Virgil and Homer Virgil's the Term Paper

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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 of the cheeses, come back again, and the next time to drive the lambs and kids from their pens, and get back quickly to the ship again, and go off sailing across the salt water; but I would not listen to them," (Homer, 143). Despite the fact that Odysseus is responsible for the deaths of many of his men, once he manages to get them out of the predicament he still revels in his victory. So much so that he ends up exposing his identity to the Cyclops and opening himself and his men up to the retribution that the Cyclops' subsequent prayers to Poseidon incur. Similarly, Juno's anger towards Aeneas stems from a prophesy that foretells the destruction of Carthage at the hands of the Romans; also, she hates Trojans in general because Paris deemed Venus more beautiful.
Consequently, Aeolus -- friend to Juno -- unleashes a storm upon Aeneas that prevents them from initially finding the cite of Rome.

Yet, the most persistent similarity between Odysseus and Aeneas is the fact that they both struggle against the gods that possess immeasurable power over them. Odysseus makes this quality explicit: "But even so, what I wand and all my days I pine for is to go back to my house and see my day of homecoming. And if some god batters me far out on the wine-blue water, I will endure it, keeping a stubborn spirit inside me, for already I have suffered much and done much hard work." (Homer, 94). So, it is significant that in both ancient Greek and Roman cultures, it was seen as a quality contributing to heroism that an individual should continue to fight the forces of fate, even in the face of certain death.

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