A Comparison of Virgil’s “Aeneid” with Homer’s Epic Poems
Andrew Stutts
“The Aeneid”
was written by one of Rome's greatest poets named Publius Vergilius Maro or
Virgil as he is commonly known. The
“Aeneid” is a magnificent ancient Roman national epic, and one of the most
valuable pieces of literature ever written.
It takes a look at leadership and investigates the conflict between duty
and desire. Furthermore, “The Aeneid” expresses
both Virgil’s tribute to Homer and his effort to go beyond the Homeric model
and craft his own legendary epic. Moreover,
there are many similarities between Homer’s epic poems, “The Iliad” and “The
Odyssey”, and Virgil’s “Aeneid”. Despite
various similarities between Virgil’s “Aeneid” and Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The
Odyssey”, there are fundamental differences in how the two epics represent issues
such as the Trojan War and its participants.
Therefore, the intent of this paper is to compare and contrast Homer’s
epic poems with Virgil’s “Aeneid”, concentrating on the distinctly unique set of Roman cultural values and
warrior ethos that set them apart from the Greeks.
When comparing and contrasting Homer’s work with Virgil’s,
it is essential to not only know who Virgil was but to analyze his motivation
for writing “The Aeneid” as well. Virgil lived from 70-19 B.C.E. He grew up and lived in a time of civil war
and political upheaval. Virgil was an
introverted and unassuming poet who did not engage in politics or public
life. However, his poetic brilliance
soon won him fame and caught the attention of the Roman Empire’s new leader
Augustus Caesar. (Davis 1174-1175)
Augustus
Caesar entrusted Virgil with the commission to write a national epic, with the
intent on creating for Rome what the “Iliad” and “The Odyssey” was for Greece. Virgil was the only Roman poet willing to
take on this overwhelming task. Virgil
started this project in about 29 B.C.E but died before he could complete
it. He had requested that it be
destroyed before he died. However,
August Caesar ordered it completed and Varius Rufus ensured it was finished. (Davis 1174- 1181)
Homer’s
epic work had a direct and unequivocal impact on Virgil, one Rome’s finest
poets ever. Virgil not only used the
Homeric style of writing to write the Aeneid, he used a Trojan hero mentioned
by Homer as his leading character. This
hero as legend and tradition held fled the defeated and sacked Troy and
eventually established Rome after a long arduous journey. Furthermore, it is obvious that he drew
heavily on material from both Homer’s “Iliad” and “The Odyssey” to create “The
Aeneid”.
It
not surprising that Virgil would use Homer’s “Iliad” and “The Odyssey” as both
his model and inspiration when creating “The Aeneid”. First of all, the Greek and Roman cultures
were very comparable. They shared various
similar characteristics in their art, architecture, religion, and
military. Furthermore, Romans had a deep
appreciation for Greek culture and sought to emulate its finest qualities. The influence Greek culture had on the Roman
culture increased with the expansion of the Roman Empire. Additionally, due to the subjugation of the
Greeks by the Romans, much of their literature is alike. Probably the most influential piece of Greek
literature was Homer’s epic poems “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”. These epic poems by Homer had an enormous
influence on Roman poets, especially Virgil.
