The Aeneid and The Odyssey

Vergil, a Roman poet, was the author of The Aeneid. His real name was Publius Vergilius Maro. He was born on October 15th in 70 B.C. Although he was a Roman poet, he was originally from Ireland. Virgil studied science, astronomy, and philosophy under the Epicureans.

Homer was a Greek poet who attributed many great epics, one of them being The Odyssey. Homer was born in a Greek colony on the coast of Asia Minor around 1200 B.C. There have been arguments for a long period of time regarding weather or not Homer’s works were really written by him. Nothing about Homer can be known as completely factual.

“The Aeneid follows prince Aeneas and fellow Trojans as they sail to Italy after the fall of Troy. Aeneas suffers many hardships and sacrifices as the warrior prepares for his destiny: personifying the virtues that would bring a rebirth and golden age to Rome. Considered a fictional narrative, Virgil's myth-history brims with immortals, gods and goddesses, and glorification of Rome under its first emperor, Augustus, to whom Virgil dedicated his epic work.” (source)

The Odyssey is a Homeric poem about a man named Odysseus. The Odyssey tells the of the 10 year struggle of Odysseus while he’s trying to get back home after the Trojan War. Odysseus battles divine creatures and faces the rage of the gods. “His wife Penelope and his son Telemachus stave off a gaggle of suitors vying for Penelope's hand and the throne of Ithaca long enough for Odysseus to return. The Odyssey ends as Odysseus wins a contest to prove his identity, slaughters the suitors, and retakes the throne of Ithaca.” (source)

These two books and authors are very different, but they are similar as well. The Aeneid was non-oral and was developed with the aid of writing. However, in The Odyssey there were forms of improvised techniques that were utilized. Vergil imitates Homeric language in his plays. Vergil imitates the Homeric simile. He also uses some of Homer's poems as a basis for his story patterns.

Barnett, Mary. Gods and Myths of the Romans: the Archaeology and Mythology of Ancient Peoples. Smithmark Publishers. New York. 1996

Hadas, Moses. Imperial Rome. Time Inc Publishers. Canada 1965