Aeneid Case

The ancient Greeks followed their history back to mythological events and their descent to the gods and goddesses. Potentially the most crucial event in the early history of ancient Greece was the Trojan War. Homer and Virgil, both being historical poets, discussed their views on the Trojan Wars in ancient literature. Homer's The Odyssey and Virgil's The Aeneid reveal important differences based on these poets' outlook on the Trojan War. As Virgil corrects what he believes is mistaken in Homer's The Odyssey, he writes The Aeneid with his diverse beliefs and ideas of what the historical event signified. In Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas (1688), Richard Strauss' opera Elektra (1910), and Sir Michael Tippett's opera King Priam (1962), the writers allow the audience to become aware of the compelling aspects of the Trojan War that are found significant to them in their own time. In doing so, these writers gave the audience the chance to consider their own outlook on the Trojan War and how its relevance is valued in the modern world today.

One of the major contrasts in Homer's and Virgil's view on the war is their overall focus within their poems. When writing the Aeneid, Virgil continued upon the stories Homer tells in the Odyssey. Different from Homer, Virgil focuses on Aeneas, a Trojan hero, who lived through the defeat of Troy, which Homer describes in his poem. In doing so, much of what these two poets discuss leads to a considerable amount of differences in their works. Homer discusses the Greek defeaters and their experiences during and after the war, while Virgil creates a myth based on the Trojan who breaks away from the war to find a colony in Italy that eventually became Rome. Virgil's decision to make a Trojan as his hero shows his opinion on Homer; that he was on the wrong side when he favored the Greeks. This implies Virgil's beliefs that Homer could have potentially been wrong about many other aspects. One of the contrasts between these poems is apparent when noticing the detailed imagery of geography and topology that Virgil creates in the Aeneid. "May it be right to tell what I have heard, May it be right, and fitting, by your will, That I describe the deep world sunk in darkness under the earth." (Aeneid VI, 366-369) Virgil portrays a specific mood and setting that never appears in Homer's story. Virgil's descriptions in his poem leads the reader to a strong imagery of his outlook, such as "rushed with scorching flames and boulders tossed in thunder," and "wide buildings girt by a triple wall" and "a massive gate with adamantine pillars." (Aeneid VI, 738-742). Virgil establishes a twisted earth-like setting that is distinct in its physical features. For Homer, the world of Hades