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The Odyssey and The Aeneid are both classic pieces of literature that have impacted the modern academic world. These two stories have compelling similarities, however, they also have copious differences. Both stories follow a hero after the Trojan War, one searching for the comfort of his wife and son, another determined to establish an empire and fulfill his destiny.
The protagonists of both poems are heroes, nevertheless, they are heroes from two separate cultures. Aeneas embodies the Roman value of duty. He is given a task by the Gods to leave Carthage and found an empire in Rome. Immediately after receiving this message, Aeneas is prepared to obey. “Aeneas was truly overwhelmed by the vision, stunned, his hackles bristle with fear, his voice chokes in his throat. He yearns to be gone, to desert this land he loves, . . .”. (137) It is Aeneas’ instinct to obey the command of the Gods. Aeneas is willing to comply despite the fact that he knows he will be deserting “the land he loves”: leaving his lover, Dido and the satisfying and peaceful life he could have had. Aeneas sacrifices his personal happiness for the good of his people and his
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public duty. Odysseus, on the other hand, is driven by a sense of self-interest, rather than duty. His journey is about returning to his home for his own sake; it is about regaining his personal happiness. Odysseus only returns to Ithaca at the order of the Gods. All of Odysseus’ actions are fuelled by self-interest; he puts his private life above his public duty, a trait particularly abhorred by the Romans. Thus, Virgil uses the comparison of Aeneas’ sense of duty to Odysseus’ self-interest to propel the Roman culture above and beyond that of the Greeks. Both heroes are war veterans, however, they were on opposing sides.
The Odyssey portrays the victor, the mighty Odysseus. His story is about a man who has everything, a loving and loyal wife, an ambitious son, a devoted kingdom, and most of all a victory. By the end of Odysseus’ story he has an ideal life. On the other hand, The Aeneid is told through the eyes of a defeated soldier. Early on in the epic Aeneas has a comfortable life. It seems as though he is happy and complancent with his life in Carthage with Dido. Aeneas chooses to leave this life behind in order to fulfill his destiny. The Trojans were defeated in the war, however, Aeneas perceivers and fights for the future of his people. Through Aeneas’ story, Virgil demonstrates the resilience of the Roman culture; he shows just how much they value a sense of
duty. Both Odysseus and Aeneas enter the underworld at some point in their travels, and the two enter the underworld in a quest for information. However, the circumstances are vastly different . Odysseus offers a sacrifice, and, in exchange, Tiresias gives him information. Aeneas is offered the information freely, without having to sacrifice anything. Odysseus is told how to get home, again reiterating the theme of homecoming and domesticity. Aeneas, on the other hand, is shown a parade of future roman kings, repeating the insistence that it is his destiny to found Rome. Odysseus encounters Ajax, who committed suicide after losing to Odysseus in a competition for Achilles' armor. Ajax doesn't speak to him, but rather walks away, symbolizing an end to the Trojan War, a divorcing from the problems of army life. Aeneas sees the dead Dido, reunited with her first husband. She does not speak to him, either, as a resolving of the situation. This frees Aeneas to fulfill his destiny as father of the Roman people. The two epics end very differently, although, both heroes vanquish their opponents. Odysseus kills Penelope's suitors, has the disloyal servants are executed, convinces Penelope that he is himself, goes to bed with her, and in the morning faces the suitors' angry relatives. Finally Athena makes peace. The Aeneid, on the other hand, simply ends as Aeneas kills Turnus--no tranquil aftermath, no wedding, no promise of a prosperous future. The wedding and the great future have been promised, and we are meant to understand that they happened, but the actual story ends very abruptly. There is a reason that figures become great in the history of a culture. These infamous heroes often embody the ideal of that culture, the values it most wishes to uphold and the image it wants to present. To compare the heroes of a culture is to compare the cultures themselves, and in Virgil’s Aeneid he is able to do just that. He compares his hero Aeneas, father of Rome, to the Greek Odysseus, and every time – especially from the Roman perspective – Aeneas is the victor. Aeneas is the ideal Roman hero, and in many ways has also highly influenced our contemporary notions of a hero. The comparative triumph of Aeneas over Odysseus is Virgil’s declaration of the triumph of Roman culture.
