Odyssey and Aeneid Comparative Analysis Essay Sample free essay sample

Odyssey and Aeneid are heroic poems that need no debut in the literary universe. They are considered the greatest plants of Greek and Roman literature and legion readings and analysis were already based on these two great heroic poems. Such. is besides the intent of this research paper. A brief sum-up of Odyssey and Aeneid would be presented to give a background on the beginning and apogee of their journeys. A comprehensive analysis on the personal traits of the two chief supporters. viz. . Odysseus and Aeneas. alongside their journey and the things that they encounter along the manner. would besides be given light. An analysis of the epics’ subjects and their connexion with their writer would besides be presented. every bit good as the correlativity of the heroic poem with the environment or the current province of the society the writer belonged ; a historical and political scrutiny. Heroism and liminality in the heroic poems would be farther discussed every bit good as subjects runing from both men’s ( Odysseus and Aeneas ) relationship with adult females ; the function of Gods. We will write a custom essay sample on Odyssey and Aeneid: Comparative Analysis Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page and the significance of their journey and find. Therefore. the chief purpose of this research paper is to [ demo the difference and similarity of the two heroic poems. although created centuries apart. in different times. a connexion can be found and can be proven through the assorted cited subjects and the beginning in which the writers have found their inspirations ] . Odyssey Odysseus was portion of the 10 thousand fleets that set canvas for the metropolis of Troy to repossess a â€Å"kidnapped† married woman of Menelaus. King of Sparta. Helen. who was the most beautiful adult female in the universe. besides had Odysseus courting her. Thinking that Helen might take him out of the many suers. and to avoid struggle. he made all work forces swear to esteem Helen’s determination sing her pick for a hubby ; and to protect Helen and her hubby and to see through it that cipher would come and destroy their brotherhood. So. all the suers of Helen. who were mighty Kings and work forces of Greece. took an curse. However. Odysseus was non lucky plenty to be chosen as hubby. and alternatively. he met Helen’s cousin Penelope. and married her. This is merely the beginning of Odysseus’ show of humor through out the heroic poem. Although. he was incorrect about whom Helen is traveling to take. he displayed a character. of that of a diplomat. a smooth speaker. an eloquent and persuasive talker. Odysseus is known to be the adult male of huge self-denial and logical thinking. Odysseus was besides known as a adult male of peace. who hated bickers and firmly believes in self-preservation. A best illustration of this self-preservation was when the minister plenipotentiary from Sparta came to beg his curse to Menelaus in repossessing Helen. Thinking about his infant boy and the hereafter of his metropolis Ithaca ( for there was a prognostication that says of a long journey for him if he went to Troy ) ; Odysseus pretended to be insane. set on ragged apparels and sowed the field with salts. However. the minister plenipotentiary was besides cagey and cognizing Odysseus’ insanity was merely a show. he placed the infant T elemachus along the way of the Big Dipper. and Odysseus instantly stopped. scared of aching his boy. therefore demoing. he is on his right head. Odysseus went to Troy and built the celebrated Trojan Equus caballus. He convinced 20 Grecian soldiers to conceal inside its belly ( including himself ) . and leave the Equus caballus as an offering to the Gods while the remainder of the Greek fleet pretentiously sailed off. The Trojans. ferociously superstitious. took the wooden Equus caballus inside the metropolis and had a banquet observing their triumph. Then. at twilight. through the bid of Odysseus. the work forces inside the Equus caballus easy descended while the whole of Troy was asleep. They opened the Gatess and take the ground forces of Greece inside the walls of Troy. Hence. the devastation of the metropolis of Troy. Among the Trojan blue blood was Aeneas. the boy of Anchises and Venus. was hardly able to get away life from the custodies of the Greeks. if non for Venus’ direct intercession. He managed to get away and sailed to Latium. where he founded the City of Rome. Odysseyso begins on Odysseus’ journey towards place. after the 10 twelvemonth conflict with Troy. However. Odysseus’ had incurred the wrath of the Gods ( particularly Poseidon ) that he was condemned to sail for another 10 more old ages before making his hometown. Ithaca. â€Å"Unhappy Odysseus. he does non cognize the agonies