Here Aeneas sees a bit of the future when he acknowledges the battles that he must "still wage . . . And how he is to flee or face each trial" (VI. 1189-90). Aeneas would not h ave become the man he did had he not ventured into the uderworld. He would not have understood his place in the scheme of things and he certainly would have garnered the same amount fo courage had it not bee for the underworld.
Odysseus, already a hero when we begin learning about him becomes an even greater hero because of what he learns on his experiences. His adventures present him with numerous opportunities to evolve and grow as a person. Odysseus' character develops as the epic progresses. At the beginning of the story, we see that he is a man that is prone to act before thinking as demonstrated in his encounter with Poseidon. Closer to the end of the story, we see how Odysseus is more willing to consider the consequences of his actions before he does something. His most famous and one of his most significant experiences was his journey to the underworld. He is forced to face some issues of his past and is moved toward asking for forgiveness when he sees the suffering those in hell. We can even see how Odysseus is more mature when he is posing as a beggar. Instead of reacting quickly as a result of the abuse the other suitors, he waits until the timing is a bit more appropriate and he can carry out his plan with confidence. Odysseus was always a hero, but he becomes an even greater...
As he develops he learns how not to become distracted when he is headed for battle. He overcomes many dangerous situations and restores peace to those in Ithaca. We know that Odysseus has evolved into an honorable hero when he claims, "Men hold me/formidable for guile in peace and war: / this fame has gone abroad to the sky's rim" (Homer IX.19-21). Here we see that Odysseus is proud and very aware of how far he has come.
Aeneas and Odysseus are men can respect because they are willing to learnsomething about their exeriences and turn that into something positive for everyone around them. While the road to becoming a hero is not always pleasant, we can respect these men because they allowed their experiences, good or bad, to shape them into becoming effective heros. Without their willingness to be open to learning, they surely would have had differen experiences. The two mea must face the daunting experience of going to the underworld but they are transformed by what they encounter there. They learn about life, consequences, death, and themselves as they make their way through hell. Aeneas and Odysseus become not only heros but real men in these stories and that is why they have remaiined popular throughout the ages.
Works Cited
Homer. The Odyssey. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. New York W.W. Norton and Company. 1997. pp. 100-336.
Virgil. The Aeneid. New York: Bantam Books. 1981.
