Although Virgil’s composition of The Aeneid mirrors the works of Homer, stylistically and in its overarching narratives, Virgil’s culture is separated from Homer’s by over a millennium. The coupling of deadly violence and prestige in The Iliad and The Odyssey has had time to mature and expire, and Virgil uses this new flexibility to shift the definition of violence to one compatible with fresh Roman standards. Violence grows crueler, war more chaotic. Virgil’s evaluation of violence raises questions about the scope of violence in Rome and The Aeneid -- was deadly violence considered a necessary evil or universally regrettable? The gods seem to have the ultimate authority in beginning wars but they are fickle and nearsighted. Necessity and misfortune …show more content…
The intense hatred of Juno that razes Troy and punishes Aeneas’ crew for years is triggered simply by a bruised ego. Virgil explains Juno’s antagonism as a personal grudge, triggered by the judgement of the Trojan prince Paris that Venus surpassed Juno in beauty: “For deep within her mind lie stored the judgment / of Paris and the wrong done to her scorned / beauty, the breed she hated” (Virgil, The Aeneid, I.41-43). This same slight to her beauty is what leads her to soon ask Allecto to “let sudden quarrel spur / young men to want, demand, and seize the sword” (VII. 449-450), starting a successful campaign against Troy, Aeneas included. Although the will of the gods are beyond the reach of our protagonists, the epic’s conflict is still rooted in private problems -- it is Paris’ judgment of beauty which spirals out to the violence that eventually raises and topples civilizations. The suffering that litters The Aeneid is characterized as unfair and unjustifiable, the violence and the war set on the fickle whims of the gods and goddesses. Although Juno’s hatred could not have been avoided or calmed by Aeneas, her hatred is still painted as avoidable and uncertain in the sense that happenstance was the primary contributor rather than some inevitable
An act of violence that stood out to me would be in Book 9 with Cyclops Polyphemus. In this scene Odysseus and his men find the Cyclops’ home but he isn’t there. Once he returns he finds Odysseus and his men hiding. To keep the men locked in he placing a boulder over the opening of the cave. Odysseus tries to reason with him but he grabs two of Odysseus’ men and eats them.
My point is that, in short, the way that the odyssey displays violence is more poetic than it is gorey. I feel like this quote from when odysseus kills the cyclops fits in perfectly with what I have been explaining. “Nobody’s kiling me now by fraud and not by force.” and the next line “If you’re alone, and nobodys trying to overpower you now–look, it must be a plague sent here by mighty Zeus and there’s no escape from that.”
Ta-Nehisi Coates, an author and journalist, once wrote “All I know is, the violence rose from the fear like smoke from a fire.” What Coates meant in this quote is that the more afraid somebody becomes the more they turn to violent behavior as they think that solving problems rationally would cause them greater pain than simple violence. As the protagonist in Homer’s epic The Odyssey Odysseus lives many years away from home, naturally growing more and more afraid of the world so his first response to danger becomes pure violence, sometimes necessary and at times unnecessary. Through Odysseus’s actions in The Odyssey the Greek ideal image of how a man should be is shown as he himself suffered little harm, ending up with his wife, son, and all
ustice, fairness, and decency, abstract concepts that are innate in society and human nature. However, despite their near universal status in humanities mid, they often have different meanings for individuals. Aeschylus uses The Oresteia in order to explore these issues as characters in the play try to determine what it means to be just, what ought a just actor do, and what is the best model for achieving justice. The characters discuss ideas such as vengeance, reciprocity, balance, moderation, and finally the end result of the implied debate leads to a jury system. In this paper I will go over two of the several different interpretations of justice used in the Oresteia and compare and contrast them in order to demonstrate which is the best
In the book the Odyssey, people broke into Odysseus 's house and tried to get his wife to marry them. They used is belongings for themselves, they broke into his house, and they tried to take the throne from him before even knowing if he was dead or not. In my perspective their punishment we 're not too severe they deserved to be punished for their actions. They threatened his wife and try to force her to marry them. Considering all that the Wooers did whether it was stealing, breaking, or forcing others to do what they told them to they all deserved what they got.