that await him ; or how these ailments I and my Phrygians endure shall one twenty-four hours look to him cherished as gold. For beyond the 10 long old ages spent at Troy he shall drag out other 10 and so come to his state all alone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [ Cassandra. Euripides.Daughters of Troy431 ] Through out the ocean trip. Odysseus and his work forces met many interesting figures. such that of the stargazers. the land of the Cyclops where Odysseus employed one of his fast ones of presenting himself as Cipher. so that when the Polyphemus ( the Cyclops who captured them ) was blinded by Odysseus and his work forces. called out to the other Cyclops for aid. They asked Polyphemus who had blinded him and he shouted Nobody. so the other Cyclops went back to their home. They met the happy male monarch Aelous who gave them a bag of fast air currents. gone to the island of the man-eaters. and met Circe and she bore him a boy ( Telegonos ) . They besides passed through a sound in which Circe advised him to sail near to Scylla a monster who had six caputs and would eat six of his work forces. than hazard droping the ship in the vortex of Charybdis. Here. Odysseus volitionally sacrificed six of his work forces to salvage the ship. They are so brought to the island where Calypso lived and kept Odysseus for seven old ages. It was so that Athena. the goddess that favored Odysseus begged Zeus to assist Odysseus acquire place. So. Zeus sent the Hermes to state Calypso to let go of Odysseus. which she did and Odysseus. after a batch more problem still from Poseidon. eventually reached Ithaca and warned against the many suers of his married woman Penelope by the goddess Athena disguised as immature male child. Odysseus concealed his individuality and disguised himself as a mendicant. Upon making the palace. he saw the many suers of Penelope and asked permission to execute the undertaking required of the suers so they could get married Penelope. to hit with Odysseus bow a consecutive pointer through the holes of 12 axes in a row. So. Odysseus. disguised as a mendicant. was able to draw his ain bow and successfully hit an pointer through the holes. after which he directed the bow towards the suers and killed them all o ne by 1. He so claimed his Kingdom and his married woman one time more. However. many says that the Odyssey does non stop at that place. but instead continued to another event that lead to Odysseus get marrieding another adult female and his decease brought about by his boy with Circe. Telegonus. who erroneously killed him when Odysseus was supporting his flocks. Telegonus was at that clip looking for his male parent. and had slain Odysseus already when he found out he was his male parent. The Aeneid Aeneid is a Latin heroic poem written by Virgil in the 1stcentury BC. The verse form was about the legendary journey of Aeneas. a Trojan escaping from the firing metropolis of Troy. along with some of his companions and boy. traveled to Italy and accordingly founded the metropolis of Rome. The verse form is divided into two. the first six of the 12 books acquaints us with his journey from Troy to Italy. while the 2nd half. relays of the triumph of Trojans over Latins when Aeneas was able to kill Turnus. The hero Aeneas is already a common figure since he foremost appeared in Homer’s Iliad. Virgil so continued to compose about him and as a consequence made a historical heroic poem about the initiation of Rome. Aeneas was a refugee from the firing metropolis of Troy. from Homer’s Iliad. With the assistance of her female parent Venus. the Roman goddess of love. he fled together with his male parent Anchises. married woman Creusa. the girl of King Priam. and son Ascanius. However. through the slaughter Creusa got separated and was neer seen once more ( until Aeneas met her in the underworld and confirms that she is dead ) . He sailed for yearss. destined by Jupiter to happen a metropolis which he will call Rome. However. due to Paris of Troy’s non taking Juno ( Hera ) to have the apple of strife. Juno had the biggest contempt for Trojans that she set a strong air current to whirl Aeneas’ transport off from Italy. and do land on Carthage. through the aid of Neptune. Aeneas was the 2nd strongest warrior of Troy. and could be considered as half-god since his female parent was Venus. Venus helped Aeneas with his enterprise in Carthage and through Venus’ Aeneas was able to capture the bosom of Dido. Queen of Carthage. Although Dido promised fidelity to her dead hubby. she can non assist but experience love towards Aeneas and they became lovers and savored each other’s presence ; until clip came that Jupiter sent Mercury to remind Aeneas of his responsibility and to travel on with his ocean trip. Dido was heartbroken when Aeneas left. that she struck her