Odysseus and Aeneus: Travels to the Dark Side Essay

antiquated Greeces Odysseus from Homers The Odyssey and antiquated Troys Aeneus from Virgils The Aeneid argon both(prenominal) belligerentes who struggle with identity and purpose, and these identities and purposes atomic number 18 tied up into the concepts and symbolism revolving to a greater extent than or less(prenominal) effeminate versus potent and pagan versus Christian-like influences. In comp be Odysseus travel to the inferno and Aeneus dainty to the inflict of the g sensation, whiz potful fix these tours to the main philosophical plots of both whole caboodle of ancient literature.Although both work soldiery consecrate from Hades alive, the two custodys initial approaches to the bloodless ar moderately different, Odysseus performing sacrifices at the direction of the young-bearing(prenominal) goddess Circe and Aeneus praying to the manful God Appollo and led to the furnish by the priestess Sybil. The variance in how the heroes degrade the phili a worlds supplys significant acuwork force into how their understands in the snake pit play out and reflect the entire themes of both tales.The heroes get laids with the dead are non unlike the major plots of both works, Odysseus focu ungodlinessg more on a no-hit birth to his wife and Aeneus guidance more on a successful honoring of God and country. The more deathly, pagan, and womanish sleep withs of Odysseus journey contrast to the more immortal, Christian-like, and potent voyage of Aeneus. A main diversity in the drive of the two hands is that Odysseus is driven by the recom custodydations of the Goddess Circe and Aeneus is em strengthed by the guidance of the God Appolo.Here one can see the foretell grammatical gender differences and the contrast of abiding by the overlook of an immortal woman or the power of an immortal man. Leadership positions are of gravid significance in The Odyssey and The Aeneid, because Ithaca and Troy were in bitter scraps for power and influence during this time. In job attention to new-made sidereal day Christian theology, it can be tell that by calamity Aeneus displays the most leadership capacity, accustomed that he takes heed of the influence of anthropoid figures.However, in refuting modern day Christian mentality, one can suppose that Odysseus may be correct in placing his swan and cogency to be guided in the hands of a woman, accepting the humor of womanly power and the feminine zip which can be useful to and hangs male figures. The occurrence that the tale of Odysseus was innate(p) several hundred years onward Christian theology contrasts with the story of Aeneus, write only a couple decades in advance Christs birth, on the brochure of Christian influence.The communication of the shadowinesss to both heroes courses brainstorm to the similarities and differences of their experiences in the underworlds. At the River of Ocean in the land of the Cimmerians, the pot likker themselv es condescend to Odysseus, gravid him a more rooted or female positioning, Elpenor one of the first to approach Odysseus, begging him to indemnification to Circes island and give him a puritanical burial. In Dis, the land of the dead, Charon delivers souls to Aeneus from crosswise the river Acheron, and Sybil explains to Aeneus that the souls of the dead must sojourn on the other bank.However, upon showing his thriving branch, Aeneus is able to be ferried across and he moves into the underworld, granting him an entering and more male positioning. pass on communication with the enliven reveal to both men the end intents or purposes of their expeditions. For Odysseus, in the counsel of the ghost prophet Tiresias, he is informed that the Achaeans are cosmos punish by Poseidon for the blinding of his son Polyphemus and foresees that Odysseus pass on keep back a successful journey culminating in the return to his wife, the banishment of her vehement suitors, and the future engagement in a nonher(prenominal) trip to appease Poseidon.The goal for Aeneus is in any case revealed in the land of the dead by the philia of his father Anchesis, that Romulus will tack together Rome, a Caesar will eventu bothy come from the line of Ascanius, and Rome will distribute a Golden Age of loom over the world. Here, one notes that for Odysseus, a return to genus Penelope is a large array of his purpose, composition Aeneus appears to be on a mission revolving fighting solely for the fatherland. The relative physical nearness of Odysseus to the spirits contrasts the aloofness of Aeneus to the ghosts they both encounter, Odysseus seemingly swarmed by the souls and Aeneus traveling to the spirits without Hades.The shades of the dead are immediately able to interact with and influence Odysseus, while Aeneus is quarantined from the spirits by the river and must be shuttled across by the gate keeper, Charon. Also, the concept of levels of purgatory is not readily ap parent in Odysseus experience in the underworld, while Aeneus experiences the movement through stages of Hell, from the suicide victims in the handle of melancholy to the innocent spirits in the beatified Groves.One can distinguish amid the more ancient belief of Odysseus being directly submerged with the spirit world, souls orgasm to him directly, and Aeneus more Christian-like orientation of being classify in steps away from the divine or away from eternal joyfulness according to the level of preoccupation with sin and devastation, journeying through the unhomogeneous areas of what could be termed a kind of purgatory in Hell, possibly just short of divine deportment or mortality in Heaven. two former soldier spirits spend to the men that they would like to be conceal properly, which serves to align the tales of Odysseus and Aeneus more closely together. two Elpenors plea to Odysseus and Aeneus spotting of genus Palinurus within the area for spirits having stock impr oper burials bring sadness to the police van of the heroes, perhaps knowing that the deceased did not receive the most appropriate and deferential honor from them.The quick and dirty disposition of battle is c all(prenominal)ed to mind for both of the men as they express regret at their ineffectiveness in having paid proper respects to their lost friends. Here, Odysseus and Aeneus are seen as more similar, both either wrong or saddened by the lost chance to truly honor the dead at the time of their passing. This experience serves for both men a time of self reproval on their own actions, deliberating on whether or not they had do the right choices and calling to mind the concepts of sin and regret cod to possibly mistaken actions.In comparing Odysseus marriage ceremony to Penelope to Aeneus sighting of Dido in the land of the dead, one is struck by the sharp contrast in the mens relationships with women. While Odysseus is faithful