Virgil vs. Homer
Ancient authors Homer and Virgil wrote two of the greatest epic poems in human history; the Iliad and Aeneid (Aeneid, 2000). Both works are presented with a world full of gods and goddesses, and courageous heroes fighting glorious wars. In the Iliad however, Homer presented a more savage and lawless interpretation of both its gods and heroes. This paper will describe how through the Aeneid its author Virgil tried to improve upon his work by presenting both gods and heroes in a more moral and mature light than what Homer did in the Iliad.
The Iliad and the Aeneid are two great epics that are very similar but not identical. Both master pieces are composed of several different aspects that make each other unique. These aspects include; the role of the heroes and gods and goddesses, the different point of view on what a hero is, the heroic code, and the different main subjects within each epic. First, it is important to point out that some of the scenes presented in Virgil’s Aeneid are somewhat an imitation Homer’s epic, the Iliad. But it is important to remark that Virgil significantly changed these scenes in many ways so that the Roman theme was well illustrated not the Greek (Aeneid, 2000). The difference within the themes of both of these epics consists of Virgil presenting the Aeneid as more of a patriotic epic, while the Homer presents the Iliad as an epic about heroes and their honor. A remarkable difference between both epics, is the focus of Homer on his epic’s heroes, while Virgil’s main subject in the Aeneid is not the epic’s heroes but the city of Rome, how it became a city, and the characteristics and traits of a good Roman citizen and leader.
Another remarkable difference between the works of Homer and Virgil is the different point of view on what a hero is. Both epics focus mainly in the fate of the hero or main character. This fate is highly influenced and sometimes manipulated by the magical and supernatural powers of the gods...