Throughout time, people have used previously written literary texts as models for their own compositions. This borrowing of ideas and concepts is seen quite clearly in the works of Roman authors, who mostly imitated the style of their Greek predecessors. Virgil, the poet-author of The Aeneid, created what can be considered a simple Roman retelling of a Greek classic. It is therefore not surprising that Dante, a follower and enthusiast of this ancient rhyme, overused Homer by taking Virgil as a model. While the imitation of passages can be seen as a sort of homage to the precursors of literature, one can also compare similar passages, providing insight into the differences in the attitudes and perspectives of the two authors; we see a good example of this between Dante and Homer. While Homer and Dante invoke the help of the Muses, Homer's invocation for a hero's story is directed to a spiritual entity concerning another man, while Dante's invocation is internal, directed toward himself in both cases. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Homer begins this epic work with the phrase "Sing within me, Muse..." - this appeal to the divine not only reveals a affirmation of the historicity of history, but also demonstrates humility in asking for help from Olympus. The muse Homer is likely referring to is Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, which is inferred from the song idea mentioned in the line above. While admitting that the work is told through him in the section "through me, tell the story...", the actual telling of the story was done entirely by the Muse, leaving the blind singer with nothing to become accredited. 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 word spoken by a god (goddess), which leaves no way for anyone to question whether these events actually happened. Dante also appears to invoke divine inspiration in his work, but a deeper understanding emphasizes the idea that the invocation was internally directed. In the line “O Muses, O great genius, help me now,” Dante begins to give the impression that his request is addressed to the same spirits that Homer alluded to. While the word “help” evokes the need for something now absent, later lines show who Dante is really calling upon. The next line begins with “O memory,” because unlike Homer, Dante refuses to be a spokesperson; he looks for inspiration within rather than above. This can be attributed to the wave of autonomy visible in Western works of the late Middle Ages. Dante goes so far as to put himself in the place of the Muse by rereading the first verse with the interpretation of the Muse as of her memory, it seems that he is referring to her memory as to genius. This creates a totally different tone from that of Homer's invocation of self-denial and this trend of contrast continues in the rest of the passages. Another point of dissimilarity in the works is the author-protagonist relationship. Homer goes on to discuss the exploits of this yet-to-be-named hero, describing him as "skilled in all ways of fighting," once again directing his recognition toward others, in this case, Odysseus. The adventures mentioned ("harassed for years" and "looting the fortress of Troy") were those experienced by another, simply told by the deity, through a man. Conversely, Dante wishes to recount his own experiences ». 7-9