Welden Willis
November 6, 2018
CP 101
Todd Krulak
Comparison and Contrast of The Aeneid, The Odyssey, and The Confessions
Introduction
There are numerous similarities and differences between the St. Augustine’s Confessions,
The Aeneid, and The Odyssey. In my opinion, there are more similarities than differences, which
I would like to point out in this essay. All three author’s, while from very different time periods,
had a lot of the same beliefs and mentalities between them while also having some very different
ones as well. They all believed in bettering the people of their community through their writings,
yet from a religious perspective Homer was a Greek, Virgil a Roman, and St. Augustine a
Christian. These three were all extremely influential writers who are still read and referred to
today. That statement should have some weight and significance to it, but it is also amazing to
see the different mindsets of the three also have some similarities in them as well. This is evident
in their works and especially through the telling of their character’s stories in these three
readings.
Comparison
The Aeneid and The Book of Margery Kempe are similar in so many ways. For instance,
in both stories, there is an intense hunger to satisfy the human desires to the people of that time.
This is especially seen to be accomplished through sex and pleasuring oneself intimately. Aeneas
is tempted by Dido in the cave and gives in. Margery Kempe is tempted by the men of her time
to be put in a box, but she refuses to do so and instead does something unheard of for the women
of her time. Also, the main characters leave someone they love to pursue their own personal
goals or fates. Aeneas, leaves Dido to lead a naval fleet into battle. Kempe leaves her husband
and 14 children to follow her heart’s desire to know God more. They both go on drawn out
journeys that could entail a threat of possible death/martyrdom so that they may better
themselves and become more than they were when they started. These journeys never have a
definite starting point. It is almost like the character ends up somewhere and then looks back on
it and in retroflection says, “That was a neat trip.” It tends to be something the traveler realizes
only upon completing the journey. Both also visited or were visited by a spiritual figure that
helped them realize the purpose of their journey. For Aeneas, it was Anchises in the Underworld,
his father. For Kempe, it is the vision she has of Christ convincing her to turn her back on the
world. All of these people inspire the men to press on in their journey. All of the journeys have a
