Subjects:
journeys of Odysseus and Aeneas, it must be known that Aeneas is actually a hero in
search of his own soul while Odysseus is a hero trying to find his old life and in a sense,
his old soul. The Aeneid is very much of a spiritual quest, which makes it unique in
ancient literature and in contrast with the Odyssey. Only Virgil admits to the possibility
that a character can change, grow, and develop. In the story’s earlier stages, the character
of Aeneas is obviously unsure of himself, always seeking instructions from his father or
from the gods before committing himself to any course of action. In the underworld he
sees a perspective of the future history of Rome down to the time of Augustus, and that
vision gives him the self-confidence to act on his own initiative. Comparatively, Odysseus
is driven though his journey beginning with apparent self-confidence and continuing with a
While reviewing the myth’s fantastic journey, I wondered if Aeneas was great
because his fate made him great or was he great because he had the courage and
determination to live up to the role fate handed him? There is a side to Aeneas, I noti
. . .
superhuman. He is sad, tired, always waiting for his father or the gods to tell him what to do. Virgil’s Aeneas is the first character in Western literature who actually
changes and develops.
As is necessary for “his line of work”, Odysseus is a very fast and inventive liar.
If all of the graphically horrid events and “warrior descriptions” do not help to
classify Odysseus as a troublemaker, I do not know what would! In extensive recounts of
the story, his killings are graphically described in a vulgar fashion adding to his
troublesome image “Did he dream of death?” Homer askes later on when Odysseus kills
Antinoos. Throughout the Odyssey, there are many direct and indirect
circumstances in which Odysseus wreaks havoc upon others.
Odysseus, as the classic definition of his name suggests, is truly and individual who
causes great trouble. His struggles help him discover who he is and what he thinks is
important. Aeneas goes from being a victim of the Greeks at Troy to becoming a
conqueror in Italy. ced
that is not very impressive, even when I could almost understand why he feels the way he
does. Odysseus manages to survive
Skylla and Kharybdis again, and washes up at Ogygia Island where he stays eight years
with Kalypso.
But his men make the mistake of eating the forbidden cattle of the sun god, Helios. He is in fact a legendary figure with more than the usual amount of brains and
muscle. Homer seems to purposely intrigue us by having other
characters describe Odysseus, “He had no rivals, your father, at the tricks of war.
Essay's Topics
All research is for reference purposes only.