Analyze the differing portrayals of ‘heroism’ in the Aeneid and the Odyssey, two epic poems which explore the lives of heroes after the events of the Iliad. What do these differences reveal about the different values of Romans (Vergil) and the Greeks (Homer)? Consider Aeneas’ internal struggle between acting in self-interest, as Odysseus often does, and following his destiny and exhibiting ‘pietas’. What roles do the influences of Octavian and Homer play in the Aeneid?
Good topic. Something worth addressing could be the different conditions in which the two texts came to be written and "finalized." Whereas it's widely accepted that Virgil was one autonomous author who penned his opus from start to finish, it's been argued that Homer's works were originally recited orally and written down by the author's (or possibly authors') disciples and compiled into the complete text by later editors. How might these different processes of composition have shaped the narratives within them? – ProtoCanon7 years ago
This is an awesome topic! The Aeneid and the Odyssey are truly national stories and can tell alot about what the Greeks and Romans valued for better or worse! Two great national works of literature. – SeanGadus7 years ago
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