Six Hundred Years A Part…But Has the Writing Changed?

Homer’s The Odyssey and Virgil’s The Aeneid are both considered some of the most influential literature of ancient times. Written more than six hundred years a part it is a wonder how they have so many striking similarities. However, a look into why they were written can offer interesting insight into the history of their eras. While Homer’s The Odyssey and Virgil’s The Aeneid share many commonalities including plot and characters, they each hold respective differences. In addition to each author having a different writing style, The Aeneid is used as a form of propaganda while The Odyssey is a record of Greek myths and values.

Although written more than six hundred years apart, it is apparent that Virgil pulled much of his writing from Homer’s. This is demonstrated through the similarities in plots between The Odyssey and The Aeneid. The first half of The Aeneid can be summarized as a hero wandering, much like the story of The Odyssey. One example of this is in book 1 of The Aeneid when Aeneas and the Trojans land at Carthage. Dido says to Aeneas “come rather, dear guest and tell us from the beginning the Greek stratagems, the ruin of your town and your sea-faring” (1.1027-1029). She is asking Aeneas to recount his adventures and thus begins the rest of the epic. Odysseus has a similar experience with Alkínoös when he says “Now by the same rule, friend, you must not be secretive an longer…But come, now, put it for me clearly, tell me the sea ways that you wandered, and the shores you touched; the cities, and the men therein…Tell me why you should grieve so terribly over the Argives and the fall of Troy” (8. 587-617). And so begin both epics, with the main character being asked to recount their story.

Odysseus and Aeneas have a...

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...ge in both epics begins with the protagonist being asked to tell a story. These stories contain similar adventures like that of Odysseus and the Cyclops and the Trojans and the Harpies. In addition, both epics contain similar characters, mainly gods, like Poseidon and Juno and Circe and Dido. Upon closer examination, the epics begin to deviate from each other in writing style. Virgil uses vivid imagery while Homer opts for his signature Homeric similes. The culminating difference between the two is the reason in which they were written. The Odyssey offers an insight into Greek customs as well as common Greek myths but because Virgil was hired by Augustus to write The Aeneid, there are multiple instances of bias and propaganda in favor of the Roman emperor. Ultimately, it is clear that Virgil took much of his inspiration from Homer, but for a very different purpose.