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This blog is intended to serve as a online journal for the Step-Ahead class of World Literature.
16 comments:
When observing the themes of The Aeneid the reader can get a sense of what kind of hero Aneas was. This epic seems to be a story of both nostos and kleos. It is a story of nostos because the main character and hero of the story, Aneas, is essentially trying to go home, but not to his original, Troy, because that was destroyed; he is trying to find a new home for him and the remaing Trojans, and according to the divine powers, Aneas is destined to be the new ruler of Rome. So him and his men were on a very long journey to find their new “home.” It may also be a story of kleos due to the fact that since Aneas and the Trojans did lose the war, Aneas taking his men to a new land and essentially becoming the new ruler of this land is a way for aneas to make up for his lost glory in the Trojan war, even though he was a war hero. at these two themes show that Aneas was a strong hero that led his men to war despite his defeat and tried to save and relocate his men, giving them a new opportunity to thrive even though their old home was destroyed. Compared to Achilles and Gilgamesh, the heroes of other ancheint Aneas had humbler traits. He did not boast in his power and the fact that he was part god, like Gilgamesh did in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Additionally, even when Aneas was faced with defeat he was able to control his anger. When Aneas was seeing his city be destroyed by the Greeks, like many would be he originally was furious (much like we observe in Achilles) and he wanted to kill Helen, the one who caused the war. But his mother Venus calmed him down and convinced him to escape and get out while he can. One could likely assume that this is a much calmer reaction then one Achilles might have exhibited because his pride was a key element to his identity and the loss of the war would have extremely damaged that. But Aneas did not let that get the best of him, he escaped and tried to save as many of his men as he could. Aneas can more accurately be compared to Trojan war hero hector. While the obvious similarities are the fact that they both were Trojan war heroes, they are also very similar in their character. Hector was also very humble even though he was very powerful in the war. He was also a very family oriented guy who cared very much about his family. But despite the character differences that all these heroes exhibited, one thing they all had in common was the fact that in each of their epics they all lost people close to them. Achilles, Hector and Aneas all lost friends and family that were very dear to them during the war, and Gilgamesh’s extremely close friend and partner, Enkidu, also passed; All these heroes were faced with some sort of obstacle that they either over came or were ultimately defeated by.
-Laina
Aeneas was a hero in many ways. Like Achilles and Hector, Aeneas was a hero in battle. He was the second greatest fighter for the Trojans, behind Hector. He was loved by the gods and had a predetermined faith to create a new country that would flourish under his rule. Unlike Achilles and Gilgamesh in the beginning of his rule, Aeneas was a good king. He remained loyal to his people, like Hector did. His actions of loyalty show that he was a good strong leader. Aeneas led with kindness in his heart and with the intent to serve his people so they can live a good life. Achilles led with the desire to make self gains. Like Gilgamesh, Achilles and Hector, Aeneas was faced with the decision to fight or to run. Also like the rest of them, he decided he should fight for his people. Gilgamesh fought Humbaba for the good of his people and he killed the bull sent down by the Gods. Aeneas was given a predetermined future. Achilles knew he would die in battle, but Aeneas knew that he was being promised a new life. Aeneas was told that he will inherit a whole new country and successes. Because of this, he was more willing to go into battle because he had a message from the gods saying he would make it out alive. Also like Achilles, Aeneas was born to parents where one is a goddess and the other is just human. Because of this trait, we can see that as a leader he must have been well respected. To the greeks, it was extremely important if you had any royal lineage. If you were royal in the way that you were born from a god, then you were seen as blessed and well liked by the gods. Aeneas was obviously well liked and respected. Aeneas also had armor made by Hephaestus, just like Achilles did. Aeneas was a good hero because he did things out of love for this people and their country and his desire to help them stay together. When Aenease left for Italy, he hoped to get all of his people back in his new city. Gilgamesh was a very prideful, Aeneas on the other hand, was a humble serving king. Hector and Aeneas were similar in that way because Hector shared those character traits. We see through the story the Aeneas is an overall good leader, and because of that, also a good hero. He was well respected and well liked by his people and they trusted him to lead them into any situation.
Caroline
The meaning of a hero has changed from one generation to another. In modern days we believe a hero to be a police officer or fireman or even the heroes in movies that fight crime on the streets in their fancy costumes. Heroes with names as Spider-Man, Iron man and Super man, but these names would mean nothing to the Greeks. They honor men with the names of Aeneas, Odysseus, Achilles and many more. These men were deemed as heroes for their dedication to fight for what they believed in, their family line and their relationships among the gods.