ain bosom with Aeneas’ blade and threw herself on a pyre as Aeneas was go forthing. Turning about to see Dido. Aeneas saw merely the fume from the pyre and cognize what had happened. Aeneas’ strong respect for responsibility is one of the Roman’s great properties. Through out the ocean trip. Anchises peacefully died. He so made an escapade into the underworld to talk with his male parent Anchises. and was told of the prognostication of Rome. Upon returning to land. he led his work forces to Italy. near the metropolis of Cumae. Then he guided the ship towards the river Tiber. where he would construct the metropolis of Rome. Upon reaching. the local dwellers called Latins did non prefer the aliens and a large war emerged when King Latinus of Latium. gave his girl Lavinia. who was once betrothed to the leader of the locals. Turnus. to Aeneas to be his married woman. A conflict emerged between Trojans and the local Latins. The conflict ended with Aeneas killing Turnus. for he had disgraced the armour of his friend. Pallas. whom he had killed beforehand. Historical and Political Significance Homer and Virgil The difference of Homeric heroic poems to Virgils’Aeneid. Homer’s verse forms are crude and are orally recited. there was no unequivocal written text by Homer that vividly describes and punctuates each line or spoken poetry. Hence. the texts of Iliad and Odyssey. as we know now are simply a recording of an unwritten public presentation made centuries ago. and each recording differs since for every public presentation. assorted â€Å"versions† would be introduced. The hero’s narratives may be suddenly cut to an stoping. excluding some parts ; while in another version. the eternal rovings of the hero would be meticulously detailed. In contrast to the Aeneid by Virgil. this was a existent written piece of art. Real. in footings that there is one bing written text in Latin about the heroic poem Aeneid by a poet named Virgil. Through this bing written text. assorted readings and supplementations would merely be added. but the chief thoughts and escapades as originally written by Virgil. remains unchanged and untasted. The ground why Aeneid remains to hold a strong influence among Roman poets and historiographers because they have a definite text to compare to. Greece by far is more artistically inclined and more originative than the sterile Romans. this is why Virgil took the narrative of Aeneas from Iliad and created their ain heroic poem I the signifier of Aeneid. Although hundred old ages apart in clip. similarities emerged between the two heroic poems. The characters used by Virgil were a by-product from Homer’s Iliad. This may be because Aeneid is strictly divine and derived from Iliad. Odyssey and Greece The Grecian civilization started long before the Romans. and thief civilisation performed through smaller authoritiess. They love life and are unworried. inventive and spent many at leisure hours singing and merely wondering with the beauty of life and nature. They besides believe that even though dead. their love 1s could still pass on with them. but decease is something unpleasant and feared even by Grecian heroes. They marvel with life and did everything possible to be remembered. to hold their names repeated in narratives and their lives glorified. Like in the instance of Achilles. he was given a pick to populate and decease an old adult male but no 1 would cognize who he is. or deceasing in the Trojan War but his name and fable would stay everlastingly. Achilles chose the latter. Prestige and repute are of import for Greeks ; we could state they are selfish. egoistic and self-involved. Odysseus demonstrated this trait when he volitionally let six of his work forces be eaten by t he monster Scylla as they pass through her Waterss. Another would be his deficiency of trust to his work forces that they took the bag of air current given by Aelous and misidentify it as gold and opened it. Greeks exercised individuality unwittingly. They know that work forces are non perfect and take pride whenever one would prevail over his devils ; they marvel at this ability to dance with destiny. A adult male can be barbarous and atrocious but this facet of him would be replaced of virtuosity once he had completed his undertakings. Odysseus was as selfish and self-involved adult male. but his actions were glorified and rationalized as rational schemes aimed to accomplish his ends. of continuing his life and returning to Ithaca. Aeneid and Rome Virgil’s Aeneid was frequently suspected as a historical heroic poem utilized by Augustus as propaganda. Since Virgil and Augustus were friends and Virgil was a devout Scribe and Roman citizen. he basically created a work that would reflect his sentiments and feelings about Rome. and the emperor. Aeneas was frequently described in many scholarly articles â€Å"allegedly† as Augustus himself. That Aeneas’ journey to Italy and found Rome is an fable of Augustus ( antecedently named Octavian ) rise to power and the aureate age of Rome. Another impression reflected by Aeneid’s characters. is that Marc Anthony was Turnus. Julius Caesar as Anchises. Dido as Cleopatra. and the speechmaker Drances as the solon Cicero ( Glover. 