Compare and contrast Odysseus and Aeneas' descents into Hell

Comparison between Odysseus and Aeneas’ Descents into Hell

            Odysseus and Aeneas remain as possibly two of the most well-known epics due to various factors that make both stands out compared to other epics. First, both tend to contain substantial strength in their writing and more so vivid imagery in terms of the project. Ideally, this can be well captured when one is reading whereby dramatic themes and other styles of writing employed by the authors tend to contribute immensely to the overall strength of their work. In this case, the literary elements employed by the authors of these two works further enrich the nature of their narratives (Rogerson, 2017). Second, both works remain similar in almost all aspects of their writing and were written around the same time frame with the Trojan War being the background of both works. Third, the heroes in both epics travel over the same sea as they embark on a long journey to their respective destinies. Fourth, both narratives tend to start in what appears as the middle of a dilemma or an event with Odysseus and Aeneas both hailing from the nobility.

            Virgil understood Homers’ works and thus borrowed heavily from various parts of the Odysseus and incorporated them in his work albeit with some bits of transformation to meet his style. For instance, the structure of Virgil’s Aeneas in the first six books remains parallel to the Odyssey by Homer in their description of Aeneas’ search for a home. Additionally, Virgil borrows various literary elements such as suspense which is created through the equal length of the sections between both works. However, despite borrowing heavily from Homer's work, Virgil also deviates in several instances. Ideally, this can be depicted like their works in which Virgil's Aeneas tends to assume a more patriotic form whereas Homer’s Odysseus is epics that advance various aspects about both adventures and individuals (Ekroth, 2018). The account in Aeneas where turnus is killed by Aeneas was more terrifying in my case as it was unexpected.