In fact, the influence that Homer’s epic
poems, “The Iliad” and ‘The Odyssey,” exerted upon Virgil’s “Aeneid” is evident. Virgil’s “Aeneid” has corresponding
fundamentals in the design of its plot. This
can be seen in the following introductions of both “The Odyssey” and “The
Aeneid”: “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 of the proud height of Troy.” (Davis 421) (Rosati)
“My song
is
arms
and a man,
the
first
of Troy to
come to
Italy and Lavinian
shores, a fated fugitive, harried on land and sea by heaven’s huge might and Juno’s endless hate,
pummeled by wars, till he could found the City.” (Davis 1181)
(Rosati)
It is effortless to see the resemblance in the introductions of these
two poems but the similarities do not end there. (Rosati)
There are several more prominent similarities
between “Virgil’s Aeneid” and the “Odyssey” worth mentioning. Both “Virgil’s Aeneid” and the “Odyssey”
begin with its main characters leaving Troy toward the conclusion of the Trojan
War in search of home. In “The Odyssey”
the triumphant and victorious Odysseus departs the defeated city of Troy for
his home in Ithaca. In “The Aeneid”,
Aeneas flees the beaten and ransacked city of Troy with his family in search of
a new home. (Rosati)
During
their
travels,
Odysseus and Aeneas both
encountered
extremely
difficult
circumstances. During their voyage, they both
underwent and overcame great difficulties. They were forced to contend with extremely arduous conditions and
situations. Each were delayed on their journeys and at
times heading in the wrong direction. Furthermore,
Odysseus and Aeneas each incurred the anger and disdain of at least one of the
gods. The two heroes were each helped and hindered by the gods, in addition to
other people and entities. They both were
delayed on their journeys by amorous encounters with enchanting females. Odysseus and Aeneas each conversed with
habitants of the underworld to gain knowledge and inspiration for their
cause. (Rosati)
For
example, Odysseus suffered through sea storms created by Poseidon and Aeneas
was challenged by the strong opposing winds created by Aeolus, the wind-god. Juno had directed Aeolus to be in opposition
to Aeneas because she despised him. Juno
felt malice toward Aeneas only because he was a Trojan and she hated all
Trojans. Poseidon was angry at Odysseus
for his arrogance and inflicting a blinding injury upon his Cyclops son, Polyphemus. What is ironic is that Poseidon was hostile
towards Odysseus but Aeolus aided him, whereas Aeolus was hostile toward Aeneas
and helped by Poseidon. (Rosati)
In
“The Odyssey”, Odysseus met a powerful witch or sorceress named Kirke who could
change men into animals. The god Hermes
informed Odysseus how to avoid being transformed into a beast. However, Odysseus was so enchanted by Kirke
that he temporarily lost his motivation and drive to return home to
Ithaca. In fact, Odysseus prolonged his
return home to Ithaca and stayed with her for five years. Afterwards, Odysseus stumbled upon a nymph
named Calypso. He was forced to stay
with Calypso on her island another seven long years. Odysseus was forced to stay because he did
not have a ship and Calypso would not give her help or approval to leave. That is until Zeus intervened and sent Hermes
to order Calypso to not only release Odysseus but to aid him in his departure. (Rosati)
In
Virgil’s “Aeneid”, Aeneas finds himself in a comparable circumstance when lands
in the newly founded Kingdom of Carthage.
Here Aeneas finds
himself
in the entrancing
companionship and loving arms of Queen Dido. However,
Jupiter
is disconcerted regarding
Dido obstructing Aeneas from fulfilling the destiny that the gods put in order for him. Consequently, Cupid is sent by Jupiter to tell Dido to prepare Aeneas for his departure.
(Rosati)
Although
there are numerous similarities among Homer’s epic poems, namely “The Odyssey”
and Virgil’s “Aeneid” there are some significant differences. First, the motivation of the two heroes, Odysseus
and Aeneas, was different. Odysseus
wanted to return home to his kingdom. Aeneas
desperately wanted to settle and build a new kingdom and home for not only
himself but also his people. Moreover,
there are even more fundamental differences in the two epics. Obviously the views concerning the Trojan War
are different in the two epics. In
addition to the opposing views of the war, there are differences in how the two
epics view the participants in the war.
Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” praises and expounds the heroic
virtues of the Greek warriors throughout its pages. However, “Virgil’s Aeneid” portrays the Greek
warrior and their ethics in a less than honorable light. This is especially true concerning the Greek
hero Odysseus. The “Odyssey” constantly lauds the guile and duplicity of
Odysseus. However, in Virgil’s “Aeneid”
they constantly refer to him as cruel Ulysses, the Latin version of Odysseus
name. It is clear that Odysseus’s cunning, deceitful, and treacherous nature
was not viewed as honorable, heroic or praiseworthy in Virgil’s “Aeneid”.
