The Iliad Book One

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, dishonors the request of the priest Chyses, he angers the god of light, Apollo. Chryses, the priest of Apollo, prayed to Apollo to have Agamemnon pay for the “priests tears”, and Apollo who heard his prayers sends death upon the Achaeans. “He came down from Olympus top enraged... First, the god Massacred mules and swift running dogs... For nine days Apollo rained death upon the troops” (Homer, The Iliad, 48 - 57). Because of Agamemnon foolishness and stubbornness, his people are suffering. By causing the plague on all of the Achaeans, Apollo showed his divine rule and superiority over Agamemnon. When Chryses has prayed to Apollo, it did not say in The Iliad that Chryses has ever seen Apollo, but Apollo still heard the priest’s prayers. Sending death upon the Achaean troops started changing the course of the Trojan War, killing of the Achaean troops while making the other troops weaker with the plague. After the nine days of death being rained down on the troops, Achilles called an assembly to discuss what greeks did to anger the gods. White-armed Hera, wife of Zeus and goddesses of marriage, has put the idea of the assembly into Achilles mind. “On the tenth, Achilles summoned a assembly. White-armed Hera put that thought into his