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Aeneid Vs Achilles Research Paper

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Imagine one hero being immortalized as a renowned hero for committing unrighteous acts, whereas another more righteous hero is not praised as much as the other. In ancient literature such as the Aeneid and the Iliad, the heroes are displayed in a good light. In the Iliad, Achilles is shown to be an excellent warmongering hero. Whereas, in the Aeneid, Aeneas is shown as a great and devout man. Aeneas is a better depicted hero than Achilles in literature because he is shown to be more dutiful, loving, and caring for his people - unlike the ruthless Achilles. Would an actual hero let his people be slaughtered by the enemy for personal gain? Achilles is publicly shamed by Agamemnon, and is stopped by Minerva when he almost kills him. So, in a …show more content…

that’s left of my people whom I cherish.’ (Virgil, 4.426-427). Aeneas is the better hero because he protected his own people from his lover, Dido. Speaking of supposed lovers, would a great hero consider their woman as just a prize? Achilles gets his woman, Briseis, taken away from him by Agamemnon, thus shaming him and causing the slaughter of the Achaeans. But, her getting taken is not what boils his blood, the humiliation from Agamemnon is what enrages him. It says, “ … His heart inflamed for the sashed and lovely girl they’d wrenched away from him against his will.” (Homer, 1.512-513). There is no mention of missing or loving Briseis, just that she was taken from him - shaming him. Conversely, Aeneas values and actually loves his woman, Queen Dido. Aeneas, being a duty bound man, has to leave Dido to fulfill the gods’ will. Telling Dido that he has to leave, and having her not react so well, it says, “Strongly as he longs to ease and allay her sorrow, speak to her, turn away her anguish with reassurance, still, moaning deeply, heart shattered by his great love, in spite of all he obeys the gods’ commands and back he goes to his ships.” (Virgil, 4.494-500). The text says that Aeneas is devastated from hurting Dido, and it clearly states that he loves her greatly, which is unlike Achilles and

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These differences are important but I believe that achilleic is the better hero. Because he fought more fights and sacrificed more to gain vengeance for his cousin. Achilles is more heroic because of his heart and dedication. Achilles is more 21st century because he is a moody little brat. He was not willing to help others unless he got something from it.

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Aeneas is seen as a model of piety, but he is living in a sinful relationship with his mistress Dido, the queen of Carthage. In The Confessions, St. Augustine tells of his spiritual journey from his adolescence when he had no interest in virtue or Christianity

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Again, the definition of a hero is a person who is courageous and brave in spirit, and they have unique abilities that make people idolize them. Gilgamesh and Achilles both were heroines in their own right, and they were even unique to their people and culture. Knowingly, Gilgamesh and Achilles possess qualities that make them the same, and so different at the same time. Furthermore, Gilgamesh and Achilles were too prideful and foolish which made them alike, but they both were different in their affluence, power, and overwhelming strength, which made them a heroine to people because of their superhuman abilities, high personal relationships, and great influence over

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In Lucy Hughes-Hallett 's book, A History of Hero Worship: Achilles, Alcibiades, Cato and El Cid are all men that are ascribed the esteemed title of hero; yet, all only one is worthy of such a prestigious title: Cato. A prominent political figure, he achieved heroic status through his unquestionable virtue and precise following of the Roman constitution in a time where its authority was under threat. Furthermore, his intent was not to self-glorify, but to conserve and uphold all that was righteous and to abide by his absolute moral principles. This selfless and heroic intent is exclusive to Cato. His steadfast integrity generates a pure and persistent aim to serve his nation with nobility, making him more worthy of the prestigious title of hero than the other

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After his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” [John 4:34]. Through reminders like this, it is obvious that Jesus truly only wants to share God’s love with the world. He is not at all corrupted by a greed for power or any personal reward. On the other hand, although superficially Aeneas is also following divine orders, he is truly seeking personal gain. Due to fall of Troy after their loss of the Trojan War, Aeneas is ordered by his mother Venus to set sail for Italy.

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He tells Aeneas that he must create Rome, and to forget about Carthage and trying to make it his shared rule with Dido. And so Aeneas agrees, and decides to secretly get ready to set sail, and leave Dido behind. As Dido finds out about his plan to leave, Aeneas explains that the gods have sent him on a journey to found Rome in Italy. This is where we finally see Dido, Queen of Carthage, snap. After the loss of her husband, the grief and loneliness he brought with his death, and now her loss of the one she believed was her savior from desolation, her sanity snaps.

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However, in the end Agamemnon took Achilles’ girl, Briseis, which really hurt Achilles in the end. These warriors took a lot of pride in the things or people that they

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However, the Furies eventually let go of their built-up anger and hatred while Aeneas continues to carry this burden with him. “‘Watch me in this fight, you’ll learn how to get things done.’ ” said Aeneas before he traveled to meet Turnus in the fight for Lavina’s hand in marriage. Aeneas was not use to having to fight for women; he was the “source of the Roman race,” after all. Aeneas was also outraged because Turnus had killed Pallas, whom was entrusted to Aeneas’ care and guidance.

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Achilles only wishes to get revenge on Agamemnon, no matter the consequences for his

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Achilles is seen to be full of wrath in the beginning of the book. This wrath is not caused only because Agamemnon takes his prize of war. He is angry at the system which allows Agamemnon to play around with other people’s honors and the system which allows him to decide who gets how much honor. In other words, Achilles does not like the idea that someone else can decide what happens to his honor, despite him deserving most of the honor in relation to how much he contributes in war. As the story proceeds, Achilles seems to contradict himself a lot, and the concept of honor helps us understand this better.

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The Iliad also spotlights the individual qualities of a Greek hero or non-hero. Numerous characters in the Iliad demonstrated exceptional qualities of a Greek person that was valued, such as bravery and helpfulness and that was disproved of like selfishness. One trait that is highly appreciated by the greeks in the Iliad is bravery. In battle Hector killed Achilles´s best friend Pactorlos in battle.

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