Aeneas was a hero indeed for his leadership among his men and his drive to fulfill his prophecy of building the Roman Empire. This prophecy that he processes often relates to the drive that Odysseus has to return home. In other words the nostos of Odysseus. When reading the odyssey it becomes apparent that Odysseus will return back to his palace in Ithaca or the epic would have no reason for being written. This parallels to how the reader knows that Aenea's prophecy will be fulfilled. The suspense in the epic lies with how the men will return home or accomplish their prophecy. These men relate to each other because of the drive and dedication they have, not only for themselves but the people they are close to. For Odysseus this would be his wife and son. This is the main comparison between these two heroes but many more express the qualities of a hero that appear to be popular among the Ancient Greek epics.
Another similarity that is evident between the two characters is their leadership ability. Both Odysseus and Aenea had men they were responsible for and they proved to have good leadership ability which seems to be a quality of many heroes. Odysseus lead his men from island to island and the incounters of many opposing forces that delayed their travel. Aenea also met challenges along his way to fulfill his prophecy. This is one connecting view of the two heroes because without their leadership quality it would have been more difficult, if not impossible for the characters to finish their end goal of nostos or accomplishing their prophecy.
All the heroes relate to one another in some since but Odysseus and Aeneas are easiest to parallel to each other. Their dedication to their goal in their epics make their similar attributes clear to the reader. Overall the similarities of the heroes of the Ancient Greek epics are vastly more similar than different.
Aeneas is a hero in the ancient sense of the word, as he is a warrior and leader who posses significant qualities such as him being part god. However, he and all of the other hero about which we have read, all have their character down falls and faults. We witness some of Aeneas faults in situations where he goes his own way despite him knowing that his destiny lies in Italy in founding the powerful city of Rome. A possible fault in the actions of Aeneas is his secrecy and supposed shame in the situation and events of him leaving Carthage, and therefore, Dido. The King of gods, Jupiter, sent down Mercury, that he must leave Carthage, as he had gotten involved in affairs there and his destiny was in Italy. Mercury urged Aeneas that he must leave immediately, so Aeneas attempted prepared his fleet in secret because he was afraid to tell Dido that he was leaving. (pages 1015-1016.) This situation reminded me of the hero Odysseus. While the Greek hero never performed this exact act, his tendency to lie to those he loved mirrored this situation, in that Aeneas was secretive to his lover and never even wanted to tell her that he was heading for Italy.
Compared to Achilles, Achilles has his faults as well even though he is also a hero as Aeneas. While he is a strong and revered hero in the Greek army, his strong fault is that of his pride.
There is a significant similarity that comes to the surface in the comparison of the hero Gilgamesh to that of Aeneas. Both hero are part god. King Gilgamesh is two thirds god, while Aeneas’ mother is Venus, the goddess of love, making him half god. This fact of both hero containing divine blood is significant, as they were greater revered as hero in the ancient god-loving society. This is especially significant in the case of Aeneas. Since, the Aeneid was written by Virgil for the purpose of establishing credibility to the Roman city. The ruler at the time was Caesar Augustus, whom was said to be of godly decent. Therefore, it was crucial that Aeneas be of the gods, as Caesar Augustus is of Aeneas’ line.
Similarities that arise between the two heroes of Aeneas and Hector are less significant then that of Achilles and King Gilgamesh, but still worth mentioning and discussing. Aeneas and Hector are both Trojan leaders. They are both leaders in the army who are greatly respected. Since they are both of the same city, it is interesting how their stories overlap and we meet again with many of the same character. Such as, us seeing Priam, Queen Hecuba, as well as Helen, all in Priam’s palace in the scene of the Greek invasion via the Trojan horse. (pages 998-999.)
