Classical Epic: Homer and VirgilIn the ancient world Homer was recognised as the fountainhead of culture. His poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, were universally admired as examples of great literature which could never be surpassed. In this study, Richard Jenkyns re-examines the two Homeric epics and the work that is perhaps their closest rival, the Aeneid of Virgil. A wide range of topics is covered, including chapters on heroism and tragedy in the Iliad, morality in the Odyssey and Virgil's skilful reworking of elements from the two earlier epics. |
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Achaeans Achilles Aeneas Aeneid Agamemnon Ajax Alcinous Anchises anger Antilochus Athena Augustus battle Book 23 Book 9 Briseis Calypso Chapter characterisation characters Circe contrast Creusa dead dear death depict Dido Dido's emotion Eumaeus Eurycleia Evander fact father feel fight folktale formulae give goddess gods Greece Greek happy heart Hector Helen hero heroic HOMER AND VIRGIL Homeric question honour human idea Iliad Italian Italy Ithaca Jason Juno Jupiter killed kind king land landscape language last book Latium look Lycians Menelaus moral mother Nausicaa Odysseus oral Oxford palace passion Patroclus Penelope perhaps Phaeacians phrases pity poem poem's poet Priam realise recognise Richard Jenkyns Roman Rome Sarpedon scene Scheria scholars secondary epic seems sense ships Sibyl simile speak speech stranger suitors Telemachus tells things tragedy tragic Trojan War Trojans Troy story Turnus underworld unlike Venus Virgil vision wants warrior wife women wonder words wrath Zeus