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Roman and greek literature similarities
Comparison of Greek and Roman literature
Greek and Roman literature
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The idea of favoritism in Roman/Greek literature is very renowned . It is most noticeable in The Aeneid of Virgil. In the Aeneid, in the times when the gods are angry they peer down onto the world from Olympus and do what they can to disrupt the flow of life. In the Epic of Aeneas, a Trojan War hero, a few gods are working to either help him, or are doing everything in their all mighty power to disrupt his journey. On Aeneas' side was Venus, the goddess of love, who is Aeneas’ mom as well. She give all the help and assistance that she can further assist Aeneas’ journey, and she works hard to keep Juno’s anger at Aeneas at bay and keep him as safe as possible. A perfect example of Venus’ guidance for Aeneas was when she prays for a safe journey to Italy for Aeneas:
Permit this remnant to entrust their sails safely across the waters. Let them reach
Laurentine Tiber if what I beseech
Is just, if fate has given them those walls.
This is one of the few times that Venus uses the power she holds to aid Aeneas. She wishes to see that Aeneas is safe from outside force that'll make the journey unsuccessful. In a hole, Venus doesn't wish to see any misfortune to come to her boy, and she shall do whatever she can to word off Juno and keep him safe and thus favoring Aeneas and will see that his mission victorious.
Regardless of the amount of assistance Aeneas gains, there are many barriers standing in the way of his destined journey to Rome. Juno, the queen of the gods and Zeus' sister, does everything in her power to prevent the Trojans, but mainly Aeneas, from accomplishing his journey to Italy and succeeding at his fate.No matter what she tries many times over the epic to make Aeneas fail but she knows that she cannot directly interf...
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...favor Aeneas per say but he saw that he had a destiny to do something and did not wish to see it ruined by his wife/sister, also he did not want him to succeed without trouble, he is the great balance, the holder of the great scales of fate as said in the end of the epic.
People are influenced or directed heavily by the gods power. They continuously struggled to better themselves in the eyes of the gods. They had seen their powers and capabilities and feared being looking down upon by them. The Aeneid provide ideal examples of this. Aeneas was the recipient of both approval and disapproval of gods. The gods are very powerful beings and use ability to provide and destroy. Being favored by these gods would be in ones best interest. On a whole, the gods were a force never to be messed with and no one has ever wanted to do anything to “step on the toes” of a god.
Aeneas honors his father in a way that portrays Anchises as the superior. Anchises acts as Aeneas’ leader and advisor during the fleet. Aeneas accepts the advice Anchises gives him because, as a parent, Anchises intends to “nurture and educate” (Aristotle, 1161a18), his son for the good. In a paternal relationship, the father should look to transfer his knowledge and power into his own son, for the father is the cause of his being. This is portrayed when Anchises advises Aeneas to head towards Crete to make their new home, and so they do. He was wrong about Crete, yet Aeneas continues to listen to him when he advises them to move to Italy. Furthermore, when Anchises dies it is clear that Aeneas will miss his father’s advice as he describes Anchises as, “my mainstay in every danger and defeat” (The Aeneid, pg.126). Anchises was the one to lead his son out of dangers, and Aeneas depended on his superior father to do
Out of the two heroes Gilgamesh was the one who was most aggressive and pursued the more ambitious goal, though it was one near impossible to achieve. Gilgamesh wanted to have a power that only the gods possessed. He wanted to be immortal. Aeneas never sought such an unachievable task, and was not as determined as Gilgamesh was. Aeneas only had to find a place where the defeated Trojans could settle and found a new city. Once in the story he even had to be reminded of his destiny by the Jupiter when he was distracted by his love for Dido.
Many people seem to be under the impression that the Aeneid is a celebration of Roman glory, led by the hero of fate Aeneas. I find these preconceived ideas hard to reconcile with my actual reading of the text. For starters, I have a hard time viewing Aeneas as a hero at all. Almost any other main characters in the epic, from Dido to Camilla to Turnus, have more heroic qualities than Aeneas. This is especially noteworthy because many of these characters are his enemies. In addition, Aeneas is presented as a man with no free will. He is not so much bound to duty as he is shielded by it. It offers a convenient way for hum to dodge crucial moral questions. Although this doesn’t necessarily make him a bad person, it certainly makes him a weak one. Of course some will argue that it takes greater moral conviction to ignore personal temptation and act for the good of the people. These analysts are dodging the issue just like Aeneas does. The fact is that Aeneas doesn’t just sacrifice his own personal happiness for the common good; he also sacrifices the past of the Trojan people, most notably when he dishonors the memory of his fallen city by becoming the men he hated most, the Greek invaders. The picture of Aeneas as seen in the end of the Aeneid bears some sticking resemblances to his own depiction of the savage and treacherous Greeks in the early books.
She convinced him to stop fighting because she wanted him to rescue his family which was a lot more important. Jupiter also helped him because Aeneas’s wife told Jupiter that Aeneas was going to kill himself, so she wanted him to send Aeneas a sign telling him not to kill himself. Aeneas was going to do this because he found his father almost dead and decided to take his own life. Both of them are really great fighters, but they have differences in how they do things. Odysseus plans things out before he attacks and has a good plan as well.
Aeneas is the son of Venus. This fact alone brings about much of the hero in him. Venus, a concerned mother, always looks out for her son. She does everything she thinks will help to ensure his safety and success. At the beginning of his journey from Troy, she prevents his death at sea. Juno has persuaded King Aeolus to cause vicious storms, rocking Aeneas' fleet and nearly killing all of them. Venus then goes to Jupiter and begs him to help Aeneas: Venus appealed to him, all pale and wan, With tears in her shining eyes:
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...
