How does Virgil deviate from Homer in the underworld, and why?
When comparing “The Aeneid” to “The Odyssey”, it is impossible not to notice the similarity between Homer and Virgil 's poems. Both heroes leave Troy, granted one barely escapes and the other leaves victoriously, and both in one sense or the other are trying to reach their home, whether it is the old or future home. The adventures of the two heroes are incredibly similar on a number of accounts with the trip to the underworld being most intriguing. First of all it is important to understand that Homer and Virgil wrote their poems for different reasons; Homer 's "The Odyssey" was written for entertainment purposes, while Virgil 's "The Aeneid" was written in order to
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Aeneas on the other hand is much more focused on the future; he is also trying to get home, but that home does not exist yet, besides that, while seeing his old friends he also finds out about the future of his generations and yet even more about the city he is on his way to establish. This could bring us to the point of Homer 's vs. Virgil 's reasons for writing their poems; as mentioned earlier, Homer wrote his poem for entertainment purposes. This explains why the majority of book eleven is made up of Odysseus meeting his old friends and great warriors of the war; through telling their stories, Homer entertained the readers and the audience by letting them imagine how the heroes act after their death (what still matters to them, which quarrels have not been forgotten etc.). Virgil on the other hand skips most of the greetings of Aeneas with old friends and focuses instead on the meeting with his father. There, while including sentimentality, the main point of the meeting is for Aeneas and the readers to find out about where the rulers of Rome came from. Aeneas in the underworld gets to see, although not speak to, his future son, the future Caesars and learns all about the glory of the future empire. Even the description of the underworld itself may fall
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
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
However, less questioned is the extent to which Virgil’s concept of furor reflects Homer’s menis and whether aspects of the protagonist’s “madness” from the later epic can be seen in the earlier narrative. When analysing aspects of Virgil’s Aeneid to Homer’s Iliad, one must acknowledge the chronology
Pope said it best: “Homer was the greater genius, Virgil the better artist.” Both are esteemed poets that have written works that correlate strongly to each other: The Iliad and The Aeneid. Homer came up with the storyline, plot, and characters that were originally seen in The Iliad. By writing a sequel, Virgil made a new story out of Homer’s world, and added his own nuances and style to it.
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.
Dante’s Inferno is a narrative poem, with a very complicated rhyme scheme, originally written in Italian. It documents the author’s, Dante, trip through hell, where he learns how hell is organized and the way in which sinners are punished. Dante is guided by the great poet Virgil, who leads him throughout hell. The Odyssey, is an epic authored by the Greek, Homer. The epics centers on Odysseus’ protracted journey home. The protagonist, Odysseus, visits the underworld for a very short amount of time. The two literary works contain many common elements, such as characters being punished, the protagonists interacting with those in the underworld, repeating characters, and the misery of the underworlds. There are also differences
Homer and Ovid are two of the oldest, most influential poets that have ever lived. Although they are both poets, they have several differences in their writings. Homer, a Greek poet, is most famous for his epic poems Iliad and Odyssey. Ovid, a Roman poet, is most famous for Metamorphoses a 15 book poem containing over 250 myths. To compare and contrast these two poets and their writing styles, I will use Achilles’ battle with Hector in Homer’s Iliad book 22 and compare it with Achilles’ battle with Cycnus in Ovid’s Metamorphoses book 12. The comparison of these battles will give us a better understanding of these poets different views on the Trojan War.
In this essay, I will examine popular Greek ideas concerning fate and their relationship to characters in Homer's Odyssey.
Virgil’s The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The poem details the journey of Aeneas and his men after they are forced to flee burning Troy and as they wander the seas in search of land suitable to found a new Troy. Throughout the many books, the Trojans suffer through the Trojan War, the loss of their home, fierce storms, horrible monsters, and the wrath of the gods. A major theme of The Aeneid is human suffering as the characters in the poem experience the full front of despair and pain.