-Karli
From the start of the Aeneid, the reader is shown the quality of Aeneas’ character and why a Roman citizen would admire him. The text makes it clear that he truly loves his family when he decides to avoid certain death and escape Troy (1005-1007). His father refuses to leave Troy at first, but Aeneas risks his life by spending the time to convince him to leave the city. When his father finally decides to go, he does not have the ability to escape on his own, so Aeneas carries him. He also deeply cares for his young son, and he holds his hand on the way out so he will not get lost. Aeneas grieves for his wife when he sees her ghost and tries to hug her three times. This shows that Aeneas embraces his own mortality and is not driven on by pride like Gilgamesh and Achilles were. In this respect, he is most like Hector; like Hector, he loved his family and fought to protect them. Aeneas and Hector embraced their mortality from the start, but Gilgamesh and Achilles did not come to terms with their mortality until something that they loved was taken away from them. In addition to being a true family man, Aeneas is wise because he fears the gods and is obedient to them. When Mercury delivers a message to Aeneas from Jupiter, Aeneas is faced with a decision to obey the gods or give into pleasure (1017-1018). If he chose to obey Jupiter, he knew that he would have to face more troubles before establishing a new kingdom. When he decides to tell Dido of his plans to leave, she becomes desperate and angry. He longs to stay with her and comfort her, but he is driven on by duty and knows that he must obey the gods. Aeneas seems to be aware that his fate is ultimately determined by the gods, so he does everything in his power to honor and please them. Like Aeneas, Hector realizes his own mortality and tries to please the gods, but Troy is already prophesied to fall to the Greeks. Hector is willing to die for his people, so his fate is ultimately sealed. On the contrary, Gilgamesh seeks immortality, and therefore he does not understand his place with the gods until the end. In the Iliad, Achilles cares more about his honor and glory instead of pleasing the gods. Thetis, his goddess mother, helps him out a lot and appeals to Zeus on his behalf. However, the gods are split on Achilles, and he chooses his fate of death during the Trojan War instead of a long life. The situations of Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Aeneas are similar in that their mothers are goddesses. The mothers give the heroes advice in all three epics and often intervene on their behalf’s. Hector is the only one out of these heroes that does not have the blood of a god in him. One striking parallel between Gilgamesh and Achilles is that they both set out on a journey. Gilgamesh sought immortality, and Aeneas was driven on by fate to found a new Troy. For Achilles and Hector, the main focus is on the Trojan War.
The concept of a hero has changed as time has passed. Today heroes are seen as men and women in a tight suit with superpowers. However, back in the times of the ancient Greeks and Italians, heroes were seen as fierce warriors that led their people to triumph in battle. Aeneas embodies this description of a hero in Virgil’s The Aeneid. Aeneas is depicted as a strong hero that can deal with adversity, which is an essential quality for any leader. After losing the Trojan War to the Greeks, Aeneas bounces back and travels to start a new estate, which he is destined to accomplish (pg. 1004 - 1005). Even though Aeneas was able to pick him and his army back up after a defeat, he still had obstacles that distracted him. While on his journey to build the new city of Rome, he meets the female ruler of Carthage, Dido, who falls in love with him with the help of Cupid. Dido and Aeneas end up being lovers for a small time, knocking Aeneas of his destined path. This closely relates to the story of Odysseus. Odysseus and the witch Circe became lovers after Odysseus defeats her and has Circe turn all of his men back into humans after Circe turned them into a group of swine. This delayed Odysseus’ destiny of returning home to Ithaca and his wife and son. Aeneas also parallels another Greek hero, Achilles. Like Achilles, Aeneas is a demi-god. This means that both of them have a parent who is mortal and another parent who is a god or immortal. This is an important aspect when given their situation in life. This gives them an edge against other people and leaders, because they can say that they have part deity in their blood. When people learn this, give a lot more respect and gain more confidence when they know that their leader or hero is part god. Boosting moral in battle is also another positive. This is not the only similarity that Achilles and Aeneas have though. They both kill out of revenge for a comrade. Achilles at first pulls out of the war in order to restore his honor and respect, but later enters back in to kill hector for killing his best friend and second in command. Aeneas has a similar scenario in The Aeneid, Turnus and Aeneas are fighting it out in the middle of both of their armies who have gathered around them. Aeneas gains the upper hand and is about to spare Turnus’ life but sees Pallas’ belt on Turnus. This makes Aeneas irate, and out of rage Aeneas kills Turnus on the spot. These are just two of the heroes from ancient times that parallel to that of Aeneas.
