Be Warned and Study Justice:The Shifting Definition of Justice in Virgil’s Aeneid

In both Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, the heroes make the dauntless adventure into the underworld. Both of theses visits occur around the middle of the stories, and they bring information about the lives of heroes ' loved ones. The heroes also get very important information from these loved ones; information that they require to continue on their journeys. However these are not the only things that are similar about the heroes visits. The influence of the Homeric writings of the Iliad and the Odyssey on Virgil’s writings is clear - especially in Book VI of the Aeneid. Throughout this paper we will talk about the similarities that occur throughout the two poems, and how the two authors beliefs shine through. These beliefs are two very different views on the idea of death. Homer’s Iliad depicts death as something that is something souls do not enjoy. Whereas Virgil’s Aeneid depict it more as a final rest for souls – something that relieves them of the troubles of life.

The pursuit of justice is an endeavor that many find to be challenging and a quest itself, as one will come across various trials and complications that may stop them in their pursuit or may mislead them. As humans, we find moral correctness and righteousness a very appealing state to be in, as justice will act as a platform to satisfy the desire for this correctness. In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, we meet our miserable anti-hero, Oedipus, in his pursuit for truth and righting the wrong of the plague that is affecting his people of Thebes. As he makes efforts to solve this problem, he comes to find out that he is the source of the issue, thus exposing the tragic flaw of Oedipus and effectively making this play a very effective Greek tragedy. This pursuit of righteousness ends up being the downfall of Oedipus. In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, Oedipus pursues justice through his realization of his past, his interactions with various characters in the play, and comes to understand more of justice in his situation through his reactions to adversity in this play, in order to portray a questionably successful pursuit of justice.

Have you ever acted out in retribution for something done to you? Some examples could be if you punched someone for intentionally kicking you, or if someone deliberately hurt the feelings of someone you love and you retaliated in kind. You probably thought the punishment you received for your actions was too harsh or lenient. Many factors went into the decision of what discipline you received for this act and some were fair while others probably were not. This is true for the actions of many people in Aeschylus’s Oresteia. In each of the three plays, someone is seeking vengeance for a wrong done unto them, someone they know/love, or both. For this paper, I will be focusing on the vengeance enacted by Clytemnestra, Orestes, and the Fates. The vengeance that each person enacted was deemed just or unjust depending on many factors including the people who were doing the judging. Vengeance in Aeschylus’s Oresteia is viewed through the social lens of the society that it was enacted in. This lens is made up of the popular values, beliefs, and social conventions of the period as well as the judge’s personal views and/or experiences. These factors (such as gender and relation to the victim, as well as the presence or absence of transgressions on the characters part) lead to different opinions about the guilt of the accused individual and the individual themselves. The view of vengeance in Aeschylus’s Oresteia is very subjective.

The Aeneid, the famous epic poem written by Virgil, depicts the struggle of establishing an empire. The beginning of The Aeneid introduces Aeneas, son of the goddess Venus, whose fate is to find a new home in Italy after the fall of Troy. Throughout the perilous journey, Aeneas faces great obstacles as he strives to fulfill his prophecy and gradually transform into the ideal Virgilian hero. To emphasize his growth, I will discuss three themes in this essay: the extent of free will as it relates to fate, the influence of divine beings on mortals, and the principles of morality. All of these ideas serve as an understanding as to why Aeneas is unable to act on his own accord. This leads me to defend the view that humans require the positive guidance of a mentor figure to resist their self-indulgence.

Justice is a very important ruling power for both gods and mortals. For instance, in Sophocles' tragedy, Antigone,

The establishment of the courts provides a place for the citizens to decide about what is moral and to debate the details of specific cases. The emergence of the jury trial also suggests that justice is not “just” unless it involves deliberation. In the earlier plays Orestes and Clytemnestra took justice into their own hands by acting impulsively and Aeschylus implies in his tragedy that When a person seeks justice they must be careful not to pursue it in a vindictive way because revenge will inevitably transgress into suffering for the person seeking reprisal. the law needs to be concerned with definitions justice itself. In other words, justice without judgment is too rash and impulsive. A jury is necessary so that questions can be deliberated. Was Orestes matricide justified? Circumstances, motives and consequences must be taken into account at trial.These are complicated moral

