Odysseus The Excellence, Aeneas The Devout

881 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Compare and contrast odysseus and aeneas

Odysseus the Excellence, Aeneas the Devout
In The Aeneid and The Odyssey, Aeneas and Odysseus undergo a parallel journey with the ultimate purpose of returning home (St. Rosemary Educational Institution). Aeneas and Odysseus are similar in their character, situation and goals. Their differences, however, demonstrate the values of their respective societies. Virgil instills in Aeneas the Roman value of gravitas: a devotion to duty, the seriousness of purpose and sacrifice of one’s self for a greater good ("Virgil" 1052-1054). Whereas, Homer’s Odysseus, with his strength, bravery, wit and the need for fame, embodies the Greek value of arête; which is the highest efficient use of faculties to achieve real results. (Snyder). Although Aeneas …show more content…

Aeneas is the vanquished Trojan hero forced to leave his beloved Troy. The gods have imposed upon him a mission to found a new city. “If fate permitted me to spend my days by my own lights, and make the best of things according to my wishes, first of all, I should look after Troy and the loved relics left me of my people” (Virgil 1095). Although Aeneas’ heart lies with Troy, he will honor the duty bestowed upon him and leave. Whereas, Odysseus is the glorious hero who uses shrewdness and wit to turn the tide in the Trojan War by devising the Trojan horse. His shrewdness and wits are also evident in the defeating of Polyphemus and in destroying Penelope’s suitors. “Whoever gets around you must be sharp and guileful as a snake; even a god might bow to you in ways of dissimulation. You! You chameleon! Bottomless bag of tricks! Here in your own country would you not give your stratagems a rest or stop spellbinding for an instant?” (Homer 384). Odysseus has arête by using his mental excellence to defeat his …show more content…

While on their quest for home, Aeneas and Odysseus are delayed by women who love them. Dido loves Aeneas, and he is willing to stay and live the sweet life in Carthage (Virgil 1093). However, Aeneas has a duty to found a new city, and must leave Carthage and his beloved Dido. “Duty-Bound, Aeneas, though he struggled with desire to calm and comfort her in all her pain, to speak up to her and turn her mind from grief, and though he sighed his heart out, shaken with love, yet took the course heaven gave him” (Homer 1097). As expected of an ideal Roman leader, Aeneas will sacrifice his happiness for the greater good, the future Roman Empire. Unlike Aeneas, Odysseus will leave the Goddess Calypso, not for duty or purpose, but for his self-interest and happiness. “ My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger, My quiet Penelope – how well I know- would seem a shade before your majesty, death and old age being unknown to you, while she must die. Yet, it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home” (Homer 283). Odysseus shows great strength of character (arête) in his desire to give up an immortal life with Calypso. He would rather live a human life with his beloved

Show More
Related

  • Odysseus's Qualities in The Odyssey

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus?s cunning is cardinal to his survival and that of his men. He uses his cunning to get them out of several unpleasant situations. When they are captured by the Cyclops, he can not use the strength of his men to escape, so he must use his cunning to free them. He lies and tricks the Cyclops to get out, ??My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy?? (9.397-99). This clever deception stops the other Cyclops from helping Polyphemos helping them to escape. Odysseus also shows his cleverness when he returns to Ithaca.

    Read More

  • Odysseus

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odysseus’ character , as seen in the Iliad, is much like that of a Homeric hero. A hero in Homer’s world entails many attributes other than physical strength including, but not limited to, courage, honor, respect, intelligence, and good morals. Throughout The Odyssey, some of these character traits are illustrated, and some are slightly changed.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.

    Read More

  • Odysseus and Aeneas Similar with Important Differences

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Odysseus In The Illiad And The Odyssey

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus is one of the very many prominent characters in Homer’s Epic poems, The Illiad, and The Odyssey. Odysseus has been famed one of the more relatable characters from Homer’s writing, as well as one of the Greatest Greek Mythology Heroes. Homer’s Epic poems highlight many periods of shame and honor for Odysseus. The character analysis of Odysseus through the poem’s timeline shows vast developments and heroic features appear to take form in him. The Illiad portrayed Odysseus as more of a secondary figure behind Agamemnon and Achilles. In contrast, The Odyssey portrayed Odysseus as a hero in the form of an average human.

