Livy And Virgil Compare And Contrast

Livy and Virgil both give accounts of the famous Hercules and Cacus tale. However, they are very different accounts, each having distinct changes. Virgil has an introduction of Aeneas, while Livy has Romulus and Remus. Cacus is known as a man to Livy, but a monster to Virgil. They both have different intentions and motivations for adding these. Both are famous authors, who’s works about the founding of Rome will live on in infamy.
Livy and Virgil both mention the founders of Rome just before the story. However, Livy recounts the quarrel between Romulus and Remus, while Virgil narrates Aeneas and his brave men attempting to find allies in central Italy. This is a huge difference between the two writers and their styles. Virgil mentions Aeneas, who is the supposed descendent of Augustus. In the story the man Pallas calls the Trojans “the bravest,” and takes Aeneas by the hand “[holding] it fast in welcome” taking the Trojans straight to his father. This is a clear way to emphasize how Julius Caesar and Augustus are descendant from …show more content…
The way in which Cacus dies is much more grandiose way. Hercules attacks Cacus with trees and milestones. This makes the story much more lively and grandiose. This story being in the Aeneid is part of the epic poem. It was supposed to raise roman patriotism and mirror the epics of Homer. Livy is purely giving his story to inform those of what most likely happened, or what has been told. He stated that he is just trying to give a true unbiased history of Rome, and not a piece of propaganda for Augustus. Livy clearly has a statement that Cacus is not some monster, but a man who has wronged another. That is why he has Hercules murder the shepherd Cacus, and he is then questioned about his murder. It is only after the people learn the background of the killing that they accept the