Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Odysseus faces many challenges along his return home after the Trojan War and must put his heroic attributes to the test, all while undergoing a unique self-transformation in accordance with Joseph Campbell’s (1949) monomyth. Odysseus specifically endures an “emotional transformation” involving his acquisition of humility, an essential component of the classic “hero” (Allison & Smith, 2015). Joseph Campbell’s research on the traditional hero’s journey closely aligns with Odysseus’ story. The Odyssey can be broken down into Campbell's three stages of transformation in order to properly assess the characterization of Odysseus as an archetypal hero.

Aeneas was the protagonist character in the epic story, The Aeneid, written by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. The storyline takes place in ancient times that scholars believe to be roughly 1250 B.C.E. Aeneas was widely known as a classic “mythical hero” of that era. Told from the point of view of Aeneas, the story captures all the graphic details of his life as a Trojan soldier. The city of Troy was overtaken by the Greeks, which forced Aeneas to flee and build a “new Troy”. His journey to heroism begins with his departure from Troy.