The Odyssey written by Greek poet Homer and The Aeneid by Roman poet Virgil, are the main characters who make an enlightening visit to the underworld. The depiction of each other’s imagination of the underworld is an inspiration to each other, even centuries apart. In numerous ways, they are similar, yet both poems in its entirety are different explaining the purpose as to why the composure and societies were shaped, however , the visits and parallel events take place within them. There is a resemblance between the underworld of Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid that reveals examination of the important differences. In addition, both Homer and Virgil gives their audience both distinctive comparisons by connecting the poets and their creations.
The Aeneid and the Odyssey have many similarities. For one, they are both epic poems, they both have heroes who travel and sail the seas fighting creatures and killing their enemies. The main characters or heroes in both epic poems were both traveling from Troy. They gods play a part in both of the epic poems. They love to meddle with the lives of the humans. The gods either help them to get where they need to go or do everything in their power to stop them from getting there. Both epic poems begin near the end of the journey, Odysseus will be in Ithaca in a few days and Aeneas will be in Italy in a
Both centered on heroes and war. In The Iliad it was Achilles, the hero of the Greeks. While in The Aeneid it was Aeneas of Troy. To add to that, both heroes defeated another army’s major hero who was the adversary to them in the epics. Achilles brought down Hector and Aeneas defeated Turnus. Where it becomes even more obvious that Virgil built off of Homer’s ideas in The Iliad is in the aspect that both of the central characters closest friends were killed by the heroes’ foes. Hector cut down Patroclus and Turnus killed Pallas. Therefore both heroes, Achilles and Aeneas avenged their friends’ deaths. Both of these epics did an outstanding job of sharing what honor was to both of the heroes’ empires. The Iliad showed the honor of the Greeks and the Aeneid told of the honor of the Roman Empire. This similarity is also where the biggest difference in the epics derives
Recognized by many to be one of Rome’s most popular origin myths, one filled with pro-Augustan rhetoric meant to appeal to the Roman emperor of the time, Virgil’s Aeneid provides us with a detailed retelling of the titular protagonist Aeneas’ journey from the desolate ruins of Troy to his triumphant slaying of Turnus. Throughout the epic, Virgil supplements Aeneas’ travels with very vivid, extended scenes from the past and future depicted on different works of narrative art. Called ekphrases, there are three such instances of these drawn out, visually arresting descriptions that tell stories crucial to the events depicted in the Aeneid. By showing these very specific works––namely that of the frescoes on Juno’s temple’s walls in Book I, the temple doors designed by Daedalus in Book VI, and Aeneas’ shield in Book VIII––in incredibly vivid detail, Virgil inserts within the text an underlying story of sorts. More importantly, however, Virgil’s utilization of ekphrases justifies Aeneas’ actions, while emphasizing his transition from bystander to founding hero.
Three legendary mythical figures from history, Aeneas, Achilles & Beowulf provided the inspiration for writers to produce some of the greatest classic literature that western civilization has ever seen in the form of the Iliad, the Odyssey and Beowulf. This paper will analyze some of the similar themes and characteristics found with each of these characters and will contrast some of the variances and will discuss the impact each character has had on literature both historically and in our modern era.
“The Aeneid” by Virgil is a story about true heroism in times of war. Wars have always offered many opportunities for heroes to prove themselves. Most of the characters in the Aeneid are seen entering the war enthusiastically in the hope of honoring and glorifying their names. However, Aeneas demonstrates heightened responsibility toward the people he leads. At no point does he show selfishness in the wish for his name to be glorified and honored at death. In essence, Aeneas is committed to the destiny of his people. This uniqueness makes Aeneas an epic hero unlike previous heroes such as Odysseus. Aeneas is duty-bound and he follows nothing but fate. Consequently, he is prepared to suffer any loss or harm as long as he reaches where fate directs him to go. Aeneas is an epic hero because he is a dutiful servant to fate, he performs his duties patriotically, his instills confidence in his people, and he is highly responsible for his family and his people.