T.J. Czikra
The Aeneid and the Odyssey
Southern New Hampshire University
Virgil was one of the greatest ancient Roman poets in Western literature that wrote the epic Aeneid. His full name was Publius Vergillus Maro . The Aeneid is about a Trojan refugee Aeneas, who struggles to follow his destiny and arrives at the Italian shores. The poem consists of 9,896 lines and is in Latin. Aeneas later becomes the ancestor of the Romans after being a known Greco-Roman legend in Greek and Roman myths . His wanderings associated with the personal characteristic of scrupulous pietas. The poem is a founding myth and a national epic tied to the Roman legends and traditional Roman virtues. It legitimized the famous Julio-Claudian dynasty where
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Odysseus offends Poseidon, the sea god when he blinded the god’s son, Cyclops Polyp emus. Athena, who is the Goddess of wisdom, intercedes several times to protect him from adversaries in his journey. Aeneas faces Juno, a God, who attacks him because he is a Trojan warrior. The goddess seeks vengeance because another Trojan descendant had awarded another God with beauty in her place. Venus, Aeneas mother who is also the goddess of beauty and love, aids him in all conflicts with Juno.
Both writings have the characters meet with their dead parents in the visitation to the Underworld in the middle of the poem. Odysseus meets his dead mother and tries to touch and embrace her, while Aeneas meets his father and tries to hold him but realizes later he cannot because he is dead. Aeneas knows that his father is dead while Odysseus does not know that his mother is dead. Odysseus father is alive while Aeneas mother is a goddess and
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Odysseus finds Elinor's body after he fell from the roof and Circe’s Island. At the shores of Italy, Aeneas finds Palinurus body after he faced sacrifice after the murder by vagabonds after a safe passage . Both characters promise to return and bury their friends to contend their souls. Their companions at the time discourage them for the burial arrangements. Aeneas faces opposition from the Sybil and Odysseus faces disputes from King Minos. Two of their companions kill themselves when the heroes embark on their journeys. Dido commits suicide and Ajax; Odysseus friend kills himself after disappointing
By mentioning the downfall of his people during the Trojan War and foreshadowing his destiny by "Sparing the conquered" Trojans and "battle down the proud" Greeks, can be looked upon as a reinforcement of his duties not only to his dead father and family, but to the entire Trojan population. To let another character found and rule Rome would just prove the failure of his people again, as shown through the Trojan war. Aeneas feels great pride and energy regarding his role in history and is anxious to continue on his journey. The gods are trying to convince Aeneas to value duty to his city and family, a kind of affiliation or relation by virtue of descent as-if from a parent, above duty to a lover by mere affiliation, or arbitrary association. This perspective on an appeal to authority still hinges on a relationship between Aeneas' desire for affiliation and public authority as the authority of filial priority. We learn early on in this epic that Aeneas is a very important character because of his divine parentage. After all, his mother is the Goddess Venus and his father's brother was the King of Troy. His mother is more concerned with his destiny than with his happiness. She makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas and then he falls in love with the Carthaginian queen in return. Despite the fact that he is happy, his mother is one of the gods working to make him fulfill his destiny. This "destiny" is truly revealed to Aeneas in the underworld when he encounters a few fellow Trojan comrades.
Instead of just exploring his surroundings, Odysseus decides to explore the entire island, just so he can see the Kyklops. Again, this idiotic decision ends up in the death of more of his faithful men. Finally, another foolish decision he makes is to leave Elpenor unburied, which tortures his soul. As a result of this, Odysseus is forced to go all the way back to Kirke's island, wasting time and valuable food to bury his body. This decision is not only selfish, but disrespectful because it forces Elpenor to go through extreme suffering in the painful underworld.
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 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.
are followed and proper respect given the gods, it is possible for man to live
In Virgil’s poem, The Aeneid, the ideal Roman hero is depicted in the form of Aeneas. Not only does Aeneas represent the Roman hero, but he also represents what every Roman citizen is called to be. Each Roman citizen must posses two major virtues, he must remain pious, and he must remain loyal to the Roman race. In the poem, Aeneas encompasses both of these virtues, and must deal with both the rewards and costs of them.