One
can also see the difference in values and priorities of the Roman culture
compared to the Greek culture in these two epics. Although the Greeks and
Romans societies have similarities in their values and priorities, there are
some significant differences. The Greeks
seem to value individual heroic deeds and valor, even when they serve a selfish
purpose. When reading ancient Greek
literature, especially the Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”, it would
appear that the Greek culture believes it to be noble to seek glory and fame
and any cost. However, the Romans place
more value on the deeds that benefit the common good of the state. It is easy
to see in Virgil’s "Aeneid" that the most honored heroic acts were
those of sacrificing individual needs for the duty to the state. (Goubert)
In Virgil’s
“Aeneid” heroic values are displayed that are characteristic of the ancient Roman
culture and warrior ethos. These values cherished
by the Romans are quite different than those espoused by the Greeks. They include very distinctive ethics concerning
ones duty to family, country and gods. The
difference between Roman and Greek values become quite apparent when comparing
and contrasting Homer’s “Iliad” and “The Odyssey” with Virgil’s “Aeneid”. (Goubert)
The core values of the Romans examined and scrutinized in Virgil’s
“Aeneid” were gravitas, dignitas, and pietas.
Gravitas or gravity is a sense of the importance of the matter at hand,
responsibility and earnestness. Dignitas
or dignity is a sense of self-worth and personal pride. Pietas
is usually translated as “duty” or “devotion,” and it simultaneously suggest
duty to the gods and duty to family. (Absolute
Astronomy.com) Pietas was probably the most important of the
Roman values. In
contrast, impious furor, deception, and the pursuit of individual glory were
thought of as unworthy traits or pursuits.
Impious furor was one of the most undesired emotions and the dictionary
gives the following definition: “Impious: im-pi-ous (im′pē əs) adjective not pious; specif.,
1. Lacking reverence for God 2. Lacking respect or dutifulness, as toward a
parent Furor: Fu-ror (fyo̵or′ôr′, -ər) noun 1. Fury; rage; frenzy 2. a. a great, widespread outburst of
admiration or enthusiasm; craze; rage b. a state of excitement or confusion;
commotion or uproar.” (Your
Dictionary.com)
In Virgil’s “Aeneid” two
very conflicting principles or emotions, furor and Pietas, are exhibited,
examined and scrutinized. Aeneas
ultimately demonstrated Pietas and the distinctive traits of a Roman
ruler. This served to illustrate the
unique qualities of a Roman ruler and set Aeneas apart from passionate
characters in both Homer's epic poetry and Virgil’s “Aeneid” itself. (Goubert)
Dido is a fascinating character because she was a flawed human
being that hastily went back and forth between the polar opposite emotions of pietas
and impious furor. Initially in the
“Aeneid,” she exhibited the preferred qualities and traits of a sagacious ruler. Dido was progressive and adept in government. She created laws and allocated work among her
people fairly and judiciously. Also, she
demonstrated her reverence by consecrating a grand temple to Juno. Furthermore, in Virgil’s “Aeneid”, Dido showed
her generosity by treating Aeneas's comrades courteously and with kindness. (Goubert)
Initially in Virgil’s ‘Aeneid”, Dido’s leadership and devotion to pietas
provided an ideal model for Aeneas or any other would be ruler to emulate. Furthermore, Carthage’s prosperity
exemplified how every one benefits when devotion to duty is the number one
concern or the concept of pietas is upheld.
In “The Aeneid” Virgil is also attempting to demonstrate the benefits of
a competent and an uncompromisingly selfless ruler. (Goubert)
Despite her initial skillfulness as a ruler, Dido was broken down by
her love for Aeneas and deteriorated into an ineffective leader. Dido gave in to impious furor and reflected
the opposite of the ideal Roman ruler, who maintains pietas. Dido was overcome by her impious furor and
thus went from being the ideal ruler to becoming the example of the defective
ruler. The downfall of Dido was a result
of her lack of discipline and her desires.