    Read More

  • Odysseus the Hero

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    Through temptation and torture, Odysseus never forgets that he must put others’ needs before his own desires. Like a hero, Odysseus has to sacrifice the options that benefit him in order to benefit his others. Specifically, Odysseus accepted the fact that he laid with Kirke in order to free his men from her spell. Though it went against all of his ethics and unfaithful to Penelope, Odysseus’s main objective was to return home with all of his crew alive. He illustrates his true loyalty to Penelope when he declines Kalypso’s offer of immortality. Odysseus immediately responded and refused Kalypso’s offer: “My lady goddess…come (Book V, 223-233).” Many individuals would not decline immortality, but he did not ponder over the thought of living for eternity. Odysseus made this decision based on his ethics and because of true love. Odysseus also makes ethical decisions to save people’s lives. For instance, ...

    Read More

  • Compare Aeneas And The Odyssey

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin, both the leadership qualities and flaws of Aeneas and Odysseus must be examined in order to determine who the better leader is. Virgil presents Aeneas very differently than Homer presents Odysseus. They are both certainly heroes, but Aeneas seems more accessible and a stronger leader, due to the way Virgil presents him. Virgil illustrated Aeneas as a man that had to participate in many tests and tempering’s, and from that, his heroism was seen as flawless. The same goes along with Homers’ Odysseus, yet in a different, more astounding way.

    Read More

  • Achilles Vs Odysseus

    3801 Words  | 8 Pages

    Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Foolishness

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.

    Read More

  • Odysseus

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey is the importance of cunning over strength. This also happens to be the case with Odysseus and his long ten year journey home from fighting in Troy. Odysseus uses his intelligence over strength to ‘fight’ through tough times and bring himself home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses his intelligence when he has his men tie him down while passing the Sirens, so he himself will be able to hear their beautiful song, but not be entranced by their singing. He also uses cunning to escape from the Cyclops’ cave without being harmed. He then uses his cunning by storing away all of the armory, shields, and knives from the suitors so he is able to kill them easily.

    Read More

  • The Heros - Odysseus, Jason and Aeneas

    1685 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus is unique among epic heroes in that his strength comes not from inhuman powers or exceptional physical ability, but mainly from his mind.  Odysseus, regularly uses cunning, guile, and superiority of intellect to overcome obstacles.  In this paper I will compare Odysseus to other epic heroes, both in terms of character and in terms of responses to crises, comparing his reactions with those of other heroes placed in similar situations.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Character Development Essay

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The

    Read More

  • Compare Aeneas and Odysseus as Heroic Figures

    439 Words  | 1 Pages

    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. Both Odysseus and Aeneas were helped by different gods. Odysseus was helped by Calypso in a way. She held him captive, but was forced to release him from the father of all Greek gods,Zeus.

    Read More

  • Parallels between Virgil’s The Aenieid and Homer’s The Odyssey

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Character Analysis

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first heroic characteristic of Odysseus is his cleverness. In The Odyssey, one of the instances where Odysseus displays cleverness is in his encounter with the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Polyphemus captures Odysseus and his men in the island Cyclopes, which was filled with other giants. Although it is expected among the Greeks to display hospitality to strangers, Polyphemus ends up eating some of Odysseus men. In order to escape the giant, Odysseus comes up with a clever plan. He offers Polyphemus wine in order to get the giant drunk. When the giant falls asleep, Odysseus stabs Polyphemus’ singular eye, blinding the giant. The giant naturally wakes up, and starts to try and recapture Odysseus and his men. Knowing that the giant’s shouting would most likely attract the attention of the other giants in the island, Odysseus replies to Polyphemus when the giant asks him his name that his name was “Noman.” But when Polyphemus shouts for help, none of the other giants come to his aid, since he is shouting “My friends, N...

    Read More

More about Odysseus The Excellence, Aeneas The Devout

Open Document