The Image of Achilles and Hector in Roman Poetry. Prolegomena
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-0319.20.05Keywords:
Hector, Achilles, Roman literatureAbstract
In this article the author tries to present the images of two great heroes of The Iliad, Achilles and Hector, that emerges from the Roman poetry and compare them with those present in the Greek tradition. In this analysis, focus is primarily put on The Aeneid of Virgil and on Ovid’s works, with minor remarks to the works of other authors. The article concludes that in the case of Achilles there is a huge difference between the image of this character in the Greek tradition and in Roman poetry. Achilles, who for Greeks was an object of universal esteem, in the eyes of Romans has become a synonym of a criminal, a ruthless murderer and the personification of the destroyer of Troy. The image of Hector in Roman literature is also different from the Greek perspective, since Roman authors idealized the prince of Troy to such an extent that they saw him as the greatest hero of the Trojan War.
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