odysseus vs aeneas essay

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Comparison of Aeneas and Odysseus: Heroes & Journey

• Comparison of Aeneas and Odysseus:…

The Roman Empire has been classified as perhaps the greatest empire of the ancient world. Some have even gone so far as to claim it is the greatest empire in the history of mankind. The Romans were unbelievably patriotic, and proud of their vast empire. This inevitably led them to compare themselves to those that had come before.

As a writer at this time, Virgil was not immune to Roman patriotism. In his Aeneid , Virgil highlights the comparison between the Romans and their cultural predecessors, the Greeks. He draws literary parallels to Homer to emphasize his point. The characters of Aeneas and Odysseus are microcosms of their respective cultures. Through a comparison of the hero Aeneas to the hero Odysseus, Virgil shows that the Romans are the superior culture.

In the Aeneid and the Odyssey , Aeneas and Odysseus both undergo a parallel journey with the ultimate purpose of returning (in Aeneas’ case establishing) a home. However, throughout their journeys, the actions of the two heroes are vastly different.

Aeneas embodies the Roman value of duty. He is given a task by the Gods, told directly by Mercury: to leave Carthage and found an empire in Rome. Immediately after receiving this message, Aeneas is prepared to obey, “As the sharp admonition and command from heaven had shaken him awake, he now burned only to be gone, to leave that land of the sweet life behind.” (N.A. 1093, 364) It is Aeneas’ instinct to obey the command of the Gods.

As the end of this sentence shows, Aeneas is willing to obey despite the fact that he knows he will be leaving “the sweet life behind”: leaving his lover, Dido and the good and peaceful life he could have had. “Duty-bound, Aeneas, though he struggled with desire…took the course heaven gave him and went back to the fleet.” (N.A. 1097, 520-526) Aeneas sacrifices his personal happiness – his private life – for the good of his people and his public duty.

Odysseus, on the other hand, is not driven by any sense of duty. He leaves Troy to return home to Ithaca, yet does not reach his destination for 10 years. Even when he does arrive, he does so without any of his original crew. Odysseus is driven purely by self-interest, and often abandons those he is indebted to and responsible for. He strays multiple times from his path: on the island of the Cyclops, with Circe and with Calypso, all the while putting his followers in danger and betraying his waiting wife.

Odysseus only returns to Ithaca and his wife at the order of the Gods, when he has had his fill of bliss with Calypso. All of Odysseus’ actions are fuelled by self-interest; he puts his private life above his public duty, a trait particularly abhorred by the Romans. Thus Virgil uses the comparison of Aeneas’ sense of duty to Odysseus’ self-interest to propel the Roman culture above and beyond that of the Greeks.

Homer’s works are part of the Trojan cycle, and represent two major themes: the Iliad is war, and the Odyssey is a journey. Virgil takes these two concepts and combines them in the Aeneid , which is a journey followed by a war. Yet Virgil’s Aeneas and Homer’s Odysseus approach war in vastly different ways.

Aeneas fights for the future, to create an empire for his son, and to continue the legacy of Troy. As he explains to Dido, “Priam’s great hall should stand again.” (N.A 1095, 449-450) Aeneas fights for a purpose greater than himself. As he is told by his father in the Underworld, “What glories follow Dardan generations in after years, and from Italian blood what famous children in your line will come, souls of the future, living in our name.” (N.A 1120, 619-622)

Aeneas knows that his battles are meant to benefit others, and he accepts this and fights harder for it. Unlike Aeneas, Odysseus fights for himself, to satisfy his own self-interest. Throughout his journey, Odysseus purposefully involves himself in the conflict in order to achieve glory for himself. On the island of the Cyclops, Odysseus could have avoided conflict with Polyphemos, and the eventual vengeance of Poseidon, had he not been so focused on personal glory.

Even once he has reclaimed his house from the suitors, Odysseus sees fit to kill them all despite their surrender and offer of compensation, “Not for the whole treasure of your fathers…would I hold my hand. There will be killing till the score is paid.” (N.A 496, 61-64) Odysseus’ motivation towards the suitors was his own revenge, not just the saving of his wife.

Benefit for others through Odysseus’ actions is merely a by-product of his own personal benefit; it is never first in his mind to fight for the cause of others, as he is always focused on his own self-interest. Aeneas fights his battles for others, for the future, and ultimately to create . Odysseus fights for himself, and the outcome is always destruction .

