Iliad and Gods Essay

Submitted By pskaggs50
Words: 1862
Pages: 8
Open Document
Patrick Skaggs
World Lit 340
October 3, 2013
Word count: 1831
The Handicap of Mortality When immortal gods intervene in a battle of mortal men, the impacts of their actions are going to be much greater than those of the mortals’. In the case of Robert Fagles’1990 translation of Homer’s The Iliad, this statement could not be any more accurate. An ancient Greek epic poem, passed through generations by word of mouth, The Iliad is one of the most famous Greek works of literature in history, depicting the story of the battle of Troy and social customs and traditions respected amongst people of the time. A main theme observed in The Iliad is the mortality of man and his creations. The epic’s clear juxtaposition of the gods’ power, especially Zeus’, with the power of men, shows that even the strongest men can be of no comparison to the gods. Fagles’ translation of The Iliad (1990) is a timeless representation of the complex relationship between the human spirit and divine intervention. It exemplifies this relationship’s complexity through the uses of foreshadowing as well as direct dialogue and interaction between gods and men. In this paper, I will elaborate as to why although one may think that a man’s will can change his fate, it is ultimately up to powers beyond his control to decide his destiny. As the Trojan War rages on, the fates of both Greeks and Trojans are perpetually in the hands of the gods who are watching them from the top of Mount Olympus. Zeus, in particular, has a specific outcome for the battle that he has already decided. Regardless of who fights, who dies, and who wins in the day-to-day battles, their efforts are revealed to be arbitrary as the reader is reminded numerous times of Zeus’ plan to have the Trojans lose their city to the Greeks at the end of the epic. In line 1008 of book 5, the god Ares proclaims to Zeus, “Father Zeus, aren’t you incensed to see such violent brutal work? We everlasting gods… ah what chilling wind blows we suffer, thanks to our own conflicting wills- whenever we show these mortal men some kindness.” (Homer 193). This longing tone from Ares depicts the feelings that some of the lesser gods feel towards their own interaction in the mortal world. While the gods may have some sort of longing and desire to do “kindness” towards men, it is often at the expense of another group of men that this kindness ensues. For example, as Paris fights Menelaus in book 3, he is clearly moments from defeat at the hands of a stronger warrior. As Menelaus drags Paris through the dirt by his helmet, Aphrodite intervenes and breaks the strap of Paris’ helmet so that Menelaus loses him. Then, Aphrodite goes even further: “Back at his man he sprang, enraged with brazen spear, mad for the kill but Aphrodite snatched Paris away, easy work for a god, wrapped him in swirls of mist and set him down in his bedroom…”.(Homer, 141). This exemplifies perfectly the power of a god as compared to even the strongest of men. Menelaus is a very skilled warrior and a brute of a man, but was trumped in an instant simply by the will of a goddess whose power is incomparable to his. Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, is not a god nearly as powerful as gods like Apollo or Athena, and especially not Zeus. Yet, even though a mild-mannered and often compassionate goddess, Aphrodite has a large effect on the direction of the plot of the epic. As stated earlier, this act of “kindness” towards one man has a negative effect on another man. Although Aphrodite helps Paris, whom she favors, she leaves Menelaus to despair without the satisfaction of defeating the man who stole his wife. Had Menelaus slayed Paris, the war would seemingly have no meaning, seeing as the war was being fought over their own personal quarrel by two armies instead of two individuals. Menelaus is only one of a vast list of characters in the poem that face despair and loss at the hand of the gods.
Foreshadowing in The Iliad plays a
Show More

Related Documents: Iliad and Gods Essay

Gods in the Iliad Essay example

the Gods in The Iliad The Gods in The Iliad had a monumental impact on the outcome of the story. They played with the characters, almost like a simple game of chess. After considering a move, they sprung, which eventually culminated into considerable consequences. In the Iliad, battles were won with the help of Zeus and other Gods influencing the opposing army or the area surrounding them. Hector and Patroclus’ deaths were influenced majorly. The Gods in The Iliad played their role as “God” fabulously…