One can see in the story of the Aeneid that Aeneas was an important hero. He obtained a huge amount of courage, which is what made him the kind of king he was. He was a major hero in the Trojan battle, and was well loved by his people. Aeneas saved his men, by rescuing them and taking them to a new land after the war. He wanted his men to be taken care of and have new opportunities. Looking back at Gilgamesh and Achilles, Aeneas had more of a level head. Once again, he took care of his men and took them to a new place so they could thrive. He was also part god, and he never threw that in anybody’s face. The gods loved him and gave him a fate of being extremely powerful. It was even illustrated on his shield that the blacksmith god gave to him. His shield portrayed the image of the future of Rome being powerful and reigning over. Achilles knew his fate and that made him change his mind about being in battle. He was selfish and decided to protect himself so he could live. Until his friend Patroclus died in his place, he then returned in battle. He acted upon his anger to kill someone in cold blood, just for revenge. With Gilgamesh, he was a strong man. He was known in his village as the strongest man around. No one could beat him, until Enkidu showed up. Enkidu challenged him, and they fought beside each other. Gilgamesh killed Humbaba to protect his people and killed a bull sent down by the gods. Once Enkidu died, Gilgamesh’s strength receded. He lost his friend, and wondered about where he went once he died. Death was unknown to them, and he was fearful. You would not think that such a strong man would be afraid of death. He cowered in fear and went to the underworld to ask about Enkidu. Aeneas and Achilles both had shields made by Hephastus. The guy that made Aeneas’ shield had a different name, but they were the same person. Hector and Aeneas were both similar in the way that they were humble and kind leaders. They never boasted in themselves, and their men respected them. A humble hero is the best kind of hero, and the strongest. Because a hero is a leader and you need people to lead in order to do so.
The famous Roman Epic, “The Aeneid” by the poet Virgil was written to appease the emperor Caesar Augustus as well as to portray the country’s leader as a great man from a very impressive bloodline. The primary character, Aeneas, is a lot like the Greek hero Odysseus in the epic, “The Odyssey.” Both of these popular novels have the main character that is embarking on a next to impossible journey in which they overcome challenging odds in order to reach their desired destination. Aeneid’s heroism begins to show after his city is invaded when the Greeks enter disguised as a Trojan horse. In the midst of the violent siege of Troy, Aeneas’ wife is killed while trying to escape. Aeneas rich family ties show the reader how the average Roman citizen would respect his rule and his reign over Rome. Aeneas’ mother, Venus who was also a god, despite the difficult beginnings to his life, smiled upon the Roman hero, Aeneas was very fortunate in many ways. The closest hero that corresponds directly to Aeneas in ancient Greek and Roman epics would be Gilgamesh in, “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” In both of these popular epics the gods already had a plan for how their lives would go. Gilgamesh took a journey in order to escape the destiny the gods had for him, the almost fearless ruler was terrified of death and he tried went through many trails in order to receive complete immortality from the gods. In the end Gilgamesh failed and the realization of imminent death would soon set in and he slowly began to accept the fact of life and death. While Aeneas was similar in some ways he was also a different kind of hero, he followed the god’s journeys they required him to follow and pass their challenges. Throughout a series of seemingly impossible challenges on this journey, ranging from escaping a burning city to fighting a suitor for a wife Aeneas heroically led his men where ever the gods may take them. The god’s ultimate goal for Aeneas was for him to conquer Italy and settle their army there. While Aeneas faced many challenges he always adapted and overcame all obstacles that were thrown at him and therefore he reached his destiny as a hero would.
Jack Brunton
Throughout the Epic, Aeneas is portrayed as a virtuous hero. He is described as noble and valiant. He left Dido out of honoring the gods fate set for him. When he was arguing with Dido about continuing on for Italy, he says that it’s not his own will but the will of the gods. This shows a lot about his character. He knows he is not in control of the situation and is willing to allow fate continue driving his life. Conversely, he may also be driven by pride in this act. A factor in his decision was also the possibility of what lay before him: a new kingdom and a new family. These were greater prospects than what was set before him with Dido. In this way, he relates to Achilles, driven in part by pride and in part by the gods. Achilles was driven by pride when he refused to fight with his army. Aeneas with a similar pride left Dido. He is similar to Hector in that he tries to be valiant. He is righteous in his own eyes. In addition to these characteristics, his family life is also similar to that of the Greek heroes. He is a descendant of a god with his mother being Venus similar to that of Achilles. So not only does he have character traits modeled after the gods, but also similar backgrounds as well. In the Aeneid gods directly intervene to aid Aeneas similar to the multiple times Achilles receives aid from the gods. For example in the making of his armor or his mother’s help to give Achilles further glory can easily be compared to that of Aeneas. Alongside Achilles and Hector, Aeneas can easily be compared to Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh loses his best friend and partner in life, Enkidu, and uses this to propel him forward in search for immortality. In this way, Aeneas uses the loss of Pallas to finish off Turnus in the duel. He begins to take pity on him at first but ultimately kills him when he sees Pallas belt on and fills with rage. He faces many differences with Achilles and Hector in his quest for the land he is destined for, one of which being when Aeneas left his land behind in search of his destiny. Hector chose to stay and fight with his people. Furthermore, he chose to be at the front lines when he was not required to be. Hector felt a great sense of duty to his country and his family and thus stayed and fought when he could have run or hid. Aeneas, however, runs. He takes his family and escapes burning Troy, instead of trying to save it. All of these things and more add to complexity behind Virgil’s Aeneid and the relation to other epics.
