Throughout time, men have used previously written literary texts as models for their own compositions. This borrowing of ideas and concepts can be seen quite clearly in the works of Roman authors, who, for the most part, imitated the style of their Greek predecessors. Virgil, the poet-author of the Aeneid, created what can be seen simply as a Roman retelling of a Greek classic. It is not surprising, therefore, that Dante, a follower and enthusiast of this ancient poet, trivialized Homer by using Virgil as a model. While the imitation of passages can be seen as a kind of homage to the precursors of the literature, similar passages can also be compared, providing insight into the differences in the attitudes and perspectives of the two authors; a fine example of this is seen between Dante and Homer. While both Homer and Dante invoke the aid of the Muses, Homer's invocation for a hero's story is directed toward a spiritual entity concerning another man, while Dante's invocation is internal, directed toward himself in both the cases. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Homer begins this epic work with the phrase "Sing to me, Muse..." - this appeal to the divine not only reveals an affirmation of the historicity of the story, but also shows humility in asking for help from Olympus. The Muse that Homer is most likely referring to is Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry, as can be deduced from the song idea mentioned in the line above. While admitting that the opera is spoken through him in the "tell the story through me..." section, the actual telling was done entirely by the Muse, leaving the blind singer with nothing to credit himself with. The word “through” in this passage could be defined simply as “by means of.” Homer is simply the means by which the Muse will sing. Furthermore, no one can dispute the validity of the god-inspired word (dess), leaving no one to doubt whether these events actually occurred. Dante also appears to invoke divine inspiration in his work, but further insights point to the idea that the invocation was internally directed. In the line “O Muse, O great genius, help me now,” Dante begins to sound as if his request is addressed to the same spirits that Homer alluded to. While the word "help" connotes the need for something now absent, the following lines show to whom Dante is truly appealing. The next line begins with "O memoria", because unlike Homer, Dante refuses to be a spokesperson; he looks within himself for inspiration instead of above. This can be attributed to the wave of autonomy visible in Western works of the late Middle Ages. Dante even goes so far as to put himself in the Muse's shoes when rereading the first verse by interpreting the Muse as his memory, it seems that he is referring to his memory as genius. This creates an entirely different tone than Homer's call for self-sacrifice, and this tendency towards contrast continues in the rest of the passages. Another point of dissimilarity in the works is the author-protagonist relationship. Homer continues with jokes about the exploits of this yet-to-be-named hero, listing him as “skilled in all ways of fighting,” once again directing recognition toward others, in this case, Odysseus. The adventures mentioned ("persecuted for years and years" and "sacking of the stronghold of Troy") were those experienced by another, told simply by the deity, through a man. Dante, vice versa, wishes to tell his own experiences; he states that he "...will report what he saw." The word "seen" indicates that it was something he himself witnessed and participated in." 7-9