In fifth-century BC Greece, writers and philosophers were dedicating their entire lives to figuring out the world around them; consequently, many distinct thoughts have been recorded regarding overlapping concepts. For example, in the works, Antigone by Sophocles, On Justice, Power, and Human Nature by Thucydides, and The Republic by Plato, there have been different accounts of the definition and significance of justice. Each work is significant to western civilization because it is applicable to the same society after all these years. The importance of justice takes on different roles and can affect people in different ways. The “best” person in these works will be the one who portrays justice in the most valuable way to the current society. That being said, reading about Antigone and Creon showed how justice shaped their futures. The blurred lines of who was in the right and who was in the wrong demonstrates that justice is subjective and affects people different based on their own personal values. That is the “best” portrayal of justice among the three works because it makes justice relatable and valid.

Creon, a tragic hero, and his actions caused his life to fall apart. Creon’s basis of ruling is loyalty to the city state. Polyneices, “who broke his exile to come back with fire and sword against his native city,” (700-701, 42-43), was not given a proper burial because, “no traitor is going to be honored with the loyal man [his brother who was loyal to Thebes],” (701, 51-52). Creon creates a decree that punishes anyone to death

When it comes to death, most people tend to sympathize with the victim of death while others dwell on the pleasures the deceased had brought them while they were living. In our readings there were many instances where the individuals were remembered for the honor and glory they showed and for the extreme measures they took for leaving this world a changed place. The differences in reactions to mortality in our texts is most apparent. People strive to give their lives meaning in the face of death in each of the texts, however there is a difference between what is worth dying for. Throughout the Iliad and in the bible, Jesus and Hector die for different reasons; while on dies for honor and glory, the other dies for the salvation of others.

Regardless of the time frame, Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s epic the Iliad share both a copious amount of similarities and differences. For example, many common themes such as heroism, fate, and destiny are apparent in both works. Within the Aeneid and the Iliad, it is seen that the wars going on during that time were glorious that is why the role of gods were significant in leading both Aeneas and Achilles and influencing fate. In both texts, it is clear from the beginning that the role of the gods is to make Aeneas and Achilles fulfill their journey The Iliad focuses on the end of the Trojan War and the damaging power, while the Aeneid is focused during the aftermath of the war and underlies the foundation for the new civilization. This paper will address and argue the comparison of the role of gods and how each of the authors representation of the gods have influence on the lives of mortals.

     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

Unfortunately, the same fate awaits him if he commits matricide, thereby avenging his father. Orestes chooses the latter and is besieged by 'the hounds of mother's hate.' (Lib: 1055-6). Through this sequence of murderous events, Aeschylus demonstrates the complexity and futility of the blood feud as a system of justice. There are no winners, and the cycle of violence does not end. Thus, this cycle of vengeance is not justice.

Intro – Begin by talking about how people often see Aeneid by Virgil as focusing on the events surrounding the Trojan war, but an equally important part of the story is the prevalent theme of duty. For instance, if one looks at Aeneas one can see his devotion towards caring for his people, and his persistence to follow his duty. Because of the emphasize that Virgil places on Aeneas devotion to his people and his duty to obey the gods, one can begin to theorize that Virgil believed duty was the most important quality a man could possess. Thesis: Often times, the Aeneid carries the reputation as a book centering around the founding of Rome, however, without the constant reminder of duty, one cannot fully view Virgil’s story as he intended.

As a society, we value justice as one of the highest virtues a state can have. Courts are the image of justice and what is right in America, and we trust that those in charge will just and make the most reasonable decisions for our country. Thanks to the systems of justice put in place by the civilizations of the old world, we have come to this point in our society. In reading works by Plato and Aeschylus, we can see how their depicted Justice with the aid of reason and the Greek gods. I believe that the two had rather similar views on justice though at times there are stronger differences in their accounts. Through their depictions of justice we can also get a clue at how each viewed their society and whether or not they believed it to be just. I will first show justice and reason within the Oresteia and compare it to the depiction of justice in Plato’s works.

Within two classical works of philosophical literature, notions of justice are presented plainly. Plato’s The Republic and Sophocles’ Antigone both address elements of death, tyranny and immorality, morality, and societal roles. These topics are important elements when addressing justice, whether in the societal representation or personal representation.