The Homeric hero Achilles from the “Iliad” is often compared to Virgil’s hero Aeneas from the “Aenied.” Both are young men from an immortal mother and a mortal father. In addition, they are revered by the gods and men, are well-known for their fighting abilities and both have great pride. Achilles and Aeneas both withdrew from battle. At the same time they are very different. Achilles asked Thetis, his mother, for help after Briseis is taken by Agamemnon. While Aeneas did receive help, he never asked for it. Another difference is that Achilles wallowed in his own self-pity and anger while Aeneas dealt with his situation.

The Greek epic hero was a brave warrior who fought to increase his own personal glory. His skills as a warrior greatly affected his heroic quality. To die in battle would increase ones fame and glory. Achilles serves as a great example of the Greek heroic notion. Achilles sulks in his tent after Agamemnon has offended his pride by taking his prize Briseis from him. He finally decides to join the battle in order to keep his fellow soldiers from attaining all the glory themselves. Achilles fights like a savage and shows no mercy to the enemy. These mighty skills and quest to achieve personal fame mark Achilles as a Greek epic hero in the “Iliad”.

The Roman epic hero on the other hand fights not for personal glory, but for the glory of his state, community and family. Leadership replaces the individual quest for glory in the “Aeneid”. The Romans had an interest in the Trojan War described by Homer because Aeneas’s journey from Troy led to the founding of the city that later became Rome. This tale is recounted in Virgil’s “Aeneid.” In addition to being loyal to the Roman state a hero must be pious. In order to be pious a man had to follow his destiny and do what he has been called to do. Aeneas follows the will of the gods no matter how he suffers.

Virgil is greatly influenced by Homer and his epic style of writing. However, he merely uses Homer’s style as a guide and successfully creates a Roman style of epic. Virgil does organize his narrative like Homer with long verse narrative, beginning in media res, and a plot that organizes many different stories. Virgil also parallels many elements in Homer’s epics. He uses the same gods but with Latin names, his character visit’s the underworld, there is a big storm and epic games, and there is a long narration of the outcomes of the battle of Troy. Virgil also differs from Homer. His Aeneid has a grander scale of geography as the entire Mediterranean world is involved. He also uses speeches in grand poetic style. It has a hero that fights for glory of the community instead of individual desire.

Both Greek and Roman heroes fought for glory, but the Greeks strove for personal glory whereas the Romans strove for glory of the Roman state. Achilles and Aeneas are both similar and different and both represent the heroic qualities of their cultures.