1981. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work's meaning.
Vergil's epic poem The Aeneid contains extensive allusions to mythology and other works of literature. As Vergil's hero Aeneas travels around the Mediterranean, he encounters people, places, and monsters that are familiar from classical stories. Through constant allusions to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and other Graeco-Roman myths, Vergil hopes to make his hero and epic as well known as those stories.
Vergil's main goal in writing The Aeneid was to justify the rule of Caesar Augustus. By writing a story about Aeneas, a fictional founder of Rome and supposed ancestor of Caesar Augustus, Vergil hoped to justify Augustus' bloodline. In his epic, Vergil makes his hero Aeneas encounter many difficulties identical to those of Odysseus and other heroes familiar to the reader. Vergil hopes to further justify Augustus' rule by inflating the image of his ancestor Aeneas to equal those of Odysseus and Achilles, placing him among the greatest heroes of legend. He accomplishes this by sustained allusions to other epics and myths.
The entire first six books of The Aeneid allude to the Odyssey from their structure. For all of these six books, Aeneas sails around the Mediterranean and stops at various islands, just as Odysseus does in the Odyssey. Some of the places Aeneas comes to are exactly the same as those Odysseus Does. For example, Aeneas accidentally lands on the island of the harpies, whom Odysseus also encounters. Likewise, he finds the island of Polyphemus, where Odysseus blinded the Cyclops. Finally, Aeneas is forced to sail through the strait between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, just as Odysseus was. By placing Aeneas against the same obstacles that Odysseus and his crew faced, and having Aeneas overcome them in the same or even cleverer ways, Vergil makes Aeneas seem Odysseus' equal or even his better.
Aeneas' wanderings also contain more subtle parallels with the Odyssey. The main example of this is his stay with Dido, the queen of Carthage. Aeneas stays with Dido for a time, and perhaps falls in love with her. But eventually, Hermes brings the message from the gods that Aeneas must fulfill his duty elsewhere, and Aeneas departs. This echoes Odysseus' stay on the island of Calypso. He stays there for a time, and his possible love for Calypso conflicts with his duties to wife and homeland, and he finally departs upon prompting from Hermes. With these more subtle allusions, Vergil intends to parallel Aeneas' character with that of other heroes, rather than his deeds. Aeneas' ability to overcome his personal feelings and do his duty shows his inner strength and service to the gods and other men.
The second six books of The Aeneid allude to the Iliad just as the first six allude to the Odyssey. Aeneas is a distinguished Trojan captain, already placing him among the heroes of the Illiad. Once Aeneas reaches Italy, he must fight a war to gain control of the land the becomes Rome. Ultimately he must defeat a man of superhuman strength, Turnus, whose physical prowess mimics that of Achilles and Hector. Throughout the conflict, Gods also appear and aid the combatants of both sides, which is a common occurrence in the Trojan conflict as well. By making Aeneas overcome such a mighty foe, Vergil puts Aeneas' strength in war, and thus that of Rome, on the same level as the heroes of the old stories.
The Aeneid also contains allusions to various myths besides the works of Homer. On one island, Aeneas finds the temple of Daedalus and the descendants of Perseus, alluding to the myth of Icarus and Daedalus' flight from Crete. His journey to the underworld also alludes to the feats of Orpheus and Hercules, the greatest hero of myth. The specific venture into the land of the dead and back show Aeneas' transcendence of mortality to an almost god-like stature. Through all these adventures, Aeneas becomes the hero of all heroes, having experienced the equal of any of the most famous heroes of Greek and Roman mythology.
The allusions, both subtle and obvious, that are contained in The Aeneid all serve to impress the reader with Aeneas' feats. At the end of the book, the reader has seen Aeneas overcome all the most difficult obstacles in the world. This made Aeneas noble and worthy in their eyes, elevating him to a god-like status. In the eyes of the Roman public, who could not necessarily distinguish myth from truth, this created a national sense of pride and worthiness because of their descent from such a hero. Vergil's epic turned the popular opinion in favor of Caesar Augustus, who, as Aeneas' descendant, supposedly had the same strength, nobility, and courage.
