Virgil was a brilliant poet who lived in Rome, Italy. He was born in 70 B.C. and moved to Cumae, a city in the western portion of Naples that was regarded the earliest, existent Greek colony in the West, in 49 B.C. Virgil began writing during his schooling at Cumae1. His epic The Aeneid, written in 31 B.C., is considered his primary masterpiece. It also became Rome's national epic, as Augustus was the one who assigned it to him. It was believed that he would write at least three lines of The Aeneid daily, thereby meticulously conscious on self-perfection. He was able to complete the twelve books of The Aeneid until his death. He also made Homer’s The Oddysey and Iliad as his models for his masterpiece2. Little was known with regard to Virgil’s private life. However, he had a great impact on world literature since his works were constantly read and studied until today3.
Rome’s acknowledgement of its history is depicted in The Aeneid, since the wars of Greece and Ilium (Troy) were mentioned. The Aeneid’s complete dedication to the fall of Troy was described in the line,
Ilium was going down in fire4.
The main character of Virgil’s The Aeneid is Aeneas. He was selected by the gods in order to discover the Roman Empire and lead Rome toward its recovery from the fall of Troy. His main goal was to obey the commands of the gods and this was depicted throughout the whole epic5. One instance was when Aeneas was with Dido in Carthage. He lived a contented life with her but then he realized that he had to make a sacrifice for the sake of Rome, and so he decided to leave her6.
1 Vandiver, Tara. “Revelations of Rome in Virgil’s Aeneid.” Hawaii.edu. Accessed March 9,
2017.https://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/documents/Vol06x16RevelationsofRomeinVirgilsAeneid.pdf, 65
2 Mannetter, Drew. Zeus’ Reward and the Ambiguity of Eastern Decadence in Virgil’s Aeneid. Enarratio: Publications of the Medieval Association of
the Midwest, 16: 43-63. 2009, 43
3 Knauer, Georg Nicolaus. Vergil’s Aeneid and Homer. Berlin, Germany: Freie Universitat Berlin, 1964, 61
4 Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics. 1990, 55
5 Mannetter, Drew. Zeus’ Reward and the Ambiguity of Eastern Decadence in Virgil’s Aeneid. Enarratio: Publications of the Medieval Association of the Midwest, 16: 43-63. 2009, 48
2Ibid
Aeneas’ heroism was vividly defined by his respect and humility with the gods who commissioned him for his quest in Rome. Thus at certain points in The Aeneid, he was described as the “pious Aeneas”7.
Homer and The Oddysey
Homer, on the other hand, became known due to his two great epic poems during the 6th century B.C., The Iliad and The Oddysey. Despite his blindness, he was deemed as one of the most significant and oldest among other Greek writers. Because of this, he was one of the pioneers of Western literature. His works contributed toward the evolution of literature in ancient Greece, from oral verses to new styles of writing. Homer was also Virgil’s inspiration for his goal of achieving glory in Rome8.
The Oddysey revolved around the life of a hero who made various efforts and sacrifices on his journey back to their homeland. Heroes during the time of Homer were believed to hold a special role in the aristocratic class, placing them between gods and humans. Oddyseus, the main character of The Oddysey, experienced tribulations for many years before he was able to return to Greece. Oddyseus went through painful and deadly challenges, but one thing that remained in him was his sense of certainty. He was a soldier whose skills and personality was mocked by cruel monsters enveloping his world9. Generally, misery and postwar disappointments were the aspects that formed the central theme of this epic poem.
6 Knauer, Georg Nicolaus. Vergil’s Aeneid and Homer. Berlin, Germany: Freie Universitat Berlin, 1964, 65-66
7 Chase, Thomas. The Aeneid of Virgil. Philadelphia: Eldredge, 1870, 281
8 Vandiver, Tara. “Revelations of Rome in Virgil’s Aeneid.” Hawaii.edu. Accessed March 9, 2017.https://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/documents/Vol06x16RevelationsofRomeinVirgilsAeneid.pdf, 65
9 McCabe, Helen. “Compare the visits to the Underworld by Odysseus and Aeneas. How does each poet explain the meaning of life and death? What values are important to Vergil?” Angelfire.com. Last modified November 2001. Accessed March 9, 2017. http://www.angelfire.com/art/archictecture/articles/underworld.htm
Comparison and Contrast of The Aeneid and The Oddysey
The two epic poems, The Aeneid and The Oddysey were accomplished from two contrasting viewpoints: the triumphant Greeks of Homer’s The Oddysey and the overpowered Trojans of Virgil’s The Aeneid who were to become Romans. One aspect of comparison between the two poems is the aspect of war. The wars and their respective heroes were popular in both poems especially the Sirens and Dido in Carthage10.
Comparing both characters, Aeneas and Oddyseus were sexually involved with other women aside from their wives. The difference is that Oddyseus’ relationships with the goddesses Circe and Calypso happened while he was married. As for Aeneas, he was already a widow when he had a relationship with Dido, who was a mortal. Both Circe and Calypso were alive until the end of the poem while Dido killed herself the moment Aeneas decided to leave her for the sake of his mission for Rome11.