Virgil uses this as a metaphor for the comparison between cultures. Rome is focused on a greater purpose and creates the building of a vast empire and creation of an enormous united culture; whereas Greece is selfish, and destroys : the sacking of Troy followed by the internal destruction of the Peloponnesian war.

There is a reason that figures become great in the history of a culture. These infamous heroes often embody the ideal of that culture, the values it most wishes to uphold, and the image it wants to present. To compare the heroes of a culture is to compare the cultures themselves, and in Virgil’s Aeneid, he is able to do just that.

He compares his hero Aeneas, father of Rome, to the Greek Odysseus, and every time – especially from the Roman perspective – Aeneas is the victor. Aeneas is the ideal Roman hero, and in many ways has also highly influenced our contemporary notions of a hero. The comparative triumph of Aeneas over Odysseus is Virgil’s declaration of the triumph of Roman culture.

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I know this is an old thread but I’ve studied both texts and have noticed that obvious Virgil is mimicking Odysseus’ journey when Aeneas is at sea, however Aeneas manages to sail AROUND Scylla and Charybdis, they only SEE Polyphemus on the horizon and easily miss his rocks, and Neptune sends a wind to help Aeneas once again AVOID Circe’s island. Aeneas is NOT kept against his will by Dido as Ody is by Calypso (Although Ody does stray with Circe for a bit but it’s not a full on marriage resulting in suicide!) He does have luck in Crete for some time, doesn’t lose all of his crew just the women and elderly, and has a lot more help/interference from/by the gods both acknowledged and secretly. Thus Aeneas’ only plights are the famine (easily overcome), losing Dido (he forgets her pretty easily), and obviously the fight for Latium. However to me at least having read the Odyssey that section of the book would have had more impact had Aeneas suffered the same as Ody – like the suitors scene at the end of the Homeric epic.

To claim that Virgil asserts the superiority of Rome (through Aeneas) over Greece (through Odysseus) is to ignore the omnipresent ironies of The Aeneid that undermine (or at least problematize) its overt message. In all the key moments of the Roman epic, there are subtle hints not only on the unnatural behavior of Aeneus (his incongruity), but on his failure to live up to the proclaimed ideal/identity. As a literary epic, The Aeneid remain ambivalent about its lessons; unlike the traditional epic The Odyssey, which neither covers up the unpleasant truths about human nature and existence, nor obfuscates the truly grand and dignified nature of them.

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Odysseus and Aeneas: Ancient Ideals of Heroism

by Sean Kelly on April 14, 2022

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Greek and Roman heroes: Odysseus and Aeneas

Throughout history many heroes have come and gone. Every culture has their own view of what constitutes a hero. In the epic the Odyssey, Odysseus is the famed hero. In the Aeneid Aeneas is the hero. The cultures from which these stories came, Greek and Roman respectively, have many similar and different views on what they believe a hero should be. Odysseus and Aeneas are both kind to enemies and brave. The two heroes are different in their personalities. Odysseus is quick-witted and tends to think of himself at times, while Aeneas is a little nieve and thinks more of his family and the well being of his city rather than himself.

Odysseus and Aeneas share the traits of loyalty and bravery as heroes. Odysseus shows bravery when he goes after his men, trapped by Circe. When Eurylokhos comes to Odysseus and tells him of the men “vanishing” in Circe’s “palace,” Odysseus doesn’t even hesitate to go help his men. He says, When I heard this, I slung my… broadsword on,… and said ‘Come take me back the way you came’ (10. 278-280) Eurylokhos begs with Odysseus not to go for fear that he too may vanish. Odysseus simply says,”Let me go as I see nothing… but to go. ” (10. 0-291)

Odysseus is willing to go save his men, even if it means he may risk his own life in the process. Aeneas shows his bravery when he goes back to the dangerous city at war to look for his wife Cruesa. He says, I went back into the city again,… ready,… for any danger. (II. 766-768) There were Greeks all around the city, ready for attack, but Aeneas still yelled out his wife’s name over and over. He didn’t care if he got caught, he just wanted to find his wife. Being courageous and loyal was part of a strict code the Greeks subscribed to , according to the book Classical Greece.

