The Iliad Book One - 1048 Words

With even a slight exposure to ancient Greek texts, it could be easily said that the gods and goddesses played an important part in the traditional Greek culture. In ancient Greek literary works, such as poetry, songs, and dramas, it was written that the gods interfered in the everyday life of people, predicted people’s fate, and meddled with people’s futures. The gods and goddesses played a crucial role within their worlds. In The Iliad book one, the gods are a significant part of the poem. The gods intervene in the life of the mortals, engineering the mortal’s fate. The Greek gods showed both remorse and anger towards the mortals. The deeds of the people are watched over by the gods from Olympus. As Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae,†¦show more content†¦Carrying out this request, Zeus will be shaping the fate of the Trojans and Achaeans. The war will have a definite outcome unlike if the gods do not interfere. But as Zeus is the god of all gods he has th e right to change the course of things as he pleases. Seeing that Thetis had to ask Zeus to carry out Achilles’ request, it seems to me that Zeus is the only god who is able to make drastic decisions while other gods have to bring the request to him before making decisions. Having a definite outcome of a situation is something that is far beyond any mortals’ control. With the help of the gods the Trojans will win the war even if they do not deserved it. Achilles was the only mortal, or half mortal - half god, to see any of the gods and interact with them. But Achilles was not the only one who has received help from the divine rule. Chryses has received help in getting his daughter back. Odysseus, after returning Chryseis to her father and bringing offerings for the gods, has received help getting back home from Chryse. â€Å"Far - shooting Apollo sent them favorable winds† (Homer, The Iliad, 535). As Apollo Chryses and Odysseus show the interaction between gods and mortals, but the interaction is not a direct interaction. They never see the gods themselves but they are believed to get help from them. The gods play a crucial role in the lives ofShow MoreRelatedThe Iliad : Greeks And Their Love For War1568 Words   |  7 PagesAffourtit Affourtit.2 February 10th, 2017 CLAS1101 The Iliad: Greeks and Their Love for ‘War’ It has long been a popular scholarly opinion that the Greeks in the Iliad were lovers of war and violence. The Greeks were most definitely primal beasts, and blood shedders, a fact made abundantly clear in the Iliad. However, I think that the Greeks were not lovers of war, furthermore I think this interpretation is shortsighted. The amount of violence in the Iliad seems to be evidence for their love of war, butRead MoreAnalysis Of The Iliad 915 Words   |  4 Pagestexts can be used as evidence to support this line. One such work of literature is Homer’s great epic, The Iliad. This poem, encompassing the telling of the great Trojan War, is one of the best examples of such a text. Throughout the text, it lays before the reader many separate scenes of violence, rather than grouping all of the battles together into one war like historic anthologies do. There are many scenes of violence throughout the poem, The Iliad, many of which contribute to the complete work,Read MoreAt the time of Homer, it was normal for gods to meddle in human affairs, and he shows this in The1300 Words   |  6 Pagesthe time of Homer, it was normal for gods to meddle in human affairs, and he shows this in The Iliad. A vast majority of the Greek gods play some role in how the Trojan wars turns out, which is what the poem is all about. Homer uses the gods to deviate from how normal wars are played out. The head god, Zeus, will be the focus as I go through what he did and how it affected the War as well as The Iliad. Zeus tried to stay out of the Trojan War for egotistic motives and was viewed as a father figureRead More Iliad Essay1253 Words   |  6 PagesThe Iliad and The Odyssey are two epic poems with both similar and different styles to the structure of the poems, as well as each poem having the same gods incorporated into the stories intervening with the day to day lives of the mortals. Greek poetry before Homer was all composed orally; therefore it is assumed that Homer’s works are the first written works of art (Joachim Latacz, page 15). Scholars who have spent extensive time researching the origin of Homer’s work cannot verify a specificRead MoreThe Iliad, by Homer980 Words   |  4 Pages The Iliad written by Homer in the days of Ancient Greece has become one of the most epic poems of all time. It is a poem that has been debated for centuries. Within the tale of Achilles and the wrath of war lies a magnificent object that is shortly mentioned in Book 18. The brief section in Book XVIII, lines 505-660, described the shield that Achilles would carry into battle. However, it also tells us something about the nature of Achilles and his heroic image full of rage and anger. In orderRead MoreThe Iliad, By Homer1141 Words   |  5 PagesThe Iliad, along with the Odyssey, is one of two epics handed down through the Homeric tradition in the Greek Dark Ages, considered by many to be the Heroic Age. However, the key issue lies with the fact that ancient Greeks define a ‘hero’ very differently from what we would consider a ‘hero’ to be today. In ancient Greece, a hero is any human descended from the gods and bequeathed with superhuman abilities. By this definition, Achilles is immediately classified as a hero, no matter his actions.Read MoreThe Iliad and the Odyssey1510 Words   |  7 Pages The Iliad and the Odyssey are two classic stories told by Homer. Within these two stories the roles of the gods are very important to the story line and how they affect the characters throughout. In the Iliad, more gods are involved with the characters whereas in the Odyssey there are only two major gods that affect two major characters. The roles of the gods in the Iliad are through two different stances of immortal versus immortal and mortal versus immortal. The roles of the gods in the OdysseyRead MoreEssay on A Rev iew of the Movie Troy808 Words   |  4 Pagesscenery and costumes, the movie Troy is a movie for Hollywood that is sure to be a box office hit. Troy, based on the Iliad, has proven to be a very loose adaptation of Homers classic and one cannot help noticing the major differences between the book and the movie. One of the most noticeable differences between the book and the movie is the absence of the Gods. In Homers Iliad, the Gods played a major part in the Trojan War. Though the viewers are made aware that the characters believe in theRead MoreAn Study Of World History, Word Of Mouth1056 Words   |  5 Pagesform into books. These books has shown to effect or impact in shaping countries and throughout setting the foundations of civilizations. One book that shows this effect, is Iliad by Homer, who is a Greek philosophers. This book brings into the systematic Greek gods and goddesses into the human world and how they interact with each other. Homer reviles that there are both some positive and negative value of behaviors that can be encouraged or circumvented in a Civilization. The stories of Iliad is a storyRead More A Comparison of Homeric Formalism in The Iliad and The Odyssey1339 Words   |  6 PagesHomeric Formalism in The Iliad and The Odyssey Much that is terrible takes place in the Homeric poems, but it seldom takes place wordlessly... no speech is so filled with anger or scorn that the particles which express logical and grammatical connections are lacking or out of place. (from Odysseus Scar by Erich Auerbach)    In his immaculately detailed study comparing the narrative styles of Homer to those of the Bible, Erich Auerbach hits upon one of the most notable intrigues