Bobby Alter
December 19, 2014
Core 151: Legacies
Professor Klein
The Comparison between Aeneas and Achilles
Virgil portrayed Aeneas as a piety character due to his devotion to various responsibilities placed on him. He easily takes the obligations forced down on him by fate, the gods, the family, as well as the entire community. In fact, he takes these duties seriously that he has to forego his own desires and feelings, and it is through such acts that he acquires the heroic title. In a number of instances, he seems to deviate from the right path but the gods intervene and attempt in making him take the right course in fulfilling the prophecy.On the other hand, Homer depicts Achilles as a strong warrior driven by fate so that he can succeed.…show more content… He struggles to win battles but he does all these with the main aim of gaining individual recognition. His arrogance is evident when he brags that the wars he has won seem to add more accolades in his life. Moreover, he tries to justify his actions when he wanted to kill Agamemnon. On the other hand, he implied that when Athens restrained him from the confrontation it somehow lowered his glory because his peers hallow him when he defeats the enemies (Homer pp. 352-355). At the same time, he cites when other people and the gods interfere with his mission as the sole reason for his severe anger. In essence, such actions from the gods seem to make his reputation to deteriorate because his peers will view him as a coward (Homer pp. 374-409). Later, he even justifies his flaws when he asserts that his sole reason for engaging in the Trojan War is not the financial benefits, because his father has vast wealth. Hence, his main urge is to gain glory and fame as the strongest warrior of his era (Homer pp. 398-402). Finally, he ignores the reminder that he will die in the war, instead he goes to war to avenge the death of his friend knowing that in return he will receive more glory. Thus, it is evident that Achilles’ mind is filled with arrogance and he wants to quench his thirst for more glory. This character leads him to ignore orders because he wants to achieve the individual glory of becoming the…show more content… Aeneas seems to accept his flaws and anytime the gods try to correct he accepts without questioning the reason behind their decision. This is evident when Jupiter sends Mercury to warn him against delaying in Carthage while engaging in the affair with Dido. He promptly follows the orders and instead foregoing his own feelings and bodily desires. Although he loves Dido, he has to make a tough choice and depart from Carthage. His departure seems to have adverse effects and even lead to the death of Dido who decides to commit suicide. On the other hand, Achilles tends to ignore the orders from the gods. At times, he follows the orders reluctantly while complaining. In essence, Achilles mind is full of pride, arrogance, and hunger for glory. Thus, he burns with fury anytime an obstacle seems to restrain him from achieving his goals. Moreover, he keeps ignoring the gods’ reminder of his fate because he knows his destiny and he is not afraid to face it. Thus, it is clear that even though that both characters depend on the gods for extra support and guidance their character seem to differ. However, Achilles tend to depend on his arrogance and thirst for glory to achieve more things. On the other hand, Aeneas depends on the forces of fate and the guidance of the gods that he follows without