Virgil's "Aeneid": Imitation or Plagiarization?

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how "The Aeneid" is an entirely different poem in character than Homer's the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" even though it seems to be constructed largely by the re-molding of Homeric materials. It looks at how, with the help of a list of many of the instances of "Virgilian imitation," it is possible to make some useful inferences about the way Virgil uses Homeric epic to create a unique tale of his own. It also considers why this is not plagiarism.

From the Paper:

"Homer deliberately begins with the situation in Ithaca, for "he meant his audience to picture clearly the ultimate destination towards which his hero would be struggling" (Otis 92). When Odysseus sets sail from Calypso's isle, he is at last on his homeward journey. Technically, it is from this point that Aeneas's voyage begins to parallel Odysseus's. But since Virgil does not use an introduction like that of the Odyssey (Books 1 - 4), we are given a different impression entirely: "it is... as though [Aeneas] has as little idea of his destination as we do; and this landing in Africa represents not a stage on his direct journey home, but a detour, a deflection from the straight line of duty" (Anderson 4)."

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