The Romans as well took loyalty and courage as important traits. According to the book, The Decline of Rome, “Government was very important to Romans. Rome was the ‘fatherland’ and they lost their independence to stay loyal to it. ” (Vogt 17) Greek and Roman heroes, Odysseus and Aeneas both have a history of being kind to enemies. According to the book Classical Greece, part of the Greek strict code of conduct is “being courteous (even to enemies)” (Bowra 49) Odysseus shows this trait of being courteous when he is kind to Circe to get his men free and changed from swine back to men.

Odysseus also shows courtesy to the Cyclops when he gives him some of his finest wine. The book Classical Greece also says that the Romans learned much about philosophy and art from the Greeks. Young Romans went to study at The University of Athens, and educated Romans looked to Greeks as their masters in philosophy, science and fine arts. (Bowra 11) This may explain why Aeneas too was kind to enemies. When the young Greek man comes to Aeneas and his men telling them his pity story to get the Trojan horse inside the city, Aeneas has pity for him.

Even though the young man is an enemy to the Romans, Aeneas still pities him and treats him courteously. Unlike Odysseus and his clever quick-witted ways, Aeneas is quite gullible and nieve and doesn’t seem to be as clever. Odysseus shows his quick-wit when he devises a plan for him and his men to escape the Cyclops’ lair. I drew on all my wits… until a trick came… three abreast… I tied them [Cyclops’ rams]… then slung a man under each… to ride to safety. (9. 441-450)

It is important in Greek culture that their heroes are intelligent, quick-witted and able to dabble in trickery but not fall for it. Aeneas on the other hand has a very nieve and gullible personality. He and Priam believe the stranger that was being held hostage by Trojan shepherds. When the stranger tells them of how the horse was built as a gift and persuades them to bring it onto the city, Aeneas, Priam and many of his men not only believe the stranger (and enemy) but go as far as to help him bring the deadly horse into their city.

Aeneas and his men show potential for trickery when they dress as Greek soldiers to get close to the Greeks in the war. The plan isn’t thought out very well, however, because many of the Romans mistaken their fellow Romans for the real Greek enemy and kill them. Odysseus’ plans always seem to work out well and Aeneas’ don’t seem to work out so well. The Roman hero Aeneas has a little more of a sense of mortality and human nature, with faults, while Odysseus has a sense of immortality, rarely doing anything wrong. In the Greek society as opposed to the Roman, the individual is of great importance.

At the center of the Greek outlook lay an unshakable belief in the worth of the individual man. ” (Bowra 12) This belief of individuality caused Greeks to be self-centered at times. “They [the Greeks] believed man should be honored and respected just for being himself. ” (Bowra 12) The Roman culture, however, seems to place more importance on the city, government and family rather than on the individual man. In the book, The Decline of Rome, poet Ruitilus Namatianus says (speaking of Roman government), “Rome has given the diverse nations of the world a single fatherhood. (Vogt 17) Rather than thinking about the good of the individual, they thought in terms of the whole Roman nation joining together.

There are times when Odysseus seems to be full of himself and his own individuality rather than the well being of his crew all throughout The Odyssey. For example, when he and his crew escape the Cyclops, Odysseus has to blurt out: If ever a mortal man inquire ow you were put to shame and blinded, tell them- Odysseus, raider of cities took your eye: (9. 27-529) Odysseus and his crew would have gotten away without any problems if it weren’t for that self-centered remark, but Odysseus had to gloat about himself. This need for Odysseus to gloat may also stem from the Greeks need to be famous. According to the book Classical Greece being famous is even more important than victory in war. They could even accept death as long as they knew they would be remembered. Aeneas on the other hand always thinks about the well being of his city and family.

This is evident when Aeneas helps his family escape from the city safely. His father wants him to leave him there, but Aeneas says, Dear father, were you thinking I could abandon you, and go? What son could bear a thought so monstrous? (II. 673-675) Aeneas risked everything he had to save his family and didn’t seem to care about his individual fame. He only seemed to care about getting his family out safely and avenging his city. Greek and Roman cultures have many similar and contrasting views on what constitutes a hero to them.

Aeneas and Odysseus are both brave honorable yet they differ on traits such as being and gullible. Both heroes are very important and looked up to in both Greek and Roman cultures. The Romans, with their loyalty to government, look to Aeneas and his loyalty. The Greeks, with their quick wit and intelligence, look to Odysseus as an example of how to succeed. Both cultures use the heroes in their stories as examples and models of what to do, and many times what not to do, in life. By reading Roman and Greek literature one can learn many morals of life.

