The Iliad Uncomeplete
In Homer's The Iliad the roles of the Greek gods and goddesses in the Trojan War often involve the death and treachery of mortals. The gods usually decide who dies and who lives, and they determine the mental will of a person, but ultimately it is Fate that governs what happens to an individual. Only thinking of themselves, the immortal gods cannot relate to death or human affairs and often give little thought to the value of human life. The gods' and goddesses' influence on the life of mortals, whether it is deciding the victor of a battle, the winner of a race, or fulfillment of one's destiny, never strays from the character's inevitable Fate.The gods of The Iliad play a crucial role in determining later happenings or the fulfillment of mortal destinies. A mortal's Fate dictates his entire life, everything important he will do is already set, it is only how and when he does these things that the gods control. Because of this plan the gods must keep everything together by balancing their own actions and the mortals. When Agamemnon will not return Chrysies Apollo sets a plague upon the Achaeans. Because it is prophesied that Troy will fall, Hera must intervene through Calchas the seer to prevent the archer-god from decimating th
Tuecer and Meriones are chosen to compete in the contest, but because "he had forgotten to promise [Apollo] a pleasing sacrifice of firstling lambs" Apollo does not allow him to hit the target (435). Zeus wishes he could stop his son's death, but even as a mighty immortal god, he must not interfere with Fate. In comparison to the severe decisions of life and death in battle, the gods also play a part in games and less serious competition. Although sometimes the gods are pleased with a mortal's fate and gladly aid them, there are times when a god is reluctant to allow a mortal's fate to be carried out. By allowing Odysseus to take the lead and win, Athena shows her favoritism toward Odysseus once again. This mistake could have been a great tragedy and caused many unneeded deaths. They can do this by giving power to a person or group, dealing death to a person, or altering opinions or feelings. Along with requiring prayers and sacrifices to help a mortal succeed, some times the gods will take matters into their own hands for nothing more than self-enjoyment. She tries to distract Zeus so that she can alter the outcome of the war and the destinies of Achilles, Hector, and of both armies. Hera's actions anger Zeus, but selfish Hera cares little about her mistake, further exemplifying how she doesn't really care for the mortals but really only for herself and her own satisfaction. In the games following the funeral of Patroclus, the gods show that they will show mercy and favoritism if one of the mortals prays to them. The intervention of the gods can decides how a battle develops, whether or not certain warriors will live or die, and how those who perish will do so. In this manner, both Athena and Apollo use their power to foul the other mortals so that their favorite can win the chariot race.
Common topics in this essay:
Trojan War,
War Homer,
Agamemnon Athena,
Achilles Hector,
Flashing Eyes,
Fate Sometimes,
Tuecer Meriones,
Chrysies Apollo,
Athena Apollo,
Homer's Iliad,
mortal's fate,
gods usually,
sometimes gods,
kill agamemnon,
trojan war,
achilles kill agamemnon,
achilles kill,
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Acceptance Essays