1904 ) . In Aeneid. the whole of Rome was interpreted otherwise by Virgil. The architecture as he described in Aeneas’ universe were the same structures that he had seen erected in Rome ; the nationality and nationalism that Aeneas showed is a representation of what a Roman should be like ; Aeneas’ soldiers devotion to him is an fable of Roman soldiers’ respect to their generals and higher-ups. Last. the images engraved in Aeneas’ shield was a historical word picture of Rome – from its initiation through the twins Romulus and Remus and the she-wolf. to the triumph of Augustus over Marc Anthony in the Battle of Actium. Subjects Heroism The heroic poem hero plays a really important portion in literary unfavorable judgments. His encouraging being assures the integrity of the heroic poem verse form and guides our analysis when we search for a subject. If he is non easy to pick out. there ensues a wrangle over his individuality. and the verse form in inquiry would be amorphous and episodic. missing continuity of escapade. For it was concluded by modern critics that the norm for antediluvian and besides. modern heroic poems. tends to focus on on one person. who will transport out with him the significance and the intent of the verse form. In layman’s footings. we synonymously correlate the word heroic poem with escapades of great proportion. where merely one person is disposed to set about. This person would be a hero. and in him has the power to get the better of all obstructions to finish his epical journey and finish. The hero’s actions can be a footing for other events that happen through out the heroic poem. and it could besides be a foundation for other norms outside of the heroic poem. as interpreted by bookmans. Odysseus and Aeneas are the heroes of their ain heroic poem and the narrative revolved around them. Odysseus was a hero in the Trojan War because of his inventiveness. and became a hero of the Odyssey because it showed merely non his strength of head and organic structure. but besides his assorted personalities and tactics to get away any state of affairs. As with Aeneas. he is a hero because. he embodies in himself the Roman manner and he found the great metropolis of Rome. Both heroes achieved their ends in the terminal. killed the enemies and retrieved their wagess. For Odysseus. acquiring back his land and seeing his married woman and boy once more ; and for Aeneas. get awaying from Troy. and carry throughing his fate of edifice Rome. Supreme beings and Men ( Greek and Roman Gods ) Grecian mythology commenced ages before the Romans. The Grecian Gods are frequently depicted as arch and often interfere with human lives. They invariably play with human emotions and act merely harmonizing to their caprice. This gaiety of the Grecian Gods in portion where taken after by their Roman opposite numbers. Through Aeneid. the Grecian Gods were given Roman names and were given another function. With Odysseus. the Gods demonstrated. through Athena their helpful side. They treated adult male ( Odysseus ) as an of import being and helped him in any manner possible. However. non all Gods are every bit helpful as Athena and Zeus towards Odysseus. Through out the journey of Odysseus he was invariably attacked by Poseidon. because Odysseus blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus. who is besides a God. Poseidon sent twirling tides and strong air currents to turtle Odysseus’ ship. In add-on. the monsters Scylla and Charybdis exist merely to ache adult male. Most of the Gods are frequently depicted as cannibals and Odysseus. through his marbless and extra aid or advice from the other Gods. was able to get away being eaten by Polyphemus and Scylla. In Aeneid. Gods play a different function. They were helpful and sort. except for the vindictive Juno. Venus’ helped Aeneas flight along with his household. While in the sea. Juno’s wrath caught them and she tried to turtle the ship. but good God Neptune saved the ship and landed them on Carthage. After which. Aeneas and Dido had a love matter. but ended suddenly because Jupiter sent Mercury to remind Aeneas of his responsibility. Therefore. in Aeneid. Gods exist to direct and steer. Liminality Odysseus and Aeneas had to travel through escapades to be make their concluding ends. They undertook stairss and obstructions along the manner. and this could be best described as the liminality of their characters. It means a rite of transition that