Homer s The Odyssey And Virgil s ÂŹ The Aeneid - 1295 Words

Homer’s The Odyssey and Virgil’s  ¬The Aeneid are both epic poems chronicling the travels and trials of their respective heroes. Though both stories deal with the fates of their leading men, Homer employs the use of hubris with his protagonist, Odysseus, while Virgil utilizes the trait of pietas with his protagonist, Aeneas. A comparative analysis of the heroes in their reactions to the mythical creatures they encounter, their relationships with the women they love, and their ultimate purposes in seeking passage to the underworld demonstrate the differences in their fatal character flaws. In both The Odyssey and The Aeneid, the heroes are on separate journeys to ultimately find their home. Odysseus is returning after a long war, while Aeneas is seeking to establish Rome. Along the way, both men engage in various battles, but their responses to the conflicts they face show a clear separation in the way these great men think and behave. Odysseus is a head-strong, nearly reckless leader whose excessive pride, or hubris, gets his men involved in many scrapes that cost valuable lives. Such is the case in Odysseus’ dealings with Polyphemus, the Cyclops. His men insist that they load animals aboard the ship and flee to safety, away from the land of giants (Homer 9.241-246). Instead of following the advice of his crewmen, Odysseus admits, â€Å"Ah, / how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished / to see the caveman, what he had to offer –† (9.247-249). Even though he knows that setting