The goddesses have a major role in both epics as Helpers of men. They have varied reasons for this. One is a maternal instinct. This is displayed in the literal mother-son relationships of Aphrodite and Aeneas, Thetis and Achilles, and the protective instinct that Athene displays in Book 3 of the ...

INTRODUCTION Virgil (70-19 BC), Roman poet, author of the masterpiece the Aeneid, and the most influential work of literature produced in ancient Rome. Life Virgil was born Publius Vergilius Maro in Andes, a village in northern Italy near Mantua. His father was a farmer. Virgil was thoroughly edu...

Present in most epics, dreams are used by Homer and Virgil in the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aeneid to catalyze action in the plot. These epic dreams serve a vital purpose to the bard in his formulation of the epic and to the audience in their understanding of the epic. Inspired by gods, formulated i...