Which scholar describes the work as a compliment to and complement of the maestro, an attempt to emulate rather than imitate?

• A. RD Williams - Greek heroism vs Roman heroism
• B. Simon Swain - Homeric influence
• C. Bob Cowan - Homeric influence
• D. Cox - Homeric influence

Answer: (B)

Think about how scholars describe the relationship between a later work and its older model. The idea here is that the later work doesn’t just copy the master; it engages in a respectful dialogue, honoring the predecessor while adding something new and distinctly its own. Simon Swain is known for portraying Homeric influence as exactly that kind of emulation that both complements and expands the Greek tradition. He argues that Vergil’s epic stands in conversation with Homer: it mirrors and completes the Homeric project, drawing on the Greek model but reworking it to express Roman themes, values, and ambitions. That emphasis on emulation as a way to complement the maestro—rather than simple imitation—is why Swain fits best here.

The other scholars discuss Homeric influence in various ways, often focusing on the presence of Homeric elements or the broader impact on Roman epic, but they don’t foreground the idea of the work as a deliberate complement and emulative response to Homer in the same way Swain does.