The Heroic Code In The Iliad And The Aeneid

Both the Iliad and the Aeneid are masterpieces in how their stories are spun and give insight into the morals and dilemmas that the characters reflect from within ourselves. That being said, both the stories are entwined with each other, the Aeneid is the continuation of the Iliad from the Trojans perspective. The heroic codes between the two are on complete opposite sides of a spectrum, on one side we have Homer’s epic tale of Achilles whose code centers around honor, and personal honor above all. While on the other side there is Virgil’s poem of Aeneas embodying Stoic virtues and putting the well-being of country above yourself. Starting with Achilles, his heroic code is purely based on personal honor. Whether it was from spoils of war …show more content…
Here the achievements of one individual has no place in the greater scheme of life as a whole, nor in the eyes of the country. In Virgil’s tale he epitomizes the ideal of honor in serving one’s country, which in today’s society is still a major philosophy. Aeneas’ duty is to his country, not to himself, and throughout his adventure he consistently puts his mission of founding a country above his own personal wants. For example when Aeneas is in the cave with Dido, he places his gods-given mission of founding a new homeland above his love of Dido. The theme is further illustrated when he travels to the underworld and encounters the ghostly specter of Dido due to the fact she committed suicide. Aeneas states “…my departure from you was reluctant…nor could I believe that my absence would have cost you so dear.” Here it is shown that he regrets that his actions led to her demise, but even so he still firmly believes that he made the right choice. Furthermore, he follows Dido for a period of time, but “[with a] heavy heart, rejoined his companion and resumed his …show more content…
It is that very trait of his that Aeneas’ countrymen commend him on. However, much akin to Achilles, Aeneas loses his tight control over himself in a fit of rage. This is due to the death of Pallas by the hand of Turnus, “Aeneas was crushed by his failure to protect Pallas and quickly sought to avenge the boy's death.” The scene itself is the same as in the Iliad, where it was Patroclus versus Hector, now it is Pallas against Turnus. This is the only similarity between Achilles and Aeneas, where both lose complete control over the death of someone they care about, wishing they could have protected them better. With Achilles his rage drove him to abuse the body of Hector, yet with Aeneas while he had Turnus at sword point, his rage caused him to momentarily turn his back on the ideal of “generosity over the conquered” causing him to choose his own personal feelings over that of his