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All the Important Decisions in the Iliad are Made by the Gods or under their Influence. In the Ancient Greece people believed in Gods. There were many of them living on the Mount Olympus. The highest of them, the king God was Zeus. The two worlds, the world of Gods and the world of people, met everyday. In such an extent did Greeks believed in their Gods that they created many myths in which those Gods interfered with the lives of earthly people and made all the important decisions for people.
They decided what to do and when to die. They dictated their will. However, there were some people who were higher, so-called aristocracy, who were in Gods favor and were protected and helped by Gods. Sometimes they were children of Gods and earthly people.
Nevertheless, it often happened that other Gods did not like these favorites. This could happen because the favorite of one God could fight with the favorite of another God. The idea was that earthly people were just pawns in the game of Gods. Iliad is a unique piece of literature of the Ancient Greeks.
It is also an illustrative example of how the Gods interfered with the lives of earthly people. The story told in Iliad describes the war between Greeks and Trojans. But it is also the story of the competition among Gods. Gods divided into two parties of which some were on the Greeks side and some helped Trojans.
The destiny of the whole war as well as destinies of particular people depends on Gods. Gods can save their favorites from death and they do it all the time. Gods can help with advice, they can tell how to kill and when is the best moment. Iliad is full of such examples. Let us analyze some of them. One of the most characteristic artistic methods of Homers epos is that the characters act not by their own will but receive help and advice from patron Gods in crucial situations.
We find the first example already in the first book of Iliad, when the goddess Athena seen only by Achilles holds him back at the moment when he is ready to attack Agamemnon with his sword. She promises Achilles satisfaction for his offence. (Il. I, 193 - 218) At the same time Gods try to act either according to existing epical tradition or in accordance with the plot set by the author. German philologists gave a very accurate name for this striking feature of Homers epos Gotterapparat, the apparatus of Gods used by poet to develop the plot in the necessary direction.
Apparently, people of pre-Homer and Homers epoch could consider the decisions they took by themselves in the crucial situations to come from Gods. To some of them it may have seemed that they really heard the voice of Gods or even saw Gods in human or some other form. However, in Homers poetry the Gods interference with the lives of earthly people and their direction of people changed into the artistic method aimed at raising the main characters and their deeds above the common human level. Homer lets Gods interfere only with the destinies of the best people, noble heroes of aristocratic descend. Another example of how Gods decide whom of the characters must be defeated in the battle we find in the book XVI, when Patroclus disguising himself as Achilles goes to battle with Trojans. Killing many Trojan warriors, he is approaching Sarpedon to who sympathizes Zeus himself.
Zeus wants to save him and says: "Alas, that it should be the lot of Sarpedon whom I love so dearly to perish by the hand of Patroclus. I am in two minds whether to catch him up out of the fight and set him down safe and sound in the fertile land of Lycia, or to let him now fall by the hand of the son of Menoetius. " (Il. XVI, 430 - 435) And Juno confirms a death verdict by saying that the destiny of Sarpedon was fated and Zeus must not violate the fate and let Patroclus kill Sarpedon. (Il. XVI, 440 - 455) However, Zeus has violated the fate many times and this time he gives in only because this is in accordance both with the plot of Iliad and with the likes of Homer.
In the last book of Iliad, Gods join their forces to set a 12 -day peace to bury Hector. But first, they need to make Achilles to give the body of Hector back to Priam. This body is dragged by chariot of Achilles round the tomb of Patroclus. And Phoebus Apollo persuades immortals that this behavior of Achilles is not good and that the body must be returned to father and buried according to tradition. (Il. XXIV, 30 - 50) Gods after long argument decide to let Priam to take the body of his son, Hector, for a ransom.
Achilles mother comes to Achilles as a messenger from Gods to tell him the decision of Gods and he gives in: "So be it. If Olympian Jove of his own motion thus commands me, let him that brings the ransom bear the body away. " (Il. XXIV, 135) Therefore, we observe that mortal people obey Gods when it comes to taking important decision. Achilles grief about his fallen friend Patroclus is bitter but he must obey the decision of Gods, otherwise he is dead man. However, Achilles knows about his end and he is fatalistic about it because he knows that nothing can be changed.
The fate is a great power. Some scientists who studied Iliad argued whether this fate is the highest power and that even Gods must follow its decisions. Nevertheless, we see that sometimes Gods violate the orders of fate. The conclusion we make is that Iliad by Homer is a good example of how ancient Greek believed in Gods. It also shows that they put into those Gods all human characteristics. The Gods played an important role in the life of mortal people.
They picked some favorites of noble descent to whom they guaranteed their assistance. However, as there were many of gods, so many were favorites and sometimes their interests intersected and this made the situation very complicated. The life of mortal people was in the hands of Gods and it depended on their personal sympathies. Gods made all the important decisions and people were helpless unless they had a patron God protecting them from other Gods.
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Research essay sample on Lives Of Earthly People Life Of Mortal People Gods
