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How do the Iliad Odyssey and Aeneid compare
Similarities in the Aeneid and the Odyssey
Similarities in the Aeneid and the Odyssey
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The Aeneid as a reaction to homer was written to glorify not to tell a story. Homer uses his story for entertainment while Virgil uses his stories for political intent. Viril wrote the Aenied with the Aeneid with the same obstacles as the Odyssey; however, Aeneas handles the challenges in much different ways to create a different story. The Aeneid is written like a counterpart to The Odyssey. The Odyssey is about the journey home in the view of a winning greek and The Aeneid is about the journey to find a new home in the view of a losing trojan. Aeneas is also very different from Achilles. Achilles does not want to go into battle until the loss of his friend. Aeneas wants to go into battle to for a better future. Achilles is driven by emotion.
won) fighting a war against the city of Troy and has been held captive by
The Odyssey and American History X don’t share similarities in the plot, theme or time period, but they have an ingredient common in many stories. Odysseus and Derek are challenged with deadly obstacles and they overcome these difficulties with the help of a mentor. A guide saves both characters and assists them in their return home. Odysseus and Derek need the support and help of a trusted friend who will guide them through their dramatic adventure.
are followed and proper respect given the gods, it is possible for man to live
A Comparison of Aneas of Aeneid and Turnus of Iliad The subtlety in the differences between Aneas and Turnus, reflect the subtlety in the differences between the Aeneid and the Iliad. Although both characters are devout and noble, Aneas does not possess the ardent passion of Turnus. Unlike Turnus, Aneas is able to place his beliefs in the fated establishment of Latium before his personal interests. Although Turnus is not a bad person, the gods favor Aneas in their schemes.
Aeneas also went to fight in the Trojan War. He also was a national hero. He was a great warrior. Both Odysseus and Aeneas were trying to head home.
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.
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.
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.
... between Aeneas and the Homeric heroes, given an account of the historical and mythological background of Rome and demonstrated that the Roman way of life is necessarily more structured and community oriented than the Homeric Greek way of life. Virgil wrote The Aeneid as an ode to the greatness of Rome, we could imagine that as he wrote it he was in constant competition with Homer because The Aeneid was a proclamation of greatness for the Romans as the Homeric epics were for the Greeks. But Virgil took advantage of the flaws that the Homeric Heroes had and gave the corresponding virtues to Aeneas thus ensuring Aeneas' superiority and consequently Rome's superiority.
As in Book I of "The Aeneid," Book II and Book III are authored by Publius Vergilius Maro, but the entirety of the books is written as exposition delivered by the character Aeneas. Aeneas could thus be considered the "author" of the piece, and his audience is Dido and her Phoenician people. Aeneas narrated the contents of the pieces as a response to Dido's request for his story, and his reluctance apparent in the opening lines suggests that he disagrees with the prospect of recalling such painful memories, but complies regardless. Therefore, Aeneas's motivation in relating his story (and, in a way, Virgil's as well) is to reveal what events transpired on his voyage from Troy to Carthage. His actions during the fall of Troy in particular lend
Virgil’s Aeneid, tells the story of the founding of Rome. It follows the last of the Trojan’s who escaped the fate of Troy. Troy eventually falls following Homer’s The Iliad, and Virgil continues the story of their people. The Trojans are not, however, the only similarity between the two books. Virgil employs many of the same image patterns that Homer uses in The Iliad. The symbolism of fire, shields, and gates are used in both epic poems.
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.
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.
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
One owner was forever remembered as a Roman hero, while the other died brutally in war. Even though Achilles was killed by Paris, Homer perfectly described the shield of Achilles. It showed life and death, happiness and war, and finally peace versus brutality. The prophetic shield should have been a warning to the great Achilles. However, he did not see the warning hidden in the beautiful shield’s images. This made the shield the more effective symbol. Finally, Homer’s Iliad came first and therefore, Virgil’s Aeneid was simply modeling its shield description off of the shield of Achilles. In the end, the first story, the Iliad, had to be more effective because its ideology was original and it foreshadowed the impending fate of a great war hero. It was not a replica, like The Aeneid. In the end, being original is the more effective