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.
“Am I to admit defeat/ Unable to keep these Trojans and their kings/ From Italy? Forbidden by the Fates, am I?” (1.50-52). Knowing the outcome doesn’t sway the decisions of Juno at all is overcome with rage. It is keen to note that rage is one of the most important themes of The Aeneid and is showed from the poem starts till it ends. Juno and Dido are the two major characters that are affected by this rage. It is Juno who allows Dido to believe that she and Aeneas are married; with hopes that Aeneas would not leave to the build the city of Rome. The intervention of the gods shows how they can easily sway the lives of their mortal men for their own personal desires. For example, when Juno incites rage on the Trojan women allowing them to burn their ships. Virgil clearly shows that aren’t no women of rationality all women are controlled by their emotions. It is clear from the start that Juno is on a man hunt to put an end to the Trojans reign; as result Aeneas becomes a subject of Juno’s rage. Virgil depicts Juno as vengeful Antagonist who tortures a pietious man,
We also see in the story what someone must sacrifice in order to fulfill their goals. Though Aeneas's destiny was much more grand than many of our own, we still must make choices that can sometimes hurt others. I really thought that Vergil captured our inner emotions with the affair between Dido and Aeneas.
50),” manifests her rage though the physical fire set to the Trojans ships by the women. Juno’s divine wrath against Aeneas stems from two events; the first being Paris choosing Venus as the fairest women compared to Juno and Minerva. The second being the Trojan descendants are fated to destroy Juno’s favorite city, Carthage. Juno understands she cannot stop Aeneas from reaching fated Italy, but she still does everything in her power to make the journey difficult. Juno’s burning rage is most clearly seen when she sends down her messenger, Iris, to convince the Trojan women to burn Aeneas’ fleet. Aeneas and his crew had just landed in Eryx and held festivities to honor Anchises. As the men are distracted by the games, Iris impersonates Beroe and persuades the women to light “burning torches” (V.635) and ignite the ships. The women act on their emotions and are easily persuaded because they want to stop traveling and stay in Eryx. Iris is “the first to seize destroying flame” (V.641) and throw it onto the ships. The women “watched in horror” (V.643-4) but soon join the attack. The “raging fire didn’t slaken” (V.680) until Jupiter intervenes and releases a “rage of pouring rain and thunder” (V.694). Juno’s internal rage is demonstrated though the external fire set by Iris and the women. The destructive fires and the manipulation of the women’s emotions emphasize the rage Juno feels that is only be smothered by Jupiter’s
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.
When discussing the fate of Aeneas, a thought provoking question is posed that is commonly debated. If Aeneas is commanded by fate, does he have free will? It is important to approach this question with a solid understand of fate. There are two common sides to the debate of whether Aeneas had free will or not. One view believes Aeneas had no choice but to follow his destiny because he was commanded by fate, and prophesied to found the race that will one day build Rome. The other side states Aeneas did indeed have free will, and even though his fate was set, room is available within his fate for events to change. One can argue Aeneas makes some of his own choices, but no particular detail of his life is untouched. Destiny determines that the Trojans will found a city in Italy, but it does not stipulate how that will happen. This is where room is left for free will. After much research and considering the views of many commentators and the proof they showed, the answer can simply be found by going back to the text of The Aeneid.
She has her messenger, Iris deviously manipulate the Trojan women while on Sicily to set fire upon the Trojan ships. This course of action can be classify as evil as a trait of Juno. Her multiple attempts in trying to delay Aeneas have failed and yet she wickedly tries her luck again. Ineffectively, the women do set fire to the ships, but with Aeneas ' prayer to Jupiter, he sends down a rainstorm to put out the flame. Her failed attempt to use a lesser deity to try to bring down Aeneas ' ships (1.77-83), her failed attempt to artificially produce love (4.112-129), and now her failed attempt to bring together women has fairly tarnished her success as a goddess
Throughout the first three books of The Aeneid, Virgil stresses how the gods intervene in Aeneas' path several times, aiding him and plotting against him. The son of venus, Aeneas has more attention from the Gods than most mortals on earth. As the Trojans " were all under sail in open water/ With Sicily just out of sight astern, lighthearted as they plowed the whitecapped sea," (I, 50-3) the intervention of juno and aeolus caused the remaining Trojans to disperse, being thrown off course by a terrible storm. Without the aid, intended or not, of neptune, Aeneas' men would not have survived the treacherous storm. Venus, concerned for her beloved mortal son after so many blows, bearing the same misfortune time and again, pleads with jupiter for the safety of her son. Reassuring her Aeneas' destiny will prevail, jupiter announces that "as promised, you shall see Lavinium's walls And take up, then, amid the stars of heaven, Great-souled Aeneas" (I, 349-351).
... attempts they do just the opposite. With Venus’ many interventions, Aeneas is prevented from making mistakes and is guided to his fate, from not killing Helen [book 2] to leaving behind the old and the weak for Italy [book 4] . He is shown enough times to be the puppet of their play: from obeying the will of the gods while enduring the wrath of other gods, all this in order to set the wheels in motion for the far off future Roman race. However, there are also times when he is also shown to be exerting his won free will. For example, in book 12, killing Turnus when he is begging for mercy, something not heroic and which Susanna Braund debates the positive and negative aspect of in her essay on Virgil and the Meaning of the Aeneid [1.17-18]. nonetheless, this act demonstrates that even the gods and the fates require his cooperation to fulfil his destiny.