand, Odysseus is much more deceptive and cunning; he is very strategic and is almost more powerful with how he makes you think and act towards him. Next, their reasons for fighting are very different. Achilles is fighting because it’s his destiny and it’s what he has to do, Odysseus is fighting to get home to his family whom he hasn’t seen in several years. Finally, their homecomings make these two characters very different. Achilles never does get a homecoming, he dies at the walls of Troy as he is fighting. Odysseus, in contrast does end up coming home to his wife and son, that is, after he fights off the suitors that
his life around. We all must do this if we want to be followers of
to trust what you cannot trace. It leads you to rely on the character of God.” When peace