Virgil's epic poem "The Aeneid" is often described as the poet's response to Homer's epics "The Iliad," and "The Odyssey" in that it details the Trojan War and its aftermath from the Roman perspective. It is a Roman claim to great and far-reaching or Continue Reading...
Nevertheless, both heroes are very similar in their characterizations: they are both human and are subject to the whims of the gods. Odysseus confides his most troubling mistake: "From the start my companions spoke to men and begged me to take some Continue Reading...
Gilgamesh and Aeneas The Epic of Gilgamesh and Virgil's Aeneas exemplify ancient epic poetry. Both works trace the psychological evolution of a semi-divine male hero who meets with immense personal trauma and hardship. Gilgamesh mourns the loss of h Continue Reading...
"Alas!" said one, "what oceans yet remain For us to sail! what labors to sustain" (Book IV). Playing on their already frustrated emotions, they are quick to succumb when "the goddess, great in mischief, views their pains" (Virgil Book V). Stirred Continue Reading...
Epic and Epic Heroes Epic is probably one of the most fascinating forms of ancient narratives and its contribution to the growth and evolution of literature cannot be overestimated. To seek a clear definition of an epic would be a futile attempt sin Continue Reading...
The Aeneid Taking a character from The Iliad and setting him on his own journey, the Roman Virgil's epic The Aeneid necessarily contains certain parallels with the earlier Greek text. The overall story of this lengthy poem in and of itself reflect Continue Reading...
The first six books tell the story of Aeneas' trip to Italy, and his encounters with a number of people. The second part tells of the Trojan's ultimate victory over the Latin tribes. Agamemnon, one of the most famous plays from Ancient Greece, was w Continue Reading...
Gods in the Aeneid? Viewed from Virgil's Aeneid perspective, gods are central to human existence and fate. They determine the fate of all mortals; Aeneid is included in the category of mortals; and is particularly interesting because his mother is Continue Reading...
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Homer in Hollywood: The Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? Could a Hollywood filmmaker adapt Homer's Odyssey for the screen in the same way that James Joyce did for the Modernist novel? The idea of a high-art film Continue Reading...
Ancient History Comparison and Contrast of the Aeneid and the Iliad In The Aeneid and The Iliad, both Virgil and Homer show that their characters are tragic. They often do things that they don't want to do, while lamenting the reasons for their act Continue Reading...
Either as mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, mistresses, lovers or supernatural creatures, women populate the world of the Odyssey and bring thus an important source of information when it comes to finding parallels between their representations in Continue Reading...
In The Inferno, Beatrice is more the goal to which the poet aspires as he passes through Hades, and later through Purgatorio before reaching Beatrice in the ideal Paradise. Many of the elements of courtly love, which Dante expresses elsewhere with Continue Reading...
What Makes an Empire?Empires throughout human history have been diverse and unique, but some common elements make them recognizably imperial. The Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires all exercised hegemony over vast areas for long periods of time, relyi Continue Reading...
(Leaves, 680) Similarly Whitman informs us: Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems, You shall possess the good of the earth and sun…there are millions of suns left, You shall no longer take things at Continue Reading...
Penelope: The Crafty Ideal of Greek Womanhood One might think of Achilles, the hero of the Iliad, as the Greek masculine ideal. He triumphs over his enemies in an open agonistic contest because he is a greater warrior than they. He shows the virtue Continue Reading...
Short story -- A brief story where the plot drives the narrative, substantially shorter than a novel. Example: "Hills like White Elephants," by Ernest Hemingway. Allusion -- A casual reference in one literary work to a person, place, event, or ano Continue Reading...
