Odysseus In The Aeneid

Words: 1263
Pages: 6
Open Document
Ryan Stone
Professor Luttrell
English 2332
6 March 2016
Pius Aeneas and Cunning Ulysses

Homer’s The Odyssey and Virgil’s The Aeneid are parallel stories about two different heroes who go through similar experiences with vastly different personal characteristics. Odysseus exhibits metis, the quality of cleverness and self-interest that contrasts to Aeneas’ own quality, piety. Pius Aeneas follows his sense of duty and honor to his people and his gods over his own self-interest. Through the indirect comparisons of Aeneas to Odysseus in the Aeneid, Virgil is comparing the honorable, godly Romans to the clever yet deceitful Greeks as a piece of propaganda to catapult Roman civilization above and beyond other civilizations.
In The Odyssey, Homer …show more content…
To the Greeks, Aeneas may be seen as a coward. However, in Virgil’s tale, Aeneas is an honorable man who was dragged out of the fight by Venus in order to pursue higher goals delivered to him by the gods and to protect his house (p. 98). The god Mercury convinces Aeneas that he must leave Carthage to ensure Ascanius’ empire in Italy (p. 137). Aeneas does so for his son, despite his love for Dido. Aeneas always obeys the gods even when it causes him personal pain, such as leaving Creusa and Dido behind. In other words, Aeneas strives for a future for his descendants and to continue the legacy of Troy by trusting in the …show more content…
Odysseus is helped by Athena who likes him- a fierce yet wise warrior- because she herself is the Goddess of war and wisdom. Venus helps Aeneas because she is his mother. “You are my son. Never fear my orders. Never refuse to bow to my commands.” (p. 95) To the Romans, this would put Aeneas as superior to Odysseus because Aeneas is half-divine. Meanwhile, Juno fought with the Greeks and went on to interfere with Aeneas as much as she could through his journey. Juno interfered with Aeneas because of a prophecy that the descendants of Trojans were destined to destroy her favorite city Carthage (p. 47-48). This is an aetiology of Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage not long before Virgil’s time and lends credence to the story. Juno directly hinders Aeneas in an attempt to prevent or delay his divine journey that will inevitably lead to Carthage’s destruction. Virgil clearly wants the Roman audience to sympathize with Aeneas. Juno’s hatred for Aeneas directly contrasts Poseidon’s hatred for Odysseus. Odysseus blinded and humiliated Polyphemus (The Odyssey, Book 9), one of Poseidon’s children. Poseidon interferes with Odysseus due to a negative action Odysseus takes, while Juno interferes with Aeneas due to ramifications of Aeneas’ journey thousands of years into the future when Carthage is defeated. Clearly, Aeneas’ actions are much more heavily weighted than Odysseus’ actions, which again leads the Roman audience
Show More

Related Documents: Odysseus In The Aeneid

Similarities and Differences in the Aeneid and the Odyssey. Essay

Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid describe the journeys of the two Greek heroes –Odysseus and Aeneas, as they struggle towards their goal through the crises and deadly situations caused by the wrath of the gods upon them. In the Odyssey, we see that Poseidon (god of the sea/earth shaker) has a grudge against Odysseus while Athena, god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved…

Words 1419 - Pages 6

Similarities Between The Odyssey And The Aeneid

The Odyssey vs. The Aeneid: Character Analysis The Odyssey and Aeneid are two of the greatest epic poems from Greece and Rome respectively. These stories revolve around the journeys of heroes Odysseus and Aeneas, who are confronted with many obstacles along the way. As these men struggle to achieve their goals, intervention from various deities causes even more complications. Although these stories originate from different cultures, they share a common plot. These cultures exemplify their most…

Words 1094 - Pages 5

Comparing Love In Aeneid And Homer's The Odyssey

It is quite easy to say that romantic or sexual love in Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s The Odyssey serve as an obstacle to the main character achieving their eventual goals and perhaps even preventing the protagonists from achieving happiness. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus is victim to women falling in love with him and obstructing his return to his home in Ithaca and in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas is halted by one woman in particular on his journey as well. However, despite these examples of love being…

Words 2317 - Pages 10

Ethical Issues In The Odyssey Essay

harnessed with great storming mountain mules! Come Into our house, with the fragrance of cedar.” A similar offer is made to Odysseus by Calypso where she says “Good luck to you, even so. Farewell! But if you only knew, down deep, what pains are fated to fill your cup before you reach that shore, you’d stay right here, preside in our house with me and be immortal.” Gilgamesh and Odysseus were both offered things of great value if they decided to stay with these women. This type of bribery is wrong because…

Words 1854 - Pages 8

Agriculture: Trojan War and Aeneas Essay

Some Observations on Virgil’s Aeneid Like Homer’s epics Iliad and Odyssey, Aeneid is an epic, but whereas Homer’s epics were folk epics which had existed for centuries in the oral tradition before Homer committed them to writing, the Aeneid is an art epic, which means that Virgil has clearly constructed a document which would do what an epic is supposed to do: depict the values of the society it represents, a sort of self image for the Roman empire. The Roman Empire was vast, and it lasted…

Words 1711 - Pages 7

Compare and Contrast of Odysseus and Aeneas Essay

Compare and Contrast of Odysseus and Aeneas Odysseus, the hero in The Odyssey, and Aeneas, the hero in The Aeneid, fought in opposing sides in the Trojan war. Odysseus was the king of Ithaca and was arguably the smartest king and warrior in all of Greece, whereas Aeneas was a warrior from Troy whose destiny was to found the Roman race in Italy. While both men were highly acclaimed by their respective countrymen as heroes, they shared many similarities in respect to their background, their virtue…

Words 2109 - Pages 9

Religion In The Odyssey

When Odysseus speaks with his mother she only becomes conscious again after drinking the blood of the sacrificed sheep. While Odysseus laments the death of his mother and that he cannot embrace her. She tells him that the ritual fire burns away the sinew, muscle and bone of the body causing the incorporeal nature of her…

Words 1142 - Pages 5

The Role Of Penelope In The Odyssey

2nd hero in the Odyssey right behind her husband, Odysseus. Penelope is a moral agent in the Odyssey. This can be seen when she refuses to marry any of the suitors because she hopes that her husband will come back from the Trojan War. She fights the popular belief in ancient culture that women are dangerous and lead men to do crazy things. Penelope is the opposite of dangerous, she is stable and acts as the head of the household during Odysseus’ time away. Scholars…

Words 377 - Pages 2

Leadership In The Aeneid

The leadership of Aeneas develops throughout the Aeneid in comparison to other ancient epics. Unlike other epic heroes before his time, Aeneas’ leadership skills do not come about until much later. He is not introduced as a hero of the war or an experienced leader. He is introduced as a strong survivor and perhaps not much more than that. In other popular epics, such as the Odyssey or the Iliad, the central figures are all heroes who are already leaders and face the test of time. In contrast, Aeneas…

Words 2230 - Pages 9

Dutiful Men and Their Emotional Women in the Odyssey and Aeneid Essay

“Dutiful Men and their Emotional Women” In reading the Aeneid I took a particular interest in the relationship that develops between Aeneas and Dido and how this relationship highlights the desires and roles that each gender may have had in this time period. For example it seems the male desire is to seek his kingdom while the female role seems to secure a partner. Dido and Aeneas in Book Four resemble the relationship that we see between Odysseus and Calypso in Book Five of the Odyssey. The departure…

Words 1570 - Pages 7