Importance of heroism and glory in the Iliad and in the Aeneid Essay

Importance of heroism and glory in the Iliad and in the Aeneid - Essay Example Heroism can be defined by actions that require bravery, nobility, and often sacrifice. Heroism is exemplified by the character of Achilles in The Illiad. Achilles is a great warrior who also reveals deep emotional complexities for the events that take place in the story. Foley defines the Greek hero as being unseasonable, either negatively or positively extreme and antagonistic towards the god who has the most similar characteristic to the hero (87). Achilles follows all three of these categories, including the last in his antagonism towards the god Apollo, with whom he shares not only character attributes, but similarities in physical appearance (Foley 88). The role of heroism, however, played an important part in culture for both the Greeks and the Romans as it represented the beginnings of the notion of salvation. The stories of Greek and Roman gods portrayed some of the worst characteristics in humanity, but often it was the hero who redeemed the nature of man kind by his actions (Progress 343). Glory can be defined by exaltation of its subject matter. In the case of The Aenid, the glory of Rome is justified through the exalted nature of the emotional context of the actions within the poem. The intent was to glorify the community of Rome, thus bring unity.