From the first book alone, it was simple to pick out something very different about The Aeneid when compared to The Odyssey: At least in this first chapter, these Roman Gods are rather different in temperament to that of the Greek Gods. Now, when thinking back on the Odyssey, there is reason given for the Gods' hostility towards Odysseus and his men, as they dishonor the Gods such as Poseidon and Helios. However, the one thing the Greek Gods are divided amongst each other, with Athena on Odysseus' side, while Poseidon is against him. This is a common idea in many Greek myths. With what is shown in The Aeneid thus far, the Gods Juno, Jupiter, Amor, and so on all seem to be working together towards a similar goal: helping Aeneas. I cannot say for certain that is the case for all Roman myths or epics, but from this one alone, it already shows a greater unity among the Roman Gods than that of the Greeks, which, arguably, makes them greater.
I commented on Abigail's post.
Are the Roman gods actually allied? Does Juno actually help Aeneas? She is basically the Aeneid's Poseidon. She constantly opposes Aeneas and wants to see his demise just as much as Poseidon wanted to see Odysseus' demise.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Natalie. I think Juno is very similar to Poseidon in that way. It even seems as though she has less actual reason than Poseidon as the events that she is punishing Aeneas for have not yet occurred.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that this point was taken from a lightly read perspective. The gods do not agree upon quite a few things, one of which is listed above--Juno's opposition to Aeneas.
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