The Odyssey vs. The Aeneid

Two books that are similar to each other are the Odyssey, by Homer, and The Aeneid, by Virgil. They both tell the tale of a young man traveling home after the fall of Troy after the end of the Trojan War. But these books are also different in the way of the characters and some of the events that took place.

The Odyssey epic tale of the journey of Odysseus told in 24 books. Odysseus fights in the Trojan war and is forced to wander for ten years. His wife is Penelope who lives in Ithaca. Odysseus is running from Poseidon because he had injured his son Polyphemus, a cyclops. Most of his near death escapes are because his Patron goddess Athena is looking out for him.

Virgil's Aeneid is devoted to the tale of the seven years that Aeneas spent wandering escaping the fall of Troy. Virgil spent the last ten years of his life writing the Aeneid. The Aeneid is a twelve book mythological epic. Some of Virgil's influence came from Odyssey by Homer.

The Aeneid and the Odyssey are very similar books in many ways. For instance, both of the books are the tales of a man wandering after the Trojan War. Both of the books are told in the form of epic poems. They are different because one is told of Odysseus, and the other is told of Aeneas.

So the Odyssey and the Aeneid are different in many ways, but they are also very different. They pretty much have the same plots, same setting, and same form of literature. They are mainly only different by their characters.


Homer, The Odyssey. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14

Virgil, The Aeneid New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14.