-Sterling
What one defines as a hero differs between each story we have read and life now. A hero might be considered someone who comes and saves the day. Also, a person who goes to great efforts to return home to his land and people might be considered a well-known hero. War heroes were held a major significance during the Trojan War. In the history of the Greek’s, they put war heroes on a high pedestal. It all began with Gilgamesh as the original war hero for the Greek. He was considered a war hero because of who he was and the strength he possessed. Achilles was also considered a major war hero to the Greeks in the Epic of Iliad. He was a well-respected man who was considered powerful to the rest of the men in the war. Achilles was often compared to the great are heroes of the Greeks. Hector also was a member of the great war hero. He was the patient leader, which made him extremely respected amongst the Greek people. Odysseus was also a well-known war hero. He led his men in the war with great certainty of the future of what was to come. Odysseus also made a great journey back home to his land and family after the war had ended. This added to the fact he was committed and loyal to his people. The main character from the Epic of Aeneas, Aeneas was a respected war hero as well. He is compared to Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus. By being compared to these great, Greek war heroes, people would consider him to have some of the same characteristics as them. A loyalty is a characteristic that is greatly cherished in what the men of the war were expecting of their leader. Aeneas was considered as a loyal leader to his army.
-Abigail
Aeneas, in my opinion, is at first characterized as a traitor, but the he is seen as noble. This impression of Aeneas might be influenced by the modern society we live in today, yet it is hard to see how a reader of any culture can see Aeneas as noble for fleeing his falling city. However, as the story moves on, it is apparent that Aeneas had good reasoning for leaving troy (he was fated) and he begins to be seen as a noble and fierce warrior. One, prime example of this is his initial reaction to the Italians betrayal of the peace pact. At first, the Italians unjustly attack and Turnus, their leader, goes all out and embarks in this unethical fighting. In contrast to turnus, Aeneas urges the men to stop and to remember the treaty (1056). Yet, Aeneas is by no means a baby and not willing to fight. In fact, after he is unethical hit with an arrow, he immediately realizes war is going to happen. Because he is a noble hero, he tries to get healed as quickly as possible and join his men in battle. In battle, he is fierce and puts in some serious work on the Italians, so much so he eventually kills Turnus (1072). Through this scene specifically, it is easy to see Aeneas as the ultimate Roman hero. It is also reasonable to assume that is how Virgil wanted Aeneas to be seen as because he is trying to glorify the foundations of Rome.
If I had to choose the closest parallel between either Achilles or Hector, I think the obvious answer would be Hector. One similarity is that Hector and Aeneas are both Trojan. Another aspect that the characters share is selflessness. Hector and Aeneas both put their own needs under those of the community. For instance, Hector does not personally want to fight the Greeks, but he realizes that he must for the good of society. Similarly, Aeneas could easily fight for personal glorification, but instead tries to make peace as that would be the best thing for society.
However, with this comparison, a contrast also seems to rise between Achilles and Aeneas. Achilles is much more self centered and does not really care for the good of society. For instance, the Greeks needed Achilles to fight, but since it did not benefit him, he sat idly by and let them suffer. This is an action that the Roman heroes would not even think about making. This contrast is also a specific example of the differences in the definition of a hero between Greek and roman societies. On one side, heroes are self centered and larger than life. On the other side, heroes are willing to subordinate their needs and care for the good of the community. This contrast helps give light as to the core values of each respective society: Greek or Roman.