involves a alteration in the character. particularly sing their societal position. There are three phases of liminality as demonstrated by Odysseus and Aeneas. The first or the preliminary phase requires the separation of the heroes from their usual societal scene ; Odysseus was recruited to take part in the Trojan War and Aeneas escaped from Troy. The 2nd is the liminal phase where in the heroes are in the center of their journey. they are in between universes. more like â€Å"not a male child. non yet a man† or â€Å"neither here nor there† . Odysseus’ character on his odyssey place encountered many events that tested his bravery and personality. as a leader. a male parent. a hubby and as a King. Although. he is already a King in Ithaca. he arrived in Ithaca disguised as a mendicant – no longer merely a soldier from Troy. but non yet the King of Ithaca once more. Aeneas journey to Italy besides led him to different parts of the universe. In these times. he was no longer the Trojan warrior but still non the laminitis of Rome. The 3rd and concluding phase is called the postliminal phase. a period in which the heroes’ societal position is already confirmed. Upon turn outing Odysseus’ existent individuality to Penelope and killing all the suers. he eventually re-integrated himself as the King of Ithaca. As with Aeneas. during the conflict where he killed Turnus. he eventually triumphed over the local Latins and eventually established a metropolis that will be called Rome. Womans The function of adult females in both heroic poems were polar but at the same clip unlike. Womans in Odyssey were given particular functions and they helped Odysseus through out his journey. Possibly the most helpful adult female was the goddess Athena who provided Odysseus with wisdom and at the same clip assisting Penelope ward off the many suers who had come to Ithaca. She besides helped Telemachus. Odysseus’ boy in his undertakings. Penelope’s function as the loving and faithful married woman is the fastness that Odysseus leaned on during his long travel. Other adult females like Circe tamed Odysseus’ pride and love for his work forces when she all turned them into hogs. He fought valorously for them to be placed back in their human signifier ; Ino. saved Odysseus when he was submerging by giving him a charming cloak ; Calypso offered Odysseus a pick between immortality and decease. and he chose none of the above but due to his fright of her power he stayed w ith her for seven old ages. â€Å"Nay semen. set thy blade into the sheath. and thenceforth allow us travel up into my bed. that meeting in love and slumber we may swear each the other. † said Circe ( Odyssey. Book X ) † However. in Aeneid. adult females took a backseat. They were non given much accent or of import function through out the verse form. Aside from the tragic destiny of Dido for falling in love with Aeneas. her bad luck was further re-iterated when she committed self-destruction. Womans such as Andromache. the married woman of Hector and Cruesa. Aeneas’ married woman. bore the load of the looted metropolis of Troy when Andromache witnessed her boy Astyanax thrown from the towers and Cruesa. separated from Aeneas during the great flight. â€Å"had to† dice so that Aeneas was said to get married another miss in a foreign land where in he would raise a bound metropolis. Possibly with the exclusion of the wroth Juno and the sort yet arch Venus. these adult females were non every bit strong as Homer’s. Probably because the Roman civilization at that clip gave less importance to adult females. supplying a really patriarchal society. While in Homer’s clip. Greece was merely emerging from a matriarchal society wherein adult females were regarded as peers with work forces. Although there was one character in Aeneid. that of Camilla. who demonstrated strength when she provided assistance for the falling Trojans ; and that of Lavinia. the princess fought over by Aeneas and Turnus. where in her bosom the hereafter of Aeneas’ race lies. As was ever the issue with work forces. non merely with Odysseus or Aeneas. Just like soldiers who have lovers in every finish. possibly solitariness has something to make with them roll uping adult females through out their journey. Odysseus. although married somehow gained ardor from the assorted adult females he met and took pride from this in this transition: â€Å"Verily Calypso. the just goddess. would fain hold kept me with her in hallow caves. hankering to hold me for her Godhead ; and likewise excessively. crafty Circe of Aia. would hold stayed me in her halls hankering to hold me for her Godhead. But neer did they prevail upon my bosom within my chest. So certainly is at that place nought sweeter that a man’s ain state and his parents. even though he dwell far of in a rich place. in a unusual land. off from