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Essay Sample on Contrasting between Odysseus and Aeneas

Introduction.

Aeneas:  He was known as one of Rome’s greatest poets. He was regarded the best in three poems, the Aeneid being one of them with others that were fantastically written. The Aeneid was classified among the most important poems in Western literature. He wrote it in the last 10 years of his life and it consisted of 12 books. The first six books described the journey of Aeneas from Troy to Rome.

Odysseus: Is a Greek hero who was a man of inquiry mind, brave and also an athlete. Due to his characters, scholars refer to him as a powerful mythic hero. He was a patient man who reasoned before acting but he was very proud and liked women.

Contrast between the two heroes:

The two authors lived in two different worlds in which values and how everything was perceived different at a certain level for example, the Greek culture and literature greatly dominated and influenced the Roman life.

The visit of both the heroes to the underworld came almost exactly in the middle of the story. The purpose why they were composed and the society for which they were created shows that the visits were different even if similar events may have taken place within them.

They both  came up with older myths and legends during the time they were composing their epics but each one of them modified it differently  to suits his style and what he wanted to put a cross and important to his characters.

Odysseus’s story is about making efforts to win home. It is a human story about man, focuses on the tangible real and powerful things in life like wealth, home, war, love, justice, sex, justice and getting opportunities for peace. Other themes of the book come into being to tell his story. Unlike Aeneas, it was written for Augustus a sole great patron and the first citizen of Rome. It has a political agenda and a piece of propaganda, expounding the virtues of Augustus’s form of conservations. It is designed to restore Rome after the long period of civil war. Augustus’ praise is actually the plot of the poem.

Aeneas is a very spiritual guest which is very unique in ancient Africa as compared to Odysseus. Most of the time Aeneas was unsure of himself; he had to be instructed by his father or the gods before acting. For example in the underworld, he viewed the future of Rome’s history to the time of Augustus which gives him confidence to act on his initiatives .On the contrary, Odysseus had self confidence from the beginning of his journey.

Odysseus and Aeneas’ approaches to the dead are different. Odysseus performed sacrifices at the direction of the female goddess Circe while Aeneas prays to the male God and led to the gates by priestess Sybil. Odysseus focuses more on returning to his wife while Aeneas focuses more on successful honoring of God and country.

The two heroes handled their love affairs differently as per their cultures. Odysseus loved his wife as he chose to go home for her and made sure she didn’t cheat on him while Aeneas’ love for his wife was nonexistent. He left her trampled to death as he saved his old father. The Greek culture has as strong family care while in Rome, women are treated like slaves.

In conclusion, Aeneas was a more glorious hero than Odysseus because of what he saw with enchases. His father showed him an array of souls, which were reincarnated and he became among the greatest men in the history of the Romans.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Aeneid — Analysis of The Underworld as Presented in The Odyssey Versus The Aeneid

Analysis of The Underworld as Presented in The Odyssey Versus The Aeneid

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Achilles, Odysseus and Aeneas Comparison Term Paper

Introduction.

Achilles, Aeneas, and Odysseus are the heroes of their respective books. Odysseus played a cameo role in the Illiad and later was the main character of his own epic. They all are the quintessential Heroes of their respective peoples. All that is true, good, and heroic for the Greeks and Romans are idealized in them. A look at their traits quickly reveals the values that make one heroic in the eyes of their people. Odysseus was the wise king of Ithaca who lent much-needed intelligence to the otherwise testosterone-driven campaign of Agamemnon. Swift footed Achilles was lord of the Myrmidons whose deeds of valor are the focus of the Illiad. Finally, pious Aeneas drew forth from the ashes of Troy the folk who would one day rise to become the Romans.

“The Goddess Sings of the Wrath of Achilles, Son of Peleus” Begins the Illiad. Chronicled within are the deeds of Achilles, how the Greeks were raised up when he joined them and how misfortune befell when they had not his aid. When Achilles is deprived of maid of honor he abandons the Greeks and they are hapless before Hector and the Trojans. Only when his friend Patroclus is slain is his wrath stirred past his wounded honor and he again fights for the Greeks.

That Aeneas was valiant and skilled in warlike Achilles there can be no doubt. Beyond deeds of bravery, the overarching theme of the Aeneid is Pietas, Piety, which in this case is piety to one’s destiny. Upon entering the underworld, Aeneas is introduced to his mighty progeny, the future leaders of Rome. Had he remained in the arms of Dido he would deny them the chance to live and doom the greatness that would be Rome.