This completely diminished the behavior she exhibited as a good
leader. Furthermore, it brought her city
and people into shambles. In the
“Aeneid” Virgil used the character Dido to emphasis how individual desires are
incompatible with a leader’s responsibility to govern competently. (Goubert)
In Virgil’s “Aeneid” Aeneas also struggled with his own issues
concerning impious furor. He loved Dido
and desired greatly to be with her. However,
they could not be together. If they
remained together Dido could not effectively rule her people and Aeneas could
not continue his quest to find a new homeland for his people. Despite his love for Dido and his desire to
sooth her sorrow; he made the difficult decision to abandon Dido. His decision
forged his character and will to fulfill his destiny. In Virgil’s “Aeneid”, this is where the
character Aeneas moves away from the typical maverick type characters in the Greek
and Homeric epics. Aeneas chooses not to
be ruled by his passion. Instead, he took
the path of the self sacrificing hero, who holds the duty of pietas to his family,
country and gods above all. Furthermore,
he did not waiver from his duty and demonstrates the ultimate expression of
pietas. In Virgil’s “Aeneid,” Aeneas expressed
the utmost in Roman virtues. (Goubert)
In Virgil’s “Aeneid” Aeneas’s struggle with and victory over
impious furor was perfectly demonstrated when the story had a flashback to Troy.
During this portion of the epic Aeneas’s sole motivation was his desire to seek
a glorious death in battle. In Virgil’s “Aeneid”, Aeneas recounts how fury and rage
kept him going on and how it seemed like the noblest thing to do was to die in battle.
However, it is evident that the intent
of this part of Virgil’s “Aeneid” was to show the selfishness and futility of
Aeneas wish to die gloriously. Fortunately for Aeneas and the future Roman
Empire, he is aided by the divine intervention of his mother. Aeneas then came to realize that the
preservation of his family and country are matters that are more important than
individual glory. (Goubert)
This also brings up several other fascinating points concerning
the way Virgil depicted the use of violence and the reality of war. In Virgil’s “Aeneid”, war is not an
opportunity for personal glory. This was
exhibited by Creusa’s plea “if you have reason to put hope in arms, your first
duty is to guard this house.” (Goubert) Aeneas realized that he must preserve pietas
and suddenly in battle he redirected all his heroic efforts to the preservation
of his gods and family. Seeking war for no other reason than personal glory was
not apart of the Roman warrior ethos.
Romans justified their operations of invasion and occupation as procedures
to ensure self defense. In Virgil’s “Aeneid”,
war is shown by Virgil to be the last resort, and understanding to apply force
when necessary was another important life lesson that Aeneas had be taught. (Goubert)
“The Aeneid” was written by perhaps the greatest poet known to Roman history. His name was Publius Vergilius Maro but he is most often referred to as just Virgil. The “Aeneid” is an ancient Roman national epic on the grandest scale. Furthermore, it is one of the most noteworthy and influential work of literature ever written. “The Aeneid” analyzes leadership and examines the discordance involving duty and desire. Virgil’s “Aeneid” gives homage to Homer but it still manages to go beyond the Homeric model and become its own legendary epic. There are many striking connections between Homer’s epic poems, “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey,” and Virgil’s “Aeneid”. However, despite these assortments of parallels among Virgil’s “Aeneid” and Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”, there are essential distinctions concerning how the two epics portray the topics of the Trojan War and its antagonist. Finally, the focus of this paper was a comparison and contrast Homer’s epic poems with Virgil’s “Aeneid”, centering on the distinctive set of values and warrior ethics of the Roman culture that differed from the Greeks.
Works Cited
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MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004. 1174-1264.
“The
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Marius . "Virgil's Aeneid: Furor and PietasDuty, Passion and War in Rome's
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<http://worldliteratures.suite101.com/article.cfm/virgils_aeneid_furor_and_pietas>.
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Francesco . "An Odyssey of Comparisons." Examiner.com 16 Sep.
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