Essay - Thematic Comparison: Divine Intervention in Homer & Virgil Both Works...

Thematic Comparison: Divine Intervention in Homer & Virgil

Both works decently portray the horrors of warfare, and (albeit it in a reverent fashion) place the blame for this horror soundly at the feet of the gods. However while ***** ***** this intervention is largely capricious and relatively unmotivated, in Virgil's work it takes on a more motivated and historical turn in which the ***** may actually be seen as working to some form ***** higher end.

Part of the difference between these two takes ***** divine interference relates to the purpose of ***** two *****. Homer's epic, so far as can be told, w***** designed to educate and amuse and perhaps to make a st*****tement about the meaning ***** ***** ***** deity. However, it was not designed ***** much ***** create a n*****tional myth of identity. The Greeks and the Trojans ********** faced were more or less of the same culture and lineage, w*****shipping the same gods and practicing the ***** lifestyles. Whichever one, that ***** was distinctive ***** Greek culture would have survived. It is likely that even among early listeners, *****re would be a definite kinship sensed between the w*****rring sides. The purpose of the work was less nationalistic, and more dealing with the personal heroism transformation from rage to tragedy ***** forgiveness in the story ***** Achilles ***** Hector. The primary purpose of the Aenid, on the other hand, seems to be to create a n*****tionalistic myth of the genetic foundations of Rome which might serve to justify its people, national characteristics, and dominions over fallen Carthage ***** much of the known world.

These separate purposes inherent in the ***** and ***** intended audience change ***** way the gods and the ***** will be portrayed. In the Iliad, it is possible to betray ***** gods as capricious and even dangerous because the war was on, and people could s***** *****afely inside and look out at salted ruins without doubt or fear. There is room in this plan for some philosophy and ethics and other distracti*****s. In the Aenid, on the other hand, there is less of a ***** for philosophy *****nd distraction. The gods must be shows as the guides and founders of a proud n*****ion, ***** their capriciousness must not interfere with the primary goal ***** the work to provide an ethnic and historical justification for the imperialism of *****.

One of the first and most obvious *****s this difference in approach is apparent is in each epic's opening description ***** its topic. ***** Iliad begins by inviting the goddesses (muses) to sing through the poet himself, invoking from the beginning a sense of m*****nkind's place as a puppet of the gods. The goddess ***** sing of "the anger of ***** son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon ***** Achaeans. And which of the ***** was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the ***** ***** Jove and Leto..." (homer, book 1) In short, the topic of the book is the anger and