Similarities Between The Aeneid And The Odyssey

Not only is the way emotion is represented in contrast in these two epics, but the emotions used and emphasized are also different. The Aeneid is based upon the ideas of empathy and based around a character that represents love and piety while the Odyssey is based around a hero of battle and logic. This helps to symbolize the transition from a culture based around sound ideas of logic to a culture that becomes more open to human nature and its sympathies. The Roman culture was far more empathetic and subjective than their Greek counterparts. This style of narrative creates a much closer bond between the character and the reader than was presented in the Odyssey (Brooks 9). The Romans valued a hero who was inspired by his heart while the Greeks
This is why many of my peers find Odysseus’ killing of the suitors and maids to be cruel and unwarranted. Modern readers want a level of pity in their heroes and a value for life. Their reaction can help us see how culture evolved from the time of ancient Greece to a more modern culture using the Romans as a stepping stone between the two. In a way this relates to the subjectivity of Homer. No one ever asks why the suitors or maids are killed in the Odyssey. There is no deep internal struggle within Odysseus over whether or not he should destroy them all or even if his killing was unnecessary. In contrast there was a great struggle within Aeneas as he decided to leave Dido. This level of emotional thought is never touched by Homer. The Odyssey is based on logic not feeling. Logic tells Odysseus that since the suitors and maids have wronged him, they deserve his vengeance. There is no need for explanation of these actions in this time period. The goddess guide in this epic is Athena, the goddess of both wisdom and battle. It is expected that Odysseus will kill the suitors. The entire Odyssey is based around the idea of the “homecoming” (Feeney