Similarities Between The Aeneid And Odysseus

The two pictures of the Underworld both have a few contrasting features brought out through the narrative, one of these being the difference in the orientations of the two heroes. This plays a large part in their respective experiences in the Underworld. When Odysseus calls on the spirits of his fallen friends, he does so because he has to fulfill the command of Circe, who had instructed him to hear the prophesy of Teiresias before returning home. Therefore, it was a decree by fate that Odysseus must complete this task. The matter of going to the Underworld is much different for Aeneas. In the Aeneid, he is following through on the last wish of his father, who urged him to travel to the Underworld after his death for one last moment to speak to him. Virgil remarks that Aeneas is “duty-bound” because he obeys his father’s instruction. …show more content…
Aeneas' desire to follow his father's last commands leads him on a strange and dark journey, which is a true trial given everything he has already suffered in the Aeneid. Virgil highly ritualizes the process of reaching the Underworld; Aeneas has to make the right sacrifices, then he has to retrieve the Golden Bough, , and finally, he must cross the frightening cave of the Sibyl to finish off the long procedure. On the other hand, there is relatively little ritual in the Odyssey of Homer. All Odysseus has to do is slaughter the sacrifice and make a promise to kill a heifer for the dead, and then he easily calls up the shades and talks with them. Unlike in the Aeneid, there is no arduous trip to the Underworld and Odysseus’ resolve is barely