Fate In The Iliad Essay

In the Trojan War, it is clear that the prevailing view is that humans are at the mercy of the gods. In The Iliad, the Trojan War arises from a conflict among the gods, and the outcome is ultimately decided by the gods themselves. The gods have human-like characteristics, as they watch over their favorite mortals and have love affairs with them. Some of the gods are not as virtuous and admirable, but are rather flawed, akin to the similarities of their human counterparts. However, there is a unique distinction between the mortals and deity. Throughout The Iliad, Homer describes the relationships between the gods, relationships between the gods and mortals, and the encompassing effect fate has an all characters. One of the key themes in The Iliad is the role divine intervention plays throughout the narrative. Divine intervention occurs frequently throughout The Iliad, and the result can be either catastrophic or fortunate. When Chryses pleads to Agamemnon for his daughter Chryseis' safe return, Agamemnon refrains from doing so. Therefore, Chryses appeals to Apollo
These ends are dictated by fate and cannot be moderated by the divine gods, nor can they be averted. The Greek hero, Achilles, acknowledges that if he is to stay and fight at Troy, he is fated to die there, but his fame will endure. In The Iliad, the gods have a high level of influence over that: all events are fated to arise during the Trojan War. Hera speaks to Achilles, "This time we will save you, might Achilles, This time—but your hour is near. We are not to blame, but a great god and strong Fate" (Lombardo 120). This suggests that Zeus and the force of fate are two separate entities, both of whom have authoritative influence over a mortal. Sometimes even the seemingly boundless power of the gods to control events is eventually offset by the direction of