Aeneas is a hero for his people. He is a good leader and a strong warrior who does waiver when faced with strenuous obstacles. Aeneas is also a compassionate man, unlike the Achilles and Gilgamesh and even Hector. He saves a Greek man left behind by Odysseus on the island of the cyclops even though he is trying to flee from the carnage the Greeks have created of his city. Also, when a young Latin soldier is fatally wounded at the hands of Aeneas, he decides he will not strip the boy of his armor and will return his body for a proper burial. He values the lives of his community often over his own. He is the ideal Roman hero, a self-sacrificing one. When his actions are compared to those of Achilles and Gilgamesh, his motives are far less self-indulgent and individualistic. His major character trait is centered around his devotion to his gods unlike Achilles’ wrath and Gilgamesh’s harsh strength. However, Aeneas and Hector do not differ as much as the others. Both are loyal to their country and will do anything for those they love. His situation does differ most from Gilgamesh’s; he has not annoyed most of the gods, aside from Juno, and they see no reason to punish him. Whereas Gilgamesh, has angered his gods, and they create someone who can oppose his strength. Aeneas is also like Gilgamesh and Achilles in that they all have divine mothers who help them greatly along their individual journeys.
The situations of Achilles and Hector are closer in comparison to Aeneas’. Him and Achilles both lose someone they love which sparks a reaction in them which leads them to fulfill the destiny that has been prophesied for them. Hector’s situation is like Aeneas’ in that they are both Trojan soldiers who had to leave behind people they love in order defend their heritage. However, all of these characters lost someone close to them, whether family or friend, that ignited a change in the plot of the epic. Achilles lost Patroclus, for whose death he decides to avenge by going back to war. Gilgamesh lost Enkidu, whom makes him realize that he is only part god but still mortal, leading him to go on a quest for immortality. Hector, in a sense, loses his family after he leaves to go fight in the Trojan war against the Greeks. All of these characters also share a common sense of duty, the duty to fight and/or govern their people. Nevertheless, Achilles and Gilgamesh are irresponsible with their power. Achilles leaves the Trojan War for the sake of his own pride and Gilgamesh is a brutal and oppressive ruler to his people. Hector, is even seen to be irresponsible with his power at least once. When he is advised against facing Achilles and his wrath alone, he actively ignores it leading to his death. Aeneas’ one lapse in character comes when he is the deciding factor between Turnus and his life. Despite, Aeneas being a characteristically kind soldier, he does not spare Turnus’ life even after the suitor begs him to. His action of stabling Turnus in the heart almost seems irrational. He is no longer this benevolent man destined to start a great city, rather he, much like Achilles, is intent on avenging the death of one of his men, Pallas, whose belt he sees hung over the Latin man’s soldier. Despite his actions early within the epic, violent act of passion is not entirely uncharacteristic of heroes, not even Aeneas.
Aeneas is the classic ancient hero: handsome, important to the gods, and physically imposing in battle. All these heroes share these traits. Hector is the only true mortal on this list. However, his prowess in battle made the gods take notice of him. They were all on important quests, though they pursued different goals. Gilgamesh searched for the secret to physical immortality. Achilles desired immortality through Kleous. Hector bravely tried to defend his home and family from the Greeks. Aeneas embarked on a difficult quest to found the mightiest empire the world has ever known.
In all of their journeys, the heroes are torn between fulfilling their destiny or living an easy life. All of them choose the hard path towards glory over perhaps the preferable life of a regular person. This qualifies them as heroes in the ancient world. Gilgamesh ignores his advisors and endangers his own life to adventure with Enkidu.
Homer gives us personal insight into Achilles’ choice to avenge Patroclus. Hector refuses his wife’s pleas to stay at home with her and chose to fight with his comrades, unlike his brother, Paris, who chose to spend his last days “making love” with Helen. Aeneas it tempted to stay with Dido but ultimately submits to the will of the gods and continues his journey, much to the dismay of Dido.
Despite all their similar character traits, there are important differences that make each character unique. Aeneas is regarded as being very pious. Achilles and Gilgamesh were all about personal glory, Aeneas is all about helping his comrades and serving the higher purpose Jupiter brought before him. Gilgamesh started as a young, impulsive tyrant who matured throughout the course of the epic into a beloved king. Achilles remained self-centered and preferred the death of his comrades and even defeat in the war to satisfy his pride before he finally returned to save the day. Hector and Aeneas are very similar because they are both Trojan. Hector can also be seen as pious because he was willing to give his life to protect his city. However, Aeneas was a wiser leader and was able to escape Troy with a substantial fighting force. In this way, Aeneas was able to save more lives than Hector ever did.
