The Aeneid Essay - 1069 Words

Publius Vergilius Maro, more commonly known as Virgil, was born on October 15, 70 B.C. in a small village near Mantua in Northern Italy. He was born into a relatively â€Å"well-to-do† family, as his parents were farm owners with a hefty amount of land to their name. Virgil was provided with an education that quenched his thirst for knowledge. He showed a particular interest in mathematics and medicine, but also studied in law and rhetoric. Quickly after his first law case, he gave up his studies of law and turned his interests to philosophy. Due to civil unrest, Virgil was forced to flee his home in 49 B.C. He traveled to Naples and began his career as a poet. With sponsorship from his friend, Augustus Caesar, Virgil was able to enjoy the†¦show more content†¦The Aeneid also proved to roman citizens that the roman Emperors were descendants of the founders, heros and gods of Rome and Troy. (â€Å"Patron Augustus-Client Rome†) Virgil used some of the same chara cters that Homer used in his famous poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Ulysses was the hero of Homer’s Odyssey. In the Odyssey, Ulysses took a long, dangerous, and treacherous voyage before he was able to make it home again, very similar to Aeneas. References that are used in the Aeneid to the current location of Ulysses help readers realize Aeneas’ location when compared to Ulysses in the poem. Achilles, who was the greatest of all the Greek warriors, slew Hector, a Trojan hero, during the war in the Aeneid and was the tragic hero of the Iliad. Hector was also used as a parallel figure to Turnus, who also defended his native city to the death. Andromache, Hector’s wife, survived the siege of Troy. She meets Aeneas on his journey, tells him her story, and advises his course to Italy. Paris was a Trojan prince, and the brother to Hector. He was asked by Venus, Juno, and Minerva to make a judgement on who the most attractive of the three was. He was promised Helen by Venus, therefore, he chose Venus. Stealing Helen provokes the Trojan War. Menelaus was Helen’s husband and he made a pact with Helen’s other suitors to fight anyone who tried to steal her. When Paris took Helen, the pact was invoked and the Trojan War began. His selection inspires â€Å"haughty Juno’sShow MoreRelatedMotives Of The Aeneid1371 Words   |  6 PagesObserving the Aeneid reveals that the gods played in an important role in interceding alongside Aeneas. There is a prevalent endeavor amongst the gods including the difficulty to accept a predestined fate, or the frustration with a fellow god. The endeavor of the gods is a consistent theme throughout the Aeneid, and presents the critical role that Romans believed the gods had in their assistance to found Rome. JUNO Motives of Juno Preceding the storyline of the Aeneid is the tensionRead MoreThe Aeneid and The Odyssey1324 Words   |  6 PagesOdyssey and Virgils The Aeneid? There are many similarities that could be examined indepth. The lovers encountered in both plays can lead to the idea of ancient plagarism. The games held by the greeks and trojans are similar to the Olympic Games. The downfall of characters, cities or monsters can be seen often in many stories. Maybe rewriting history is the effort of a plagarist to cheat true historical events. The lovers Aeneas and Odysseus encounter in either the Aeneid or Odyssey is vast andRead MoreThe Aeneid And The Odyssey1547 Words   |  7 Pages â€Æ' The Aeneid and The Odyssey The Aeneid and The Odyssey are two of the most famous poems written in their time. While there are other poems that are also notable, these two poems are well known for showing strong battles between mythical creatures and strong heroes. Homer and Virgil have written incredible poems that have stood the test of time. The depth of their vision was beyond their time and is still used around the world thousands of years later to show honest, loyal, strong heroes. The AeneidRead MoreThe Aeneid And The Hero1103 Words   |  5 Pages The protagonist of the Aeneid and known hero to many, Aeneas, was a man of many virtues. His courage and obedience towards the Roman gods are clearly shown all throughout the book, as well as his passion for justice. When he leaves his lover, Dido, at the bidding of the gods, he shows obedience even when it went against his own will. The time Aeneas travels into the underworld to find his deceased father, it shows great bravery. It is even seen by the exam ple of the crew of Aeneas that he wasRead MoreCritical Review Of Ovid s Aeneid And Aeneid1382 Words   |  6 PagesCritical Review of Ovid’s and Virgil’s Aeneid The tale of the Aeneid tells the story of Aeneas and how he founds the Roman people. The most well known version of this story is Virgil’s Aeneid. The traditional interpretation of Virgil’s depiction of the hero and the myth is that it was used as propaganda for the new imperial system that the emperor Augustus had introduced. In contrast with this is the Harvard School interpretation, which states that Virgil’s Aeneid is actually undermining the ImperialRead MoreDestiny In The Aeneid1188 Words   |  5 Pagesmy soul†, William Ernest Henley’s, Invictus. Individuals often believe life is independent of outside forces; one does not often ponder whether situations that introduce decisions or experiences are controlled by fate and the gods. In Virgil’s The Aeneid, he introduces the notion that we are all subject to the workings of fate regardless of our will or desire; this is shown through the tragic romance between Aeneas, a Trojan, and Dido, t he queen of Carthage. Their love and lives are a combinationRead MoreThe Aeneid by Virgil1507 Words   |  6 Pagesvalues that was deemed â€Å"good† during that period. One of the values that was enforced during Vergil’s time by Augustus was patriotism, which in the Aeniad’s context is prioritizing between personal satisfaction, or the greater good. In book 4 of the Aeneid, the character Aenias and Dido represents the two opposing values, in which Aenias represents the greater good, while Dido represents the personal satisfaction. For example, Dido was willing to sacrifice her honor and the respect of her people forRead MoreComparing The Iliad And The Aeneid1517 Words   |  7 Pagesestablishing is that the source of good and evil are the same while being different. Reminiscent of how The Iliad and the Aeneid are both epic poems that share similarities such as the setting, the reoccurring motif of gods, as well as aspects like the two heroes and the goals to be reached by the plot. When comparing the similarities between the two epics, The Iliad and the Aeneid, one of the most obvious is the setting of which they each take place. They are a part of the same era, one where the worldRead MoreThe Aeneid Of Virgil And Virgil1512 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Aeneid of Virgil, Virgil places great importance on family relationships and respect for one’s ancestors. Aeneas is shown to have great respect for his father which can be seen even after his father’s death. Homer, in The Odyssey, has the lack of a real relationship between Odysseus and Telemachus due to the fact that Odysseus has not been in a majority of Telemachus’ life. On the surface, The Odyssey and The Aeneid of Virgil and their father-son relationships may appear different but theyRead MoreThe Odyssey : The Aeneid And The Odyssey1075 Words   |  5 PagesThe Aeneid and the Odyssey are perhaps two of the most famous epic poems to come out of the ancient world. Both stories involve ac ts of heroism, divine intervention, and ultimately, victory. They both offer insights into the cultures of Rome and Greece at the time of their writings. Additionally, both works stem from the same event (the Trojan War) but follow different characters, touching on different aspects of the idealized hero in Roman and Greek culture. We must first start by discussing who