The Most Realistic Character in The Iliad or The Aeneid

Any great work of literature reached that status because, to some extent, its characters are absolutely real. In fact some literary figures are more real to us than people we know in history or in person. Shakespeare is Shakespeare, in large part, because of the unforgettable characters he created for us: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and dozens more. Homer is the same. The Iliad and The Aeneidd with larger-than-life characters that people have been familiar with now for thousands of years.

            Please write an essay on a character you judge to be one of the most realistic figures in either The Iliad or The Aeneid. Please use this title:

The Most Realistic Character in The Iliad or The Aeneid

 (However, in your title please select the one title that your choice comes from, but just one of the two.)

 Explain carefully—use quotations from the text—and demonstrate how the character you selected is so alive, so real, so vivid. What makes this character so human?

Your essay must be in the MLA format; have a title that is clearly related to your subject, thesis, and conclusion; have a body composed of several supporting paragraphs that quote the text; and conclude in a final paragraph that revisits your title and thesis (specifically, the key words in both).

            The form of your essay (MLA), grammatical integrity, and proper level of diction are equally as important as the subject itself.  Read carefully, write conscientiously, and revise thoroughly.