The Aeneid Vs Odyssey

The Roman Empire has gone down in history as one or even the greatest empire of the ancient world. Many who were citizens of this glorious empire held deep pride and love for their country, but even though they considered Rome the greatest city in the known world they still compared themselves to past civilizations. Virgil, the author of The Aeneid used his epic poem to accomplish this. In the Aeneid, Virgil pays homage to Rome’s cultural predecessors, the Greeks. He does this by drawing parallels between Homers, The Odyssey and the Aeneid. One of the most important parallels is the journey of each epics heroes and what defines a hero according to each culture. The characters of Aeneas and Odysseus are representatives of their respective cultures …show more content…
One of the main reasons why Aeneas wants to create an empire besides being his destiny to do so, is for his son. In Roman society it is the duty of the father to care for one’s family, especially the oldest son. To leave him a legacy that will carry him on through life and even with all the conflict that Aeneas faces, he never forgets his son. In Greek culture loyalty to the family is also important but it seems at times that family serves secondary to his personal needs. While Odysseus had no choice to leave his son when he was called to battle, the choices he made during his journey back home ultimately served him and not his family, who were left to deal with the harmful actions of the suitors for many years and left Telemachus to grow up without his father.
While both of these heroes are different they are also similar as well. They faced similar challenges and were aided with divine help throughout their journey, so what makes Aeneas superior to Odysseus in the eyes of the romans? One answer might be found in the purpose of their journeys. While both are seeking home, in Aeneas’ case, his purpose serves something higher than himself. He isn’t trying to find a new home for himself but for his people, a