Homer and Virgil were two poets that came from differing societies. Homer, a Greek poet, is most famous for his epic poem The Odyssey. It tells the story of the hero Odysseus’ journey back to back to his homeland of Ithaca after 10 years abroad. He is in a race against time to oust the suitors of his wife Penelope from his court. The Aeneid tells the tale of Aeneas, who is a hero of the Trojan war that is traveling to Italy after the conflict has ended in order to establish a new empire. Aeneas and Odysseus were actually on opposite sides of each other during the Trojan war. Both Aeneas and Odysseus would have been considered heroes to their respective kingdoms, but that is not where their similarities end. There are many facets of the two protagonists that could be considered synonymous. However, there are differences between the two that can be seen as well. The first major similarity that our two heroes share is the aid that they received on their journeys. Both Odysseus and Aeneas received help from the gods. In the case of Odysseus, his main ally was Athena, the god of wisdom. She aided him …show more content…
Aeneas’ protection is the result of his kinship with the god of beauty, Venus. She is his mother, which is why she often sends her fellow gods on missions to help Aeneas. In one section Virgil writes, “O King of Gods and Men! whose awful hand Disperses thunder on the seas and land, Disposing all with absolute command; How could my pious son thy pow 'r incense? Or what, alas! is vanish 'd Troy 's offense? Our hope of Italy not only lost” (Aeneid). In this section, Juno (Aeneas’ enemy) has spoken to Aeolus and convinced him to conjure a storm that will eradicate Aeneas and his crew. His mother, Venus, goes to Neptune to see if he will calm the seas and save Aeneas. He speaks to her and assures her that he will soon conquer Italy, at which point he frees Aeneas and his crew from the storm that plagues
The stories of Sundiata and Aeneas are individual stories, but there are some similar themes in both accounts. Both Sundiata and Aeneas have their homeland taken over, are then exiled, and must go on a quest to achieve their goal to reestablish a land for their people. Along the way, both experience the death of a parent, and must learn to grow as an individual and mature in order to finally complete their tasks.
The main characters of each work are automatically associated with each other by their names, but they also share similar personalities and characteristics. Odysseus is a wily hero of the Trojan War who uses his deceptive...
The trials of Aeneas and Gilgamesh were very similar. Both led tragic lives and suffered from the wrath of the gods. Aeneas witnessed his family die, his home city burned to the ground, and was victim to the goddess Juno’s plots throughout his fated journey to Italy. Gilgamesh had seen his best friend die from the gods’ vengeance and was emotionally crushed by it.
Odysseus and Aeneas are very alike in some ways and very different. They are both epic heroes except that one is Greek and the other is a Trojan. Odysseus is from the Greek tale The Oddessy, which was written by the famous Greek poet Homer. His quest is to find his way back home after a long journey. Aeneas is from the roman tale The Aenied, written by Virgil a famous Roman poet. 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.
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 Virgil’s The Aeneid, there are many parallels found in Homer’s The Odyssey. In each epic, the heroes, Aeneas and Odysseus, are on a journey “home.” Aeneas is on the search of a new home for he and his companions to settle since Troy has been destroyed, Odysseus on the other hand is attempting to return to his home he left years earlier to fight the Trojan War. They both have Gods against them and helping them, both Aeneas and Odysseus are both held back by women, both voluntary and involuntarily, and they both have experiences visiting the Underworld. Despite these similarities, there are differences between the two characters and it reflects their values and the society they live in. Aeneas relies on his strength as a warrior, where as Odysseus uses his deception to survive which reflects how Aeneas is truly Roman is versus Greek.
When comparing Homer’s Odysseus to King Leonidas, Leonidas should be considered the greater hero. Leonidas proves his loyalty to his men by fighting alongside them in battle, even as king. Not only does Leonidas fight with his men, he also fight against a tyrant to preserve his democracy. Odysseus on the other hand is not trustworthy, and proves that by having an affair while on his long journey away from his wife, Penelope. Leonidas is a great hero, as well as a great king.
