Many people look at Virgil’s Aeneid as a complementary story to the Odyssey, the epic yarn spun by Homer. These tales follow two parallel chains of effect starting from the Trojan War. The Odyssey tells of the titular hero Odysseus’ long and tumultuous journey home after his victory on the fields of Ilium while the Aeneid gives us the story of Aeneas as he attempts to find a land on which to settle his fleeing people after the blazing destruction of his homeland. The differences between these two novels go far beyond just their stories. These two novels exemplify the cultures that helped to shape them and show great contrast between the mindset of the Achaean Homer and the Roman Virgil. These differences represent an evolution of the mindset
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Their works are the standards by which the epic is defined. The Aeneid by Virgil is a product of the Roman culture in which it was written while the Odyssey, an epic by Homer, was created in Greece. They are intertextually connected with each of them starting at the end of the Trojan War. The Aeneid gives the story of Aeneas as he flees Troy to establish a new land for his people and the Odyssey tells of Odysseus’ return home and reestablish his dominance in his homeland. The heroes and stories represented in these epics are a product of the cultural background in which they were created. They show differences in writing style, emotional states, and philosophy that demonstrate the differences that are evident between their cultures and time …show more content…
Unlike Homer, Virgil “could take neither his gods nor his heroes for granted” (Brooks 6). These were the heroes and gods of a time before him. They were not as integrated into his culture and time. Thus to use them he had to change them. He had to make them more Roman. To do this he incorporated a subjective style of writing (Brooks 6). Unlike Homer who focused solely on actions and words as the vessels of the characterization of his heroes and Gods, Virgil had to create the characters in a more modernized style (Brooks 7). Throughout the Odyssey the feelings and thoughts of the characters are displayed through their use of monologue and actions. You are never left with a sense of ambiguity as to why a god or hero performed a certain act in the epic. There is never even a questioning of the credibility of the Gods or Odysseus (Brooks 7). The way Homer presents them they are shown to be doing the only rational action. The characters seem to have no need for motives, because their reasoning should be blatantly clear based on what is said in the story. In this way the Odyssey is very simplistic and rustic. This is in stark contrast to the Aeneid where each character is less-developed, but completely reliant on a form of motivation that isn’t directly stated (Brooks 8). There is a huge focus on the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the characters in the story.
Their works are the standards by which the epic is defined. The Aeneid by Virgil is a product of the Roman culture in which it was written while the Odyssey, an epic by Homer, was created in Greece. They are intertextually connected with each of them starting at the end of the Trojan War. The Aeneid gives the story of Aeneas as he flees Troy to establish a new land for his people and the Odyssey tells of Odysseus’ return home and reestablish his dominance in his homeland. The heroes and stories represented in these epics are a product of the cultural background in which they were created. They show differences in writing style, emotional states, and philosophy that demonstrate the differences that are evident between their cultures and time …show more content…
Unlike Homer, Virgil “could take neither his gods nor his heroes for granted” (Brooks 6). These were the heroes and gods of a time before him. They were not as integrated into his culture and time. Thus to use them he had to change them. He had to make them more Roman. To do this he incorporated a subjective style of writing (Brooks 6). Unlike Homer who focused solely on actions and words as the vessels of the characterization of his heroes and Gods, Virgil had to create the characters in a more modernized style (Brooks 7). Throughout the Odyssey the feelings and thoughts of the characters are displayed through their use of monologue and actions. You are never left with a sense of ambiguity as to why a god or hero performed a certain act in the epic. There is never even a questioning of the credibility of the Gods or Odysseus (Brooks 7). The way Homer presents them they are shown to be doing the only rational action. The characters seem to have no need for motives, because their reasoning should be blatantly clear based on what is said in the story. In this way the Odyssey is very simplistic and rustic. This is in stark contrast to the Aeneid where each character is less-developed, but completely reliant on a form of motivation that isn’t directly stated (Brooks 8). There is a huge focus on the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the characters in the story.