Shield of Achilles and the Shield of Aeneas
A Comparative Study of the Shield of Achilles and the Shield of Aeneas
In Homer’s great work, the Iliad, Achilles is given a set of armor, including a glorious shield which allows him to return to battle and carry out his revenge against Hector. Likewise, in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas is sent a shield for the purpose of aiding him in defending Rome from invasion. However, these shields are made special not by their military value, but by the engravings that decorate their surfaces.
Achilles’ shield holds engravings of common life during his time: farmers plowing the land, young men and women dancing in the vineyards, scenes of the countryside, slaves working for their kings, and armies fighting each other. On the other hand, Aeneas’ shield holds the story of Italy, from the birth of the twins, Romulus and Remus, to the peak of the Roman Empire. Because of the images that are depicted on both shields, they are of much more significance than just tools of war. These shields represent all that their nations are worth and have been especially chosen for each hero to carry. This, therefore, makes their presences in the Iliad and the Aeneid worth recognizing.
It is true that these shields hold great importance in their respective works, yet their exact meanings still remain unclear. Many may just see these shields as just ordinary weapons. However, their value is surely not found as tools of war.
The purpose of this study is to compare the role and impact of Achilles’ shield in the Iliad to that of Aeneas’ shield in the Aeneid. This has to do mostly with the shields’ origins and each hero’s need for them. This study also compares their physical and symbolic aspects in regard to their elaborate engravings. Although these designs provide the shields with much aesthetic beauty, they also offer them even greater symbolic significance.
In Homer’s Iliad, Troy falls under the siege of the Greeks. Although the war itself sways back and forth, Greece still holds
In Homer’s great work, the Iliad, Achilles is given a set of armor, including a glorious shield which allows him to return to battle and carry out his revenge against Hector. Likewise, in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas is sent a shield for the purpose of aiding him in defending Rome from invasion. However, these shields are made special not by their military value, but by the engravings that decorate their surfaces.
Achilles’ shield holds engravings of common life during his time: farmers plowing the land, young men and women dancing in the vineyards, scenes of the countryside, slaves working for their kings, and armies fighting each other. On the other hand, Aeneas’ shield holds the story of Italy, from the birth of the twins, Romulus and Remus, to the peak of the Roman Empire. Because of the images that are depicted on both shields, they are of much more significance than just tools of war. These shields represent all that their nations are worth and have been especially chosen for each hero to carry. This, therefore, makes their presences in the Iliad and the Aeneid worth recognizing.
It is true that these shields hold great importance in their respective works, yet their exact meanings still remain unclear. Many may just see these shields as just ordinary weapons. However, their value is surely not found as tools of war.
The purpose of this study is to compare the role and impact of Achilles’ shield in the Iliad to that of Aeneas’ shield in the Aeneid. This has to do mostly with the shields’ origins and each hero’s need for them. This study also compares their physical and symbolic aspects in regard to their elaborate engravings. Although these designs provide the shields with much aesthetic beauty, they also offer them even greater symbolic significance.
In Homer’s Iliad, Troy falls under the siege of the Greeks. Although the war itself sways back and forth, Greece still holds