Heroes emotional state can hinder the effects of their heroic characteristics, which in turn will manipulate their self-confidence. Every hero shares similar and different emotional tragedies, but these poignant feelings can turn heroes into epic legends. These influential heroes, such as Odysseus, Aeneas, and Antigone were faced with emotional defeat, but they evolved their heroic characteristic traits through their mental challenges. Emotional qualities not only built these stories, but built these heroes. While these poetic stories differ, each of these heroes were cultivated by their personal emotional events in their lives.
Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid represent their cultures very well, but they express different ideas on what one should strive for in life. There are also different forces that pushed both epics to be written. The Aeneid expresses the Roman idea of pietas which means to show extreme respect for one’s ancestors. We see this in Aeneas when he is pictured caring his father away from burning Troy. He has pietas because he cared so much for his father that in fleeing from Troy he took up his father over his shoulder to save his from certain death. This is not the only major idea in the Aeneid. There is also a very political focus. The Roman were very interested in politics which comes through in the Aeneid. The Odyssey has the Greek idea of arete trapped somewhere among the many themes. Arete is a strive for perfection in both mind and body. It is a much more personal and individual idea than the Roman pietas. In the most basic seance the Aeneid and the Romans have a much more political focus and duty to the state ( republic ) than the Greeks who honor tradition , family , and arete.
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.
The belt of Pallas serves as a highly important symbol in the Aeneid and for Turnus’ fate. In Book X, Turnus defeats Pallas and disrespects Pallas’ body and glory by stripping him of his armor, taking the young prince’s belt. Ironically, the sword belt is engraved with “pictured crime” of men being murdered on their wedding night by Danaus’ daughters. This scene of betrayal engraved on the belt parallels to when Turnus betrayed Aeneas by promising Aeneas Lavinia. The parallel between the two tragic scenes also foreshadows Turnus’ own ill-fated destiny:
In every child’s mind, they always have dream to be a hero, however, it is not easy to be a hero, and hero is imperfect exist. Since they have strong leadership, they always care about others and protect them. Sometimes as a hero they are luckier than normal people, they could gain supernatural power as their shields. Nevertheless, they have their unique characteristics, they can handle the problem in different attitudes. As the character in book “Odyssey” who was “Odysseus” wrote by Homer and the other in Bible “Moses”, they had similar characteristics, however they also had some differences. All in all, Odysseus in Homer’s book shows he was a strong leader, and got help by God, also he was quite blood thirsty and Moses in Bible was full of
Gilgamesh and Odysseus both journey in pursuit of what they desire most. For Gilgamesh it is immortality, and for Odysseus it is home. Gilgamesh the king of Uruk and Odysseus, king of Ithaca must face their ultimate struggles and come in contact with their fears and suffering. These men seek for pride and honor on their journeys. Along the way, their fate is being held in the hands of the Gods. Both Gilgamesh and Odysseus search for the meaning of life through knowledge and perseverance, trying to make it alive until the end.
Throughout your life you will meet some people that are so similar to each other, you think they could be the same person. They possess most, if not all of the same characteristics. This happens quite frequently in literature. The book The Odyssey is a 303 page book by Homer, that has a character named Odysseus that is very similar to a character named Othello. Othello is the main character in a 314 page play called Othello by William Shakespeare. Both of these characters go through similar hardships throughout both of the stories. Characters are often portrayed similar to other characters in other stories, and share the same traits. Othello and Odysseus are very similar characters and go through some of the same battles throughout the two
In the book the Iliad, The Odyssey, and Works and days, there are many things that can be similar when talking about Greek heroes and the world of Greek poetry. The stories and topics are describing similar events during this time of the eighth and seventh century B.C. In the end, however, they do have some differences in some parts when describing or explaining certain situations and ideas. The world of Greek heroes is written like a story; or Epic Poetry. That is what The Iliad and The Odyssey are; Epic Poetries. They are telling a story of a great hero and their adventures. On the other hand, the more realistic Greek World that is being described in Works and days is a Didactic poem, which tells more of a moral or message to the reader.