Words 709 - Pages 3

Relationship Between Gods And Goddesss In The Iliad

FunminiyiOluyinka 10/20/2014 Humanities 201 Dr. Adam Mekler Gods, Goddesses and Man-kind In his text the Iliad, Homer writes about the extensive war between Greek and Troy. This war was called the Trojan War. Through Greek's mython the background of the war, Greek readers believe it derived from the extraction of Helen-Menelaus's wife- by Paris-prince of Troy- during the marriage of Thetis and Peleus. In the marriage of Thetis and Peleus, three goddesses- Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite- debated…

Words 917 - Pages 4

The Heroic Value Of Honor In Homer's Odyssey

In The Iliad it shows how the heroic values represent many things, heroes should value honor before life, honor is determined by how much courage he has, how he faces battles, the social status, etc. An example of how heroes value honor above life in the Iliad is how Achilles was giving Patroklos advice on not to fight the Troys. Achilles says to him: “When you have driven them from the ships, come back; although later the thunderous lord of Hera might grant you the winning of glory, you must not…

Words 574 - Pages 3

Essay about The Iliad

! ! ! ! ! ! ! The Iliad vs. The Bible: The Champions vs. the Slaves Prompt #16 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ben Meade 10-6-2014 Classical Political Theory
 Deep within the complex structure of the human heart, beneath the material and the superficial, resides a longing for truth—a desire for purpose and explanation of life’s elusive mysteries. Unlike any other species on Earth, humankind does not settle for mindlessly fulfilling its most basic needs to survive. In the same way…

Words 1654 - Pages 7

Differences Between The Iliad And The Movie Troy

the notebook, and twilight .The movie Troy is based on the epic poem "The Iliad by Homer". the movie did not do the book any justice. there were many concepts and main events that took place in the book which could have added to movie and perhaps make it better. there are many similarities and differences between Homers "the Iliad" and the movie Troy. the ancient legend of troy, which is told in homers epic poem "the Iliad" has been retold in many forms. there was recently a movie made which attempted…

Words 330 - Pages 2

Essay about Showing Pity to the Pitiful

Showing Pity to the Pitiful In both Homer’s Iliad and Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus, a character finds themselves in a pitiful situation. Achilles of the Iliad adversely shows pity to his deceased enemy’s father, Priam, because the gods insist that he does so. Achilles also shows pity in result of Priam’s begging strategies. In Oedipus at Colonus, Theseus showers his pity upon Oedipus because of Oedipus’ alliance to the city of Athens and because of Oedipus’ promises to give a gift that will…

Words 1573 - Pages 7

Humanity In The Iliad

Reading the Iliad from a structuralist viewpoint, there is an evident clash between civil and primitive behaviors. Characters in the text can be seen in positive and negative lights to reflect the Ancient Greeks attempt to reconcile the primal and civilized aspects of humanity. There are multiple instances in the Iliad that sets up the two opposing binaries of primal human instincts and civilized behavior. War tends to bring out the wild side in humans which is evident in the Iliad. Patroclus’…

Words 989 - Pages 4

Discuss The Role The Various Gods Play Essay

Keisha Cummins English 212.Section Dr. K. Liu Feb.28, 2013 The Iliad In the Iliad, this is the story of the ten-year battle in Troy during its tenth year. Throughout The Iliad we see major characters that are humans, and we also see Gods playing significant roles throughout this epic poem. The Gods, in my opinion, play such a great part in the war that I would suggest they cause the battle. My reasoning for this is because of the question the Goddesses pose to Paris. The three Goddesses ask Paris…

Words 1134 - Pages 5

Achilles Vs. Hector

Hector in the Iliad. There are multiple scenes from the Iliad where both Hector and Achilles disregard the words of others. In chapter VIII of Omeros Philoctete tries to settle a disagreement between Hector and Achille, “But neither listened. Like Hector. Like Achilles.” (47). Philoctete presents these men with a rational reason as to why they should stop arguing but neither of them have any intention of listening. This scene is so similar to something that one would see in the Iliad that the narrator…

Words 303 - Pages 2

Iliad and War Zeus Essay

In Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, it was believed that the gods had an active involvement in the human world. Most, if not all the gods took part in the outcome of the Trojan War, which is the undermining story within Homer’s Iliad. Zeus took the form of the leader of the Greek gods, which was very unrealistic due to his lack of involvement in the Trojan War. Throughout the war Zeus stayed very moderate by not showing favoritism towards either side. Zeus stays moderate throughout the war so he can…

Words 1404 - Pages 6