As mentioned earlier Odysseus brought much-needed intelligence to Agamemnon’s mad crusade. The 2006 movie Troy does little justice to the futility and hubris of the Trojan war. According to Homer, the war was actually a long-winded siege lasting over 10 years. Like Achilles, he was specifically sought by Agamemnon because of the skills he could bring the host. The Illiad notes that Odysseus was unwilling to join the army and pretended to be a madman sowing his fields with salt instead of wheat. However, he was outsmarted and soon his Ithacans were numbered in the host of Greeks.

Achilles is the mightiest of all the Greek warriors. Even Hector did not withstand his onslaught. All Trojans fled before his face. His valor and warcraft surpass that of all Greeks, only Ajax is near his peer. In fact, in the Illiad whenever Achilles fought with the Greeks the Trojans were driven before them. When he left the field the tide of battle turned against his fellow Greeks. Much ado in the Illiad tells of the dishonor he suffered from Agamemnon, his decision to quit the field because of it, and the futile efforts of the Greeks to appease him and draw him back to war. He fears not his doom, as shown by his willingness to do battle with Hector despite the counsel of his mother than Hector and He will die soon after the other. Moreover, Achilles is a true friend, upon learning of Patroclus’s demise he sets off to challenge Hector to avenge his death.

In the Illiad, Aeneas does not really stand out among the valiant of Troy. In fact, at one point the son of Venus / Aphrodite is thrown to the ground by Ajax and nearly slain. It is Virgil who elevates Aeneas to the level of a demi-god. In the Aenid’s final chapter he is superhuman in his skill in war and even the mighty King Turnus is turned into a meek lamb before him. Note that this final confrontation is similar to the battle between Achilles and Hector where Hector is humbled by the power of Achilles.

Odysseus’ valor is never questioned in the Illiad. However, his true virtue is his intelligence. After the death of Achilles, the Greeks were all too willing to quit the field. It was his idea to build the horse that would later become the Trojan’s downfall. In his own Odyssey, his wit and intelligence deliver him time and again from perils which no other Greek King had to endure. For example, in the meeting with the Cyclops, he was the one who thought of giving the wine to the beast rending it drunk. It was also Odysseus who thought of riding the Cyclops’ sheep in their bellies so as to escape the blinded monster.

Achilles is not beyond his flaws. He is hidebound to his own code of honor. When his pride is wounded by the taking of his maid of honor, he refuses to sortie with his countrymen, holding himself dishonored. Even as the Trojans come upon the Ships of the Greeks he does absolutely nothing. It is said in the Illiad that the Trojans might well have burned those ships at the port had the gods not intervened. His pride is such that even when Odysseus comes to seek pardon for the misdeed of Agamemnon he remains unmoved. He is also over passionate in his wrath, after defeating Hector he scoffs the corpse by dragging with his chariot much to the dismay of the Trojans.

Likewise, Odysseus was not a perfect warrior. Like all the Greeks he was tinged with bloodlust after the sack of Troy. He too was held guilty by Athena for the rape of her temple in Troy and hence cursed to wander for a decade seeking his precious Ithaca in vain. Immediately after he set off he and his men go off to plunder a nearby island sacking and plundering like pirates. They say that this was because they had become so used to war that they lusted after it. Flawed also was the discipline of his warriors. For example, Circe managed to drug his men into pigs because he could not control their waywardness. Apollo’s wrath visited them because he allowed his men to roast Apollo’s sacred caves. Compared to Achilles his flaws are more on the level of being unable to act in time or lack of foresight. Ironic considering that he was the wisest of the Greek kings. However, like Achilles, he is wrathful and terrible when by the power of Athena Penelope’s suitors were delivered to him he slew them all mercilessly hewing down even their priest to cleanse Ithaca of their dishonor.

Aeneas’ flaw comes from his tendency to be lost. Once only does Aeneas become wayward, when bribed by the charms of Dido he almost forsook his quest to found his brave new kingdom. His loins overcame his piety for a while, preferring the ease and comfort of Carthage over the rigors of the sea and the uncertainty of his path. In this regard, he is like Achilles letting his ‘other head’ do the thinking. Fortunately thanks to Mercury he is set straight back on his course if he had remained in Carthage, and Virgil is to be believed, then there would be no Rome.

