The better classical epic poet: Homer or Vergil?

[ajvenigalla]

Homer and Vergil are the two great epic poets of the classical era (I would also throw in Ovid). The Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid are three of the world's great epics, for their capacious containing of whole civilizations and themes and images and for all their genre-defining traits of the epic poem. Without these three, we probably wouldn't have many of our best literary works.

However, I would like to know who is the better poet not only of the epic but better overall? Fans of Homer would give Homer the credit of writing better stories and more energetic scale, whereas fans of Vergil will point to Vergil's linguistic abilities and his strong perfection and the unique mixture of clarity and poetic beauty that is Vergillean. As for criticisms of both, Homer is perhaps faulted for his imperfections and laziness of language compared to Vergil, whereas Virgil seems more half-hearted and unenthusiastic.

Whose poetic style and method do you prefer (though both were originally written in that classic form of unrhymed dactylic hexameter)? Whose spirit appeals to you more? Whose vision feels better for you? And whom do you feel is the all-around better and more influential poet?

[mortalterror]

Homer is better than Virgil, although I prefer Ovid to both.

[Lokasenna]

Homer (assuming the figure we think of as Homer actually existed) certainly beats Virgil, though the latter is a great artist in his own right of course.

[JCamilo]

Maybe the best classical poet is Virgil, the best epic is Homer, and we have an agreement

[Poetaster]

Virgil had more versatility as a poet, I mean, the Eclogues, Georgics, and an epic that can be mentioned in the same sentence as Homer. But Homer is 'il sommo poeta' (sorry Dante).

[Danik 2016]

I never read Virgil and I only know Homer from translations and adapted versions. But I think he had more influence on other writers. Inded I can´t imagine our literary tradition whithout Homer.