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Similarities Between The Odyssey And The Aeneid

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One of the greatest - if not the greatest - civilizations of the ancient world was the Roman Empire. It is even fair to speculate that it may be the greatest empire of all human history. As a unit, Romans were very honored and satisfied with the rich society they created. Because of this, Rome compared itself to past nations. Virgil, a Roman writer, did just that in his epic poem, The Aeneid. In this poem, Virgil compares the Romans to their predecessors, the Greeks. Virgil uses the work of Homer, and constructs parallel situations from The Odyssey, in order to show the differences between Roman characteristics and Greek characteristics. The main character of each book, Aeneas from The Aeneid, and Odysseus from The Odyssey, both represent the …show more content…
Though they have identical goals, Aeneas’ and Odysseus’ behavior are in no way similar. Aeneas demonstrates the Roman’s view on duty. He is told by the Gods to leave Carthage and begin the Roman Empire. After receiving this message, he was immediately ready to do as told, “As the sharp admonition and command from heaven had shaken him awake, how now burned only to be gone, to leave that land of the sweet life behind.” (The Aeneid, 5. 382 - 386) Aeneas is drawn to do whatever task the Gods give him. This sentence shows that Aeneas is urged to obey the Gods, even though he will have to leave “the sweet life behind”. He will have to sacrifice the easy life he could have led. “Duty-bound, Aeneas, though he struggled with desire. . . took the course heaven gave him and went back to the fleet.” (The Aeneid, 5. 545 - 551) Aeneas gave up his own happiness for his people and his …show more content…
In the fourth book of The Odyssey, Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, is seen mourning for her long-lost husband, She says, “. . . see what anguish hath my heart and soul! My lord, my lion heart gone, long ago. . . Aye, ‘tis for him I weep. . . “ (The Odyssey, 4. 866 - 872) On the contrary, Odysseus is not paying her the same mind. He is, rather, off with Kirke, a powerful witch. In the tenth book of the Odyssey, Odysseus finds himself in a bend, which only an affair with Kirke can get him out of. Kirke says that in order to free his men, which she has seduced and turned into pigs, Odysseus must “mingle and make love upon our bed.” (10. 377) He agrees, “She swore at once outright, as I demanded, and after she had sworn, and bound herself, I entered Kirke’s flawless bed of love.” (10. 388-390) Yet, nowhere does he mention regret from having cheated on his wife, who was mourning for him at home. Virgil uses Odysseus’ lack of care to portray his concept of Roman superiority by claiming the Greeks to be disloyal by

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