all that begat him ( Odysseus. Odyssey in Book IX ) . † Aeneas stayed with Dido and was merely through the message of Mercury sent by Jupiter was he reminded of his mission to happen the land of the Romans. He reluctantly bound for his ship and yearningly looked back to see the pyre that burns the flesh of Dido who committed self-destruction because of him. For Aeneas. adult females was neer a job for him. he would ever acquire them without even making anything. His married woman Cruesa was given by Priam as an grasp for his being a good Trojan warrior ; Dido was charmed by Venus into falling in love with him ; and Lavinia was given by her male parent to Aeneas as an offering of peace and fulfilment of a prognostication. Journey and Discovery Odyssey translated means ocean trip or long journey. Both the Odyssey and Aeneid were narratives of drawn-out expedition towards their terminal ends. However. aside the actual journey of the two characters. a metaphorical ocean trip besides happened that finally take them to the individuals that they became one time they reached their concluding finishs. Odysseus in his journey battled with his pride and his yearnings for his household. However. a veteran of war and hocus-pocus. he suppressed his avidity to come out and present himself to Penelope upon seeing her beauty one time once more. He kept his composure and stayed in the mendicant camouflage until that the right clip. His was besides a journey of a adult male who became wiser than he was earlier. That his journey started with 12 ships and he returned home entirely. Odysseus was speedy to recognize his errors and took duty for his and his men’s actions. As with Aeneas. from the prized warrior of Troy. second to Hector. he evolved into a stronger single determined to carry through his fate. A devoted boy. he cared for his male parent Anchises really much ; from transporting him out of the firing metropolis of Troy. to his peaceable decease on board his ship ; and to his following him in the underworld to seek his advise. Aeneas’ journey had changed from merely being a soldier. to a leader of a new civilisation. Destiny Destiny or fate played an of import portion in the escapades of Odysseus and Aeneas. Fate. in portion is presumptively designated by the Gods and hence. in this sense. destiny and the god’s caprice are synonymous. Prophecies stated by visionaries were sent to them by the Gods who have seen what will go on. and through their actions. every bit good as the persons action. the hereafter will be set into action. unwittingly. Fate. at times were tried to be stopped by some Gods. like Juno deviating Aeneas’ attending from of all time acquiring to Italy through offering matrimony between him and Dido ; but when Gods intervene. other Gods besides intervene. and Jupiter reminded Aeneas of his responsibility. Fate. so. as destined by the Gods. has a wont of doing itself complete. It was a portion of life of the Odyssey and Aeneid. An ineluctable certainty that shaped both of the hero’s lives. In general. as evidenced by the subjects discussed in this paper. Odyssey and Aeneid has more than one thing in common. aside from being merely heroic poems. They shared a commonalty in assorted subjects such as gallantry. relationship between Gods and work forces. the liminality phases. their adult females. the significance of their journey and the function of destiny. Therefore. it is sufficient to state that possibly. a small spot of Odyssey was â€Å"copied† by Virgil to make Aeneid. These similarities are non coinciding as Odyssey existed seven hundred old ages before Aeneid. Nonetheless. utilizing Homer’s works as an inspiration for composing did non restrict Virgil’s capacity as a author. Yes. he may hold spun Aeneas from Homer. but he created a wholly different character. and a wholly different fortunes and environment. As is the focal point of all heroic poems. antediluvian and modern. these two plants became a footing for comparing and no 1. up to now. could of all time excel the criterions that the two poets had set. Assorted readings and supplementations were added to Aeneid but nil still beats the original. As for Homer. small was known about him but he achieved immortality. the most valued title for Greeks. for his plants. His name became a family name even 1000s of old ages after his decease. In decision. Odyssey and Aeneid are two of the most of import literary plants of all time made. Plants Cited Feeney. D. C.Epic Hero and Epic Fable. Comparative Literature. Vol. 38. No. 2. Spring. 1986. Glover. Terrot R.Surveies in Virgil. Edward Arnold. 1904. 312 pgs. Hainsworth. J. B.The Criticism of an Oral Homer.The Journal of Hellenic Studies. Vol. 90. 1970. Deneen. Patrick J.The Odyssey of Political Theory: The Politicss of Departure and Return.Rowman and Littlefield. 2003.