Question by llcool: How does the Aeneid compare and differ from the Homeric epics?

(e.g. Iliad and Odyssey).

How is Aeneas a comparable hero to Odysseus or Achilles? How is he different?




Best answer:

Answer by Jones G
I think the major differences are in the styles of writing:

The Aeneid, like other classical epics, is written in dactylic hexameter. The hexameter was first used by early Greek poets of the oral tradition. Early epic poetry was also accompanied by music and pitch changes.

In terms of the plots, both the Odyssey and The Aeneid start where the Iliad left off. One can hardly compare Achilles and Odysseus as heroes; Odysseus would not have been considered a hero in ancient Greece. His use of guile and artifice, as well as the help of the Gods, was in stark contrast to Achilles, who firmly upheld the heroic code. Aeneas abandoned the burning fortress of Troy, carrying his decrepit father with him. If I recall, he left because he was told that there were greater things ahead in his life than dying at Troy. His progeny (Romuls and Remus) were to go on to found the greatest empire ever: Rome. In ancient Greece, a true hero would probably have stayed back and died a noble death fighting for his nation, However, it is arguable that Aeneas did the 'honorable thing.' In the Iliad, Aeneas was a redoubtable and ferocious hero.

Aeneas is propositioned into staying with Dido, who loves him dearly. Dido, who was the founder of Carthage, attempts to immolate herself on a huge pyre because of her grief that Aeneas chooses to fulfill his important destiny by leaving her. He will go on to help found Rome. Odysseus has a similar excursion, cavorting with a number of women on his 10 year long journey home to his faithful wife. Achilles at first refuses to fight at the battle of Troy because he has been dishonored; his slave woman was taken away from him by Agamemnon (I think), and this really annoyed Achilles. He still had his lover boy (Petroclus) at his side though. Achilles knows that he will not return to his wife and children, that he will die in battle (it has been prophesied) but in choosing this noble path, he will go down in history as the most venerable hero ever. This idea of a legacy was at the crux of the heroic code.

Finally, if I recall, Augustus, probably the most influential emperor, commissioned Virgil to write the Aeneid, in an attempt to promote his public image through an illusion with Aeneas the hero.

Okay, enough rambling. hope that helps

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