The Tragic Heroes and their Effect on Humanity in Homers...

During their reading of the Iliad and the Aeneid, scores of readers only see the two great poets commenting on the nature of war and destruction. What countless do not see, however, are there passionate outcries on behalf of the tragic heroes and humanity itself. The author of the Iliad, Homer, has been theorized by some to be a collection of writers working in collaboration. Nevertheless, this author had an immeasurable effect on ancient Greek culture. The Aeneid was written by Virgil, who was born in 70 BCE and had two other works in addition to his epic masterpiece. Through their use of tragic heroes in The Iliad and The Aeneid, Virgil and Homer comment on humanity’s flaws, the oftentimes seemingly hopeless future and the courage†¦show more content†¦This allows Achilles to both defeat him and to desecrate his body. In contrast, a different type of sin affects the Trojans in the Aeneid. Aeneas recounts when the Trojans on the beach scorned the persons who speak aga inst the horse, saying: â€Å"And now another sign, more fearful still, / broke on our blind miserable people, / filling them [the Trojans] all with dread† (The Aeneid. 2. 75-77). In the case of the Trojan horse, however, the Trojans had been doomed by their conventional flaws such as greed and a lust for freedom even before the gods had sent signs to convince them. These two characteristics essentially doom the Trojans because they declare victory before they make sure the Greeks have left. A final flaw that nearly causes an irreplaceable death is the rage that Aeneas feels when Panthus speaks to him during the battle. Vowing with an unquenchable fury and passion â€Å"†¦ into the flames I go, into the fight, / Where the harsh Fury, and the din and shouting, / Skyward rising, calls† (The Aeneid. Book 2. 250-252). The same fury that Aeneas believes to reside in the battle has seemingly affected him as well, causing him to lead troops on a near-suicidal charge agai nst the Greek troops. This fury that fuels Aeneas throughout the battle is remarkably similar to the pride that is shown by Hector. Both are faults that cannot easily be forgotten, and both characters quickly become ashamed of them. These basicShow MoreRelatedGreek Mythology8088 Words   |  33 Pages5  m  (64  ft)  high,  these  ruins   suggest  the  former  grandeur  of  the  ancient  temple.   Bernard  Cox/Bridgeman  Art  Library,  London/New  York   Greek  Mythology,  set  of  diverse  traditional  tales  told  by  the  ancient  Greeks  about  the  exploits  of  gods   and  heroes  and  their  relations  with  ordinary  mortals.   The  ancient  Greeks  worshiped  many  gods  within  a  culture  that  tolerated  diversity.  Unlike  other  belief   systems,  Greek  culture  recognized  no  single  truth  or  code  and  produced  no  sacred,  written  text  like