The opening lines of The Aeneid have a direct connection with The Oddysey. This was depicted in the passage,
I sing of warfare and a man at war,
Tell me the causes now, O Muse
For years, they wandered as their destiny drove them on,
From one sea to the next: so hard and huge
10 Adams, Jeff. Greek and Roman Perceptions of the Afterlife in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid. McNair Scholars Journal, 11 (1), 2: 5-11. 2007, 5
11 Knauer, Georg Nicolaus. Vergil’s Aeneid and Homer. Berlin, Germany: Freie Universitat Berlin, 1964, 66
12 Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics. 1990, 4
2Ibid
A task it was to found the Roman people12
Virgil was able to convey a touch of entertainment through the interaction with the Muse coupled with the illustration of his challenging journey by the sea. The above-mentioned passage has a profound similarity with the opening lines of The Oddysey, which states,
Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
Of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
The wanderer, harried for years on end,
After he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy13
Both Aeneas and Oddyseus were epic heroes who have undergone numerous challenges but were able to achieve victory over their enemies. In addition, they both went through a journey to the underworld, of which they were able to survive. Also, they were able to encounter Cyclops, a one-eyed giant14.
The difference between the personalities of the two protagonists though is that Oddyseus became more popular for his cleverness while Aeneas exhibited strength as he went through every trial in his life. Both parents of Oddyseus were mortals while Aeneas was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, who apparently disguised herself as a huntress15.
13 Homer. Odyssey. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. New York: Perennial Classics, 1999, 1
14 McCabe, Helen. “Compare the visits to the Underworld by Odysseus and Aeneas. How does each poet explain the meaning of life and death? What values are important to Vergil?” Angelfire.com. Last modified November 2001. Accessed March 9, 2017. http://www.angelfire.com/art/archictecture/articles/underworld.htm
15 Vandiver, Tara. “Revelations of Rome in Virgil’s Aeneid.” Hawaii.edu. Accessed March 9, 2017.https://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/documents/Vol06x16RevelationsofRomeinVirgilsAeneid.pdf, 67
Aeneas and his crew members apparently survived the fall of Troy. Re-establishing a new city in the west was a mission given to him, yet he discovered later on that the new city will be unlike Troy. Because of this, Aeneas gave up the fact that he was a Trojan and decided to build the Roman Empire. Though both Aeneas and Oddyseus went on their journey to the west, their individual goals were completely different16.
Culture and the Two Epics
Analyzing the two epic poems, it can be deduced that the Romans’ way of life was greatly influenced by Greek society. Certain aspects in ancient Rome can be attributed to Greek culture. These include literature, mythology, philosophy and religion17.
The Aeneid enabled ancient Rome to give significance to legendary heroes, gods and goddesses as well as value Roman traditions, culture and values. Aside from myths and legends, certain religious aspects were observed in this epic poem, which resulted in the development of Roman culture apart from that of ancient Greek culture18.
The Oddysey, on the other hand, gave significance to the value of women and their role in the household. The relationship with family members was also taken into account. This is because the central theme of the poem revolved around one’s identity and place in the society as depicted in the beginning of the story, which highlighted Telemachus, the son of Oddyseus19.
16 Mannetter, Drew. Zeus’ Reward and the Ambiguity of Eastern Decadence in Virgil’s Aeneid. Enarratio: Publications of the Medieval Association of the Midwest, 16: 43-63. 2009, 49-50
17 Vandiver, Tara. “Revelations of Rome in Virgil’s Aeneid.” Hawaii.edu. Accessed March 9, 2017.https://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/documents/Vol06x16RevelationsofRomeinVirgilsAeneid.pdf, 65
18 Ibid
19 Russo, Joseph. Homer’s Style: Nonformulaic Features of an Oral Aesthetic. Oral Tradition, 9 (2): 371-389. 1994, 375
Bibliography
Adams, Jeff. Greek and Roman Perceptions of the Afterlife in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and
Virgil’s Aeneid. McNair Scholars Journal, 11 (1), 2: 5-11. 2007
Chase, Thomas. The Aeneid of Virgil. Philadelphia: Eldredge, 1870.
Homer. Oddysey. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. New York: Perennial Classics, 1999.
Knauer, Georg Nicolaus. Vergil’s Aeneid and Homer. Berlin, Germany: Freie Universitat
Berlin, 1964
Mannetter, Drew. Zeus’ Reward and the Ambiguity of Eastern Decadence in Virgil’s Aeneid.
Enarratio: Publications of the Medieval Association of the Midwest, 16: 43-63. 2009
McCabe, Helen. “Compare the visits to the Underworld by Odysseus and Aeneas. How does
each poet explain the meaning of life and death? What values are important to Vergil?” Angelfire.com. Last modified November 2001. Accessed March 9, 2017.
http://www.angelfire.com/art/archictecture/articles/underworld.htm
Russo, Joseph. Homer’s Style: Nonformulaic Features of an Oral Aesthetic. Oral Tradition, 9 (2): 371-389. 1994
Vandiver, Tara. “Revelations of Rome in Virgil’s Aeneid.” Hawaii.edu. Accessed March 9,
2017.https://hilo.hawaii.edu/academics/hohonu/documents/Vol06x16RevelationsofRomeinVirgilsAeneid.pdf
Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Classics. 1990.
