Virgil and Homer -- World Literature The Trojan Legacy: Textual Similarities in the Epics Iliad by Homer and Aeneid by Virgil

In the study of world literature, it is essential that one must know about the earliest forms of literature, especially the works of Homer and Virgil. Homer, considered one of the greatest literary writers of Greek literature, was said to have composed his great epic poems, Iliad and Odyssey, during 8 B.C. He is well-known for his effective depiction of early Greek life, where the interplay between mortals and immortals and the inevitable Fate were discussed. Homer's legacy as chronicler of Greek history, society, and culture helped influence Virgil, who composed the Aeneid in 19 B.C. Using some of Homer's themes, characters, and some parts of the plot in the Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil created the Aeneid, which also gained popularity and acclaim as Homer's epic works.

This paper discusses similarities...

These similarities include the use of themes and characters that have originally been used in Iliad, and borrowed then modified in the Aeneid.
The first similarity between Homer and Virgil's work is the adaptation and continuation of the 'Trojan legacy' that Homer started with his epic works. In the Iliad, Homer's story revolves around tenth year of the Trojan War, wherein the Trojan heroes and their lives were given focus, as well as the defeat of the Trojans from the Achaeans. In Aeneid, Virgil adapted the Trojan-Achaean story, but instead focused on a minor character, Aeneas, as his protagonist. As one of the Trojan heroes, Aeneas, like Odysseus in the Odyssey, was given focus, as he became the leader of the lost Trojan heroes.

Apart from adapting the Trojan theme, Virgil also used the theme of prophecy to illustrate the…