His blissful stay in Carthage would be the lowest point in the Aeneid. Forsaking the perils of the road he took up with Dido and lived like a King. Yet in doing so he came furthest from achieving his goal of finding a new home for the Trojan exiles. The time he spent was wasted time, an intermission away from his pious quest.

Araya, greatness, summarizes Achilles. For the Greeks, the ideal is to be the best in whatever one is called to do. Odysseus may have more wit, Agamemnon the greater power over Greeks, But none equal Achilles’ prowess on the battlefield. They value honor and principle sometimes to the point of foolhardiness. Heedless of Doom or Mortality, the wrath Achilles is indeed worthy of song and praise. In this regard, Achilles was sacred to all warrior Greeks, which encompassed pretty much all the citizens. Spartans no doubt respected his myth dearly. Alexander the Great of Macedon set off on his world-conquering crusade precisely because he wanted his legend to rival that of his idol Achilles.

Odysseus represented what was missing in many Greek heroes; Wisdom. Just as Achilles would be prefixed “Swift-footed” of Aeneas called “Pious” he was always “Wise” Odysseus. His journey was terrible and in the end, all his men were slain and he alone returned to Ithaca. But if he lacked the glory that Achilles basked in, at least he lived to have a happily ever after with his wife Penelope.

Aeneas too would have a happy ending, marriage to a Latin princess, a new kingdom, and a goodly war to end all wars, for a while, in Latinum. More importantly, Aeneas foreshadows the daring of the would-be Romans. Despite the wrathful devices of Juno he eventually comes upon Latinium to establish his new realm. Even as Juno loses war upon his weary people, Aeneas stands tall eager to do deeds of valor in defense of his people. The Aeneid speaks often of Pious Aeneas. Pious to his father, bearing him on his back at the sack of Troy. Pious to his people in not forsaking their quest for the bliss of Carthage. But most of all Pious to his Destiny in founding Rome. The perfect exemplar for the Roman people who in the days of Virgil would seize the day and forge an Empire whose legacy endures to this day.

Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1962.

Parry, Adam. “The Two Voices of Virgil’s Aeneid ” Virgil: A Collection of Critical Essays . Ed. Steele Commager. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall, 1966. 107-123.

The Iliad by Homer Project Gutenberg Version. Web.

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Odysseus And Aeneas

Both Odysseus and Aeneas are epic heroes, but their origins differ. Odysseus is from the Greek story The Odyssey by Homer, while Aeneas is a character in the Roman tale The Aenied by Virgil. Odysseus’s main objective is to return home after a long journey; on the other hand, Aeneas’s goal is to find a new home for himself and his family. Despite these differences, both characters have distinct fighting styles and share some similarities.

Both Odysseus and Aeneas received support from multiple gods. Odysseus, specifically, had the assistance of various gods in his journey back to Ithaca. One significant figure was Calypso, who initially held him captive but was eventually compelled by Zeus, the father of all Greek gods, to release him. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, also played a crucial role in helping Odysseus determine if Penelope still loved him. She disguised him as an old man so that he could enter the town without being recognized. Furthermore, the wind god provided Odysseus with a bag of wind that allowed him to sail back home. However, Poseidon’s involvement with Odysseus served a different purpose; it aimed to demonstrate that Odysseus relied on the gods for everything.

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Aeneas did not suffer the same fate as Odysseus when it came to being held captive by the gods. Rather, his mother Venus, who is the Goddess of love, stepped in to help him. She encouraged him to stop fighting because saving his family was more important. Furthermore, Jupiter also assisted him when Aeneas’s wife informed Jupiter about his plan to end his own life. She pleaded with Jupiter to send a sign to discourage him from going through with it. Upon hearing that his father was close to death, Aeneas considered suicide.

Both fighters, Odysseus and Aeneas, possess remarkable skills, yet they approach their actions differently. Odysseus carefully strategizes and devises effective plans before launching an attack. On the other hand, Aeneas lacks this premeditation and impulsively engages in combat. However, they employ disguises as a common method to deceive their adversaries, gather information, and infiltrate specific locations without being detected.

When it comes to wisdom, Odysseus outshines Aeneas. Aeneas tends to act impulsively without considering the consequences, while Odysseus carefully strategizes his actions, leading to more positive results. It is important to mention that both Aeneas and Odysseus hold great importance in Greek and Roman literature as they play vital roles in The Odyssey and The Aeneid.

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