Similarities Between The Odyssey And Virgil

In some traditions an author display Hell as a place of torment and punishment in the afterlife. Also, in other traditions authors depict the Underworld not as a place where the corrupt individuals go but an abode for the dead located under the Earth’s surface. In Homer’s Odyssey the main purpose of the work was for entertainment, while Vigil was writing the Aeneid with a political agenda influencing the work. This differences in helped contribute to the contrast between The Odyssey and The Aeneid, while doth heroes were in the Underworld.
Two events that both authors include was a sacrifice to gain entrance to the Underworld and the meeting with one of their parents. The sacrifices that each hero had to make so they could go to the Underworld showcased the importance of giving something up to reach your achievements. Odysseus has to pour his blood and souls come to him, while Aeneas has to find a gold branch, which acts like a key to open the Underworld. Homer made Odysseus’ sacrifice more personal and valuable to heighten the entertainment value of the stories. While Virgil manipulates the gold branch to include the recurring theme that Aeneas will lead his people to growth and prosperity. Also, the heroes of both epics had a significant conversation with one of their parents while in the Underworld that helped guide them in later events. Odysseus meets his mother on his visit, however, Aeneas discusses with his father about the future that he …show more content…
Virgil was asked by the current ruler to write the Aeneid, therefor the story had a more political element, while Homer creating the Odyssey as an entertainment retelling of the past. In both epics the readers can catch little hints of the different emphasis each author place on events that help influence a reader into thinking a curtain way about the