to Penelope and keeps her as a driving force in his quest, a goal and entertain to which he wants to return and defend, Aeneus is shocked by seeing his former love in the Fields of Mourning, having killed herself and married a ghost in the after liveness. Aeneus incapacity at sustaining a relationship is a very great point to consider in the coincidence of both heroes.mayhap Odysseus clinging to the more female part of existence and divine life lends power to his efficacy to hold his marriage together, big support and honor to the supposition of family life. Although both men are soldiers on journeys to defend their theme countries, Odysseus does not rent the complete break from home in the way that Aeneus does. The splitting of Aeneus and Dido is a dusky and telling fracture which can lend insight into the Trojan way of thought regarding marriage and family.In this way, Aeneus masculinity works against him in that he is effectively separated from romantic love, and Odysseus pact with the feminine keeps him curtail ambient to family and home life. Also touching on the concept of family members as they get in touch to gender differences is the fact that Odysseus is learned by his gravel in the underworld and Aeneus seeks out his father. The coming of Odysseus mother Anticleia is again a more female orientation visitation and perhaps another impetus for Odysseus to return home to his wife Penelope, as his mother confesses to construct died of grief in waiting for his return to Ithaca.Aeneus intercourse with his father is again a more male oriented interaction. Anchises explains how the spirits move to the highest degree in Dis, illustrating more clearly the Christian-like concept of purgatory and gaining insight on how the ghosts are able to reach the Fields of Gladness, as hale as gaining insight on the future role of Trojans in Rome and the expansion of the Roman Empire, bring support to the ideas of hierarchy and patriarchy.In nonrecreational attention to the sensation of what it was like to engender been in the two underworlds, one notes that the experience of the souls in Odysseus underworld is nothing less than suffering and that the experience of the spirits in Aeneus land of the dead is more variable, close to suffering and some happiness. Odysseus departure from the underworld in being swarmed by the souls is one of fright and fleeing, while Aeneus leaves the land of the dead courageously.The distaste which Odysseus holds for the dead ghosts is apparent, and he expresses the fact that he wants nothing to do with familiarity of the dead. The encounter with his mother Anticleia may have alike invoked fear in Odysseus that his wife Penelope may also lay off to sadness and death. Aeneus is more curious of the afterlife, the compulsory aspects and negative aspects being grouped separately, and he demonstrates a desire to learn about now to gain access to the nicer areas of the spirit world.The energy he receives from the encouraging conversation with his father regarding the positive aspects of purgatory and the future goal of his triumph in Italy enables Aeneus to leave his visit to the land of the dead with confidence. The notions of judgment and repose are also themes in Odysseus and Aeneus visits to the afterworld. In Odysseus underworld experience, the dead are not really judged, to that degree they are all unhappy. In this case, on that point is no peace of mind for the dead and no judgment of death other than a negative one.To Odysseus, the underworld is black and unfortunate place, hopefully avoidable, yet certainly not avoidable for Odysseus disposed his own mortality. There is a blanketed negativeness in Odysseus concept of the afterlife, no inhabit for positive judgment and no live for peace. However, in looking at Aeneus experience in the land of the dead, one notes that there are various judgments of the spirits and various areas of suffering and bliss, correlating to the judgment of their life choices befor e death, Minos handing out judgments to the recently deceased.Although there are suffering souls, there are also ghosts who enjoy happiness and peace in the afterlife, concepts resembling the purgatory of Christianity during this pre-Christian area. In Aeneus experience, one is able to draw a sense of hopefulness from the spiritual world, while Odysseus encounter with the dead is mostly majestic and perhaps even unhelpful. These two experiences can be viewed in two ways. perchance it is positive that Aeneus sees joy in death, granting him pleonastic courage to face the afterlife, however, perhaps this makes Aeneus impendent to death, while Odysseus may be made safer by aiming to avoid death completely. In considering the two men and their two tales, it is edifying to study the two midpoint travels of the heroes into the underworlds. Odysseus as a hero is somewhat more woman led, depending on Circe, interaction with his mother, and yearnings for Penelope, and this drift of fema le orientation is present end-to-end Odysseus journey.He is even warned by Tiresias to not touch the flocks of the sun, a metaphor which peal a sense of warning to support the urge of being overly male oriented. Odysseus fear of death can be viewed in two different ways. Perhaps he is cowardly, or perhaps he is more attached to life and desires to be in the land of the living. Odysseus desire to return to Ithaca and reclaim his wife Penelope is ever so a drawing factor, and Odysseus flight from the spirit world may simply correspond to his desire to return home to his family.The hero Aeneus is more man led, valuing the prayers to Appollo, the conversation with his father, and permit go of his woman Dido, placing the voyage and battle ahead of his family life, remaining more male oriented. The letting go of his relationship with Dido and her concomitant death supports the idea that Aeneus is able to separatrix ties, however, one cannot be sure if the ability of Aeneus to cut ties is a positive ability or if he wrongly fractures his dally and family bonds.The concepts of opposing and complimentary genders, divine mortal and immortal influence, and pagan and Christian-like theologies and belief systems all contribute to the development of the tales The Odyssey and The Aeneid as well as place meaning and nidus on the heroes Odysseus and Aeneus and their travels down into the realm of the dead, giving each character definition and ferment in the similarities and contrasts between the two men and their unique yet related voyages.If Odysseus is a more ancient pagan with closer ties to the feminine and Aeneus is a more modern Christian-like figure with closer ties to the masculine, one wonders if something was gained in this historical transition or if something was lost. kit and boodle Cited Homer. The Odyssey, circa 800 BC Virgil. The Aeneid, circa 20 BC