Fate In The Iliad Essay

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In Homer’s Iliad, fate plays an important role within the different characters in the narrative. The Iliad presents a tragic view of life, that, “[a]lthough we are doomed to fail, we never give up trying”. The epic portrays the Gods taking control over people’s destinies; how men are destined to patriotically fight until their deaths and for their honor, and how women are depicted as being powerless – by also forced to play the domestic roles in a patriarchal society. By interfering with or manipulating a human’s fate, the gods stand high above the mortals and take in control. In the opening book of the Iliad, Athena comes down from Olympus to stop Achilles from killing Agamemnon. In respond to Athena’s orders, Achilles obeys and replies: “When you two mortals speak, a man /complies, though his heart burst. Just as well / honor the god’s will, they may honor ours.” (1,A, 258-260) Although being unable to achieve his goal frustrates Achilles, he knows that he must comply with Athena’s command in order to become a true hero and gain favor from the gods. A refusal to do so may well change Achilles’ fate. So with the interference of a goddess, Agamemnon lives instead of being killed by Achilles.…show more content…
Paris (also called Alexandrus) himself had promised that he would duel with Menelaus to death, and whoever lives gets to win Helen. However, the goddess Aphrodite interferes in battle and “spirited Alexandrus away as easily / as only a god could do.” (3,G, 2-3) Since Aphrodite favors Paris and wants him to live, she whisks Paris away from the battlefield, saving his life. Having no winner of the duel, this situation only worsened the tension between the Achaeans and the Trojans, fueling anger within

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