...rvival. However, Aeneas becomes the Virgilian leader, his concern is always for the people and they are the most important thing to him. The reason that the endings of the books are so dissimilar and the Aenied is far less satisfying than the Odyssey is a result of this point. Odysseus' accomplished aim can be viewed within his lifetime, and listened to within a short time. His short-term goal of going to bed with Penelope, and sorting out the situation in his country is all seen within the borders of the story. Aeneas' ending merely means that his journey is at an end but the rest of the story lies with his people. The emphasis is on the people he is leading and not what he individually has accomplished.
In this essay I will compare and contrast the qualities and plights of both Aeneas and Gilgamesh. These two epic heroes share similar fates, yet are very different in personality.
The Odyssey and In the Beginning can be related because they are epics. In addition to that the authors are also similar in a way, Homer, the author of the Odyssey is unknown if he was real and if he ever existed. The author of In the Beginning is still unknown till this day, all we know is that it is found in the bible and talks about how it all started when God created the world. While in the Odyssey it has many gods and goddesses as well as In the Beginning but it only has one main god. The main characters are Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus, and in the other story, their is the god, serpent, Adam and Eve.
The Aeneid by Vergil is a long-standing epic poem with brief historical connections that was contributed to the Roman people’s beginnings. Of course, the main character, Aeneas has to have had some turning point within the poem that he became Roman rather than Trojan, at least within the eyes of the readers and listeners. This turning point is within Book IV when Aeneas has remembered his fate of creating a great city in Italy, and has to leave Dido and Carthage behind. This scene contributes to Aeneas now becoming a true Roman, at least in the ideals of one, because he has continued to be ‘Pious Aeneas’ and is securing his son’s future with following his fate. As an extra factor, Aeneas is also persisting as a heroic character by putting
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.
What is a hero? We would like to think that a hero is someone who has achieved some fantastic goal or status, or maybe someone who has accomplished a great task. Heroes find themselves in situations of great pressure and act with nobility and grace. Though the main character of Virgil's Aeneid, Aeneas, is such a person, it is not by his own doing. He encounters situations in which death is near, in which love, hate, peace, and war come together to cause both good and evil. In these positions he conducts himself with honor, by going along with what the gods want. Only then goes on to pave the way for the Roman Empire. His deeds, actions, and leadership would never have come to be if it were not for the gods. The gods took special interest in Aeneas, causing him misfortune in some cases, giving him assistance in others. On the whole, the gods constantly provide perfect opportunities for Aeneas to display his heroism. Without them, Aeneas would not be the hero he is. This gift does not come without a price, though; he must endure the things heroes endure to become what they are. Despite his accomplishments and the glory associated with his life, Aeneas only achieves the status of hero through divine intervention, and this god-given position causes him just as much grief as it does splendor.
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, a picture is painted of a very virtuous roman hero who remains pious and loyal to his people. This is the picture of Aeneas’ life. It is shown in the poem, that the costs that come with holding these virtues greatly outweigh the rewards. The rewards, although small, are on the inside of the hero and the costs are large and are on the outside. It is critical to follow your destiny no matter what it is, but that is a virtue that not only Roman heroes, but also all Romans must possess.
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.
We have read two myths of great heroes this semester, Virgil’s The Aeneid and Homer’s The Odyssey. In both of these tales we get to go along with two great heroes on their journey home and all of the troubles that they face. Although these stories tell us about two great heroes and their journey there are a lot of differences. In this paper I will compare and contrast scenes from both myths and suggest a reason that this borrowing was appropriate for what Vergil was trying to do with his version of the myth.
A comparison between Virgil's hero, Aeneas, and the Homeric heroes, Achilles and Odysseus, brings up the question concerning the relevance of the difference between the Homeric heroes and Aeneas. The differences in the poets' concerns are explained by the fact that Virgil lived many years after Homer, giving Virgil the advantage of a more developed literary and philosophical society than Homer had at his disposal. But the question remains: how are the differences between the Homeric heroes and Aeneas relevant to the epic at large? This question will be answered by first pointing out the differences between Greek and Roman society, then explaining how those differences relate to the heroes of the three epics at hand, and finally explaining how these differences allow Virgil to portray the Roman values and way of life as more structured and oriented towards a greater-good.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh contrast from one another in their writing styles, character details, and main ideas. Both epics weave together a story of a lost man who must find his way, but the path of their stories contrast from one another.
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.