aneid

As said before, Greeks had a strong dedication to their city-state. Aeneas had to reach Italy where Rome was established. Greeks believed in nothing in excess. This is shown in the Aeneid when Aeneas and his crew landed on the island, they found a Greek who was accidentally left behind. Instead of killing him, Aeneas treated him fairly. Aeneas showed self-control.
             Romans preferred war. It was in their nature to fight. They were raised to battle. Romans were not well rounded; their main or only study growing up was physical training and military science. Aeneas was very much Roman in this way. Aeneas was very skilled on the battlefield. Unlike a Greek hero, a Roman hero could not be overcome by emotion or lack of self-control. Aeneas lost his best friend, Pallas, during the war to the enemy, Turnus. However, he was not overcome by thoughts of revenge as he continued fighting (Harris, 291). He tried to call a truce and he offered to conclude the war by challenging Turnus. He did not make this offer because Turnus killed Pallas, but because Turnus started the war.
             Roman spirit was the major influence of the Aeneid. Unlike the Greek heroes, Aeneas did not let is emotions interfere with his goals. This trait helped him to accomplish his goal even though Aeneas did not get to see Rome after all his sacrifices.
             In Homer's The Iliad there appears to be some controversy over who the true epic hero might be. We have heard many arguments supporting Achilles as the Epic Hero, and since The Iliad does indeed say "The Story of Achilles" I believe that Achilles is an easy character for people to associate as the epic hero. Although many people have cited Achilles as having superhuman strength and various other physical attributes, he appears to be lacking the qualities of a real Homeric Epic Hero. A Homeric Epic Hero must demonstrate all of the following three requirements in order for them to truly be considered an Epic Hero.