Virgil imitates many scenes from the Odyssey in his epic, but he always changes in significant ways, so they illustrate his own Roman themes. Both heroes come to the underworld to get a message, although the content is different, and both meet a family in the underworld. The structure seems to have been largely the same in these parts of the story.
One of the main differences between the Odyssee and the Aeneid is that the Aeneid can be seen as a patriotic poem or propaganderend while the Odyssey is a poem about individuals and their adventures. Homer emphasizes heroes, not countries, while Virgil was trying to show how Rome was the city as it was then, and the virtues that have had to paint a good Roman citizen or leader. This difference is reflected throughout the text.
An example of this is the way in which the authors deal with the characters in proportion to the fate. The Odyssey is a human story about a man and focuses on the
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Aeneas is only an instrument of these themes. The themes are the stars in this story, while Aeneas only accompanied it. Odysseus has its own purpose, its own destiny, while Aeneas is an instrument of fate and thus determines the future of a whole nation. Since the Aeneid a story about the foundation of Rome and the rise of the Roman people this seems logical. This difference is reflected in the reason why the heroes descend to the underworld and the message they received there. Odysseus visits the underworld to consult the spirit of the Theban seer Tiresias, resembling Anchises in his prophetic role. Presenting the glorious future, however, the Rome Anchises is totally different from the role Tiresias. These Odysseus namely only advises about the events of their own future of the hero and after returning home in Ithaca. Odysseus so will only predicted his own fate, while Aeneas presented will the future of his descendants and of