In conclusion, the piety Aeneas displays sets him apart from these other heroes. Though Odysseus was not mentioned, Aeneas is most similar to him. They both have an unwavering loyalty to their crew, embark on a journey that many gods constantly take interest in, and enter a vengeful rage at the end of the epics. Their journeys even take place at the same time! All these ancient heroics have remained popular and relevant throughout the trials of history. Something about these epics resounded with people around the world across many eras. We cannot help but admire the heroic qualities these heroes display.
Out of all the stories we have read Aeneas is the most unique main character out of all the ones we have read about. The very first story we read had a king named Gilgamesh as the main character. He was very prideful and was unsure of the next life. He debated whether or not being mortal or immortal was more honorable. King Aeneas is like Gilgamesh in the way of both mothers where goddesses, and of course they were both kings. However, we never see King Aeneas question whether or not mortal vs. immortal is better. The Greek warrior Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors is very similar to king Aeneas. Not only are they both great warriors but Virgil parallels the shield of Achilles to the shield of Aeneas while the shields are a little different as we can see on pages (1038-1048). We see that the maker of both of these shields are the same. In the Aeneid, it is Vulcan who makes this beautiful, intricate shield and in the Iliad, it is Hephaestus, the story behind the armor being made is also very similar to one another. The mothers went to Vulcan/Hephaestus and asked for armor, shield, to be made. Personally, Hector and Aeneas are the most similar to me. While both are just all around good guys, both have morals. The kings above are jerks they are prideful and Achilles is un-loyal to his wife the whole span of the Trojan war. Hector was a loyal family man who always thinks of his family. While we don’t see much interaction with Aeneas and women we know that Aeneas had morals in battle. On Page (1060) it says “ Aeneas never stoops to leveling men who show there back.” Aeneas is the only man besides hector that we read about would do that. These other characters were so prideful and self-centered that they wanted to bring greatness to themselves at whatever it takes. They might be so similar because it appears they are brothers. On page (1059) Aeneas tells his son to remember him and his uncle Hector. I think the reason they are so similar is not only because they are both Trojan, I think they are related to one another. While all these men share some similarities with Aeneas. Hector is the most like Aeneas.
-Joseph Huett
Even from the first lines of the prologue, the reader is able to pick up on the similarities between the themes of Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey. One of the most significant examples is the parallels between the heroes of these epic poems. A similar theme between all three of these storied epics is that each of their heroes is either descendant from the gods in some way or possesses qualities that the culture deems extraordinary and holds in high esteem in their history. Aeneas and Achilles are in many ways parallels of each other while the Greek hero Achilles chose to leave the fight against the Trojans because he felt as though he had been stripped of his pride because his prizes and gifts from a previous battle had been taken from him, which was the equivalent of being stripped of honor and prestige as a war hero in the Greek culture during this time period. Aeneas, however, stays in the fight depicted in the Roan epic and leads his comrades in many epic battles. While Achilles is a paradigm of a Greek War Hero Homer also, points out his fatal flaw of pride. In the Roman Parallel of this epic Aeneas is considered to be the epitome that the Romans consider to be quality attributes of a hero. He is considered a devoted father and son, which is another aspect in which he is a parallel to Achilles and is another similarity that is found between Aeneas and Hector. Both Hector and Aeneas are honorable Trojan warriors. Both hold family and their devotion to the gods in high regard. These attributes also apply to the Greek hero Odysseus as well. Odysseus and Aeneas are regarded as paradigms of what it means to be a hero in their respective cultures, however both Homer and Virgil show their humanity as well, and their flaws that remind the reader that they are human and their flaws cause them to fall short on various occasions. Odysseus and Aeneas are similar in the fact that they are dutiful servants to follow their mission from the gods and have come to terms with their fate. For Odysseus this comes in the form of continuing his journey and leaving his home after working for ten years to return to his family honors the gods wishes and continues on a journey that will ultimately result in his demise. Gilgamesh also a strong warrior that is held in high esteem in his culture is while similar in some ways to Aeneas, also in many more ways is a parallel to him in that Aeneas as a leader is respected and revered whereas Gilgamesh has no moral compass and his actions while they insight fear in his subjects do not earn him the respect of his people until after the journey he takes in the epic where he comes to terms with his fear of the unknown and facing his mortality and learning what type of legacy he wants to leave. They are similar in that they are both strong heroes that are as written are part god and part human and they move through their respective stories learning to face their flaws that the writers bring to the attention of the reader to once again show the humanity of these god-like characters.
-Gracie Cahalan
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