Gods in Homer are used for comic effect where as the gods in Virgil have a more serious role. Discuss.

... Gods in Homer are used for comic effect; only in Virgil do they perform a serious purpose. Discuss. In the Odyssey, I don't feel that the gods serve any more a comical purpose than they do in the Aeneid. The role of the gods is in fact very serious, and very significant. For example, Athene is constantly following Odysseus, checking up on him and trying to help him. More specifically, she makes him appear handsome and more approachable at key moments, she pleads on his behalf at the council of the gods and she watches over the battle with the suitors in the hall, as Mentor and the bird on the ceiling. In Virgil's work, he creatively imitates this act of divine protection; Venus also looks out for Aeneas, by making him more handsome at important stages and standing up for him, this time during the prophecy of Jupiter. She also

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