In addition, the overall theme of the poem highlighted morality, which was a definitive tenet of Greco Roman civilization. In many ways, Virgil wrote the poem as a means of lauding the moral virtues of Roman society and as a personal challenge to outdo Homer’s epic compositions, The Illiad and The Odyssey. Virgil was successful because he had incorporated many of the same tales shared in the works of Homer into one epic poem which presented a linear storyline in the books that detailed the life and times of Aeneas and the Trojans. That being said, Virgil did not stray far from the approach that many writers had used before him; his primary focus throughout the Aeneid was placed squarely upon the back of idealized Greek and Roman moral principles, which were the dedication to ones’ honor, family, and country. By no means is there anything wrong with this approach, but in many ways, the entire poem could be viewed as a “propaganda” piece; while it might have served to enlighten, educate, and create a cohesive and uplifting story for the Roman populace, the poem lacked depth and a more profound exploration of human intricacies. While Virgil’s epic poem has stood the test of time and remains one of the greatest pieces
...a, escaping Calypso and the island of Ogygia, and Telemachus from Ithaca to Pylos and Sparta in search of his lost father. While The Odyssey tells of the courage both men demonstrate during their respective travels, their quests are the results of the intentions and desires of gods. Odysseus is trapped in exile on Ogygia by the will of Poseidon, whose anger Odysseus attracts when he blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and by the love of Calypso, who wishes to make Odysseus her husband. He is released from Ogygia and permitted to return to Ithaca only by the command of Zeus, as delivered by Hermes. Telemachus, rather than being trapped physically, was detained emotionally, feeling helpless to repel the suitors wooing Penelope. Only through the motivation of the goddess Athena did Telemachus find the will and courage to embark in search of Odysseus.
Although both epics justify a status quo, codify a national mythology, preserve cultural memories, and establish literary tropes, they are united by sensibility and are traditionally poetic. They both almost have the same exact core values such as in the end, but project influence into a number to areas of cultural identity. Once more, after analyzing both texts, it is possible to conclude that Aeneas is the better leader, and The Odyssey is the greater epic. Knowing that this is the proper proposition made, this affects the readers of both well-known stories.
Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid tell the tale of heroes – Odysseus and Aeneas, respectively, both driven by a prophecy to a goal. In both stories, fate and divine intervention are the underlying and central mythological components which drive the stories. Odysseus is fated to return to his wife whereas Aeneas is fated to found Rome, a dynasty of rulers, and eventually the Roman Empire. However, the similarities between the two stories mostly end here, with the nature of how each carry out their fate and their overall journeys being heavily indicative of Roman and Greek values and goals. Differences manifest themselves within the realm of power, peace, and warfare, which is particularly central to the overarching purpose of the Aeneid; the nature
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.
After his meeting with Venus, Aeneas runs home, finds his father, and orders him to prepare for their journey to Hesperia. However, Anchises refuses and says that he has lived and suffered long enough. After Aeneas convinces his father to settle on the journey, they process on until they notice Creusa is lost from the group. Aeneas turns around to look for her.
The most obvious of characteristics in an epic can sometimes receive little attention and the story, as a whole, can become unnoticed. A common phrase of this is, “pointing out the elephant in the room.” It is obvious, to me, that Virgil’s Aeneid is based on the epics written by Homer; Odyssey and the Iliad. Many of its major chapters and minor details are very similar in comparison. The Odyssey is a poem of war and peace.
These two gods have different effects on the story: Poseidon is trying to cause pain and suffering for Odysseus, while Athena is trying to help Telemachus and give him hope that his father will return soon. The role of these gods is important to both journeys as Odysseus and Telemachus try to reunite their family.
There is a copious amount of major characters in the story. Some of them include Odysseus, the main character, who is a soldier and returns home after a twenty-year absence. Some of his family includes Laertes, his father, Penelope, his wife, and Telemachus, his son. There are many gods that Odysseus must battle on his journey home, including Zeus, who is said to be father of all gods, and Poseidon, the god of the ocean who punishes Odysseus and his crew by giving them a very difficult trip home after they blind his son, Polyphemus, or the Cyclops by blinding him after stabbing him in the eye. Another major character is Calypso, a sea goddess who is in love with Odysseus.