A Comparison of the Leadership Skills of Odysseus in the Odyssey and Aeneas in the Aeneid These two heroes set out from the same destination but on very different journeys. Although they are both heroes of the Iliad at the beginning of their stories, they develop and adapt their ways to the characteristics required of them to succeed. Before judging them, we need to determine our definition of a successful leader. A hero of the Iliad must be "a speaker of words and one who is accomplished in action", according to the knight Phoinix (Iliad.9.413). A leader must therefore have these primary qualities, since he must lead by example, but to create the ideal we must add them. The leader should not rely on anyone else but listen to good advice in turn. He should be fair in his justice, be in control of his situation and surroundings, keep his men abreast of the plan of action and the reasoning behind it, remain calm under pressure, and have compassion and understanding for his people. Therefore his primary concerns should be the well-being of his people, their security and the maintenance of peace at all costs. His men, who for us are a good indicator of his leadership, should therefore give him loyalty, trust and obedience, if the leader has led them properly. The men's performance is also important, and what they achieve under his direction is representative of his leadership strength, although this must be compared to how they act without his presence. These measures can be seen as the important assets of a competent leader, although extenuating and uncontrollable circumstances must be taken into account as we make an accurate judgment on our two heroes. Aeneas and Odysseus themselves are different, both in character and in their q...... middle of paper...... survival. However, Aeneas becomes the Virgilian leader, his concern is always for the people and they are the most important thing to him. The reason the book endings are so dissimilar and the Aenied is so much less satisfying than the Odyssey is a result of this point. The goal achieved by Odysseus can be seen during his lifetime and heard in a short time. His short-term goal of sleeping with Penelope and solving the situation in his country is all seen within the confines of the story. The end of Aeneas simply means that his journey has come to an end, but the rest of the story is about his people. The emphasis is on the people he leads and not on what he has individually accomplished. Works Cited: Homer. Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. NY: Penguin Books, 1990. Virgil, Aeneid. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. New York: Bantam, 1991.

Topic > A Comparison of the Leadership Skills of Odysseus in the Odyssey and Aeneas in the Aeneid These two heroes set out from the same destination but on very different journeys. Although they are both heroes of the Iliad at the beginning of their stories, they develop and adapt their ways to the characteristics required of them to succeed. Before judging them, we need to determine our definition of a successful leader. A hero of the Iliad must be "a speaker of words and one who is accomplished in action", according to the knight Phoinix (Iliad.9.413). A leader must therefore have these primary qualities, since he must lead by example, but to create the ideal we must add them. The leader should not rely on anyone else but listen to good advice in turn. He should be fair in his justice, be in control of his situation and surroundings, keep his men abreast of the plan of action and the reasoning behind it, remain calm under pressure, and have compassion and understanding for his people. Therefore his primary concerns should be the well-being of his people, their security and the maintenance of peace at all costs. His men, who for us are a good indicator of his leadership, should therefore give him loyalty, trust and obedience, if the leader has led them properly. The men's performance is also important, and what they achieve under his direction is representative of his leadership strength, although this must be compared to how they act without his presence. These measures can be seen as the important assets of a competent leader, although extenuating and uncontrollable circumstances must be taken into account as we make an accurate judgment on our two heroes. Aeneas and Odysseus themselves are different, both in character and in their q...... middle of paper...... survival. However, Aeneas becomes the Virgilian leader, his concern is always for the people and they are the most important thing to him. The reason the book endings are so dissimilar and the Aenied is so much less satisfying than the Odyssey is a result of this point. The goal achieved by Odysseus can be seen during his lifetime and heard in a short time. His short-term goal of sleeping with Penelope and solving the situation in his country is all seen within the confines of the story. The end of Aeneas simply means that his journey has come to an end, but the rest of the story is about his people. The emphasis is on the people he leads and not on what he has individually accomplished. Works Cited: Homer. Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. NY: Penguin Books, 1990. Virgil, Aeneid. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. New York: Bantam, 1991.