Nicole Tschida ENG 210 3-31-18 The Aeneid, The Confessions, and The Spiritual Journey The Homeric epic often foretells of a long perilous journey filled with warfare and trials of the human condition that coincides with the spiritual journey that each human being has to take. How are The Aeneid and The Confessions similar in that they both depict warfare and a long spiritual journey? In The Aeneid, Aeneas’ journey is filled with many trials and temptations both physical as well as spiritual.
“On wrongs swift vengeance awaits” (Pope). Agree or not, these wise words from Alexander Pope describe well what Homer’s The Odyssey is about. In this novel, characters often seek vengeance for things or people they have lost. This is shown through Poseidon’s actions to Odysseus and his men after they stab the Cyclop’s eye, Odysseus’s men being killed by Zeus after they eat Helios’s cattle and Odysseus killing all of the suitors once he returns to Ithaca.
Success in war was an honorable characteristic of Roman people, as is evident in The Aeneid. Peace as a result of violence is a significant part of Roman culture and is embodied in this epic. Works Cited Hunt, John. “Carriages, Violence, and Masculinity in Early Modern Rome.” Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance, vol. 17, no. 1, 2014, pp.
Odyssey Violence Motifs Gonzalo Teijeiro Martin Write a paragraph on the motifs behind violence in the odyssey with a quote In the Odyssey, violence is a recurring motif that is used to depict the struggles of the characters as they navigate the challenges of their world. One of the most prominent examples of this is the violence that is inflicted upon Odysseus and his crew by the Cyclops Polyphemus. This violent encounter is a clear representation of the dangers that the characters must face on their journey, as well as the power of the gods to shape the fate of mortals. " But the Cyclops, with a wrenching scream, tore loose the top of a high mountain and flung it, and the rock came hurtling down with a thunderous crash" (The Odyssey, Book
Belifore’s thoughts on the relationship between Ascanius and Aeneas influenced my addition of a new passage to strengthen my refutation of a counter-argument. Belfiore discusses the transformation of Aeneas from the beginning of the book until he embraces his son for the last time. Belfiore explains how this embrace is the ultimate changing point for Aeneas’s impersonal pietas. His pietas is now fully oriented toward the future—the future of Rome and the future of his son. Her insight intensifies our appreciation for Aeneas’s pietas because readers can clearly see the transformation of Aeneas’s character to steadfast, impersonal, and
In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.
“The Aeneid” is an epic poem authored by Publius Vergilius Maro, and is implied to be directed at Vergil’s muse. Vergil primarily wrote the piece in response to Juno’s actions against the Trojans, and appears to disagree with them (he repeatedly wonders aloud how a deity is capable of tormenting an entire race, and if she would retain her honor among the mortals after doing so). Thus, Vergil is motivated by the need to understand and explain why Juno and those around her acted the way they did, to see if they were justified. In “The Aeneid,” Vergil depicts that Juno, Aeneas, and Venus suffered due to fear, pain, and compassion, respectively.
It is evident in Zeus’s and Apollo’s obsession with women, Orpheus’s winning over of Hades with his lovely music, the sparking of the Trojan War over Helen’s legendary loveliness, and Hera’s and Athena’s bitterness
Revenge theme in the Iliad and the Odyssey The Iliad and the Odysseus are epic poems of Ancient Greek, which are defined as central works of Ancient Greek literature. The Iliad, sometimes referred to as “Song of Ilion” is about a war between two groups, which are the Achaeans and the Trojans. A reason for this war was that Paris, a prince of Troy had taken the most beautiful woman in world, which was a wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta. Due to this steal, Menelaus decided to avenge and take Helen back.
The contrasting intent between the two poems are heightened within the description of the hero's’ shields. Aeneas’ shield portrays the glorious accomplishments that future Rome will achieve.(Mastin). His shield solely revolves around the future of Rome. But Achilles shield is more cynical, it depicts what was occuring during the Siege of Troy and seems to mostly display the detriment of war. (“Iliad”).Considering that The Aeneid is political propaganda, it should come as no surprise to the reader that Aeneas’ shield caters to the Roman delusion that their empire is