... at about the same time as that of the nostos of Odysseus in the Odyssey. Although Virgil mentions happenings in Homer's epic and frequently appears to come up with lines very much like those of Homer, he also attempts to surpass and revise the works of his contemporary, and the differences between the two authors' epics are important markers of literary evolution. Whereas the Iliad and the Odyssey call the muse in the first line, Virgil begins the Aeneid with the words "I sing of arms and of the man," (meaning the story will talk of war and of a male character) and waits a number of lines before making his invocation for the Muse. It is as though Virgil is only the muse out of obligation rather than out of a genuine belief in divine inspiration. He emphasizes his presence as a narrator and becomes more like a medium ...

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