Greek Hero Analysis

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A hero is not always in the stereotypical form that is so common in today’s world. A hero is not always going to do the right thing without hesitation. A hero must also make extremely tough decisions. In my blog report, I will be proving that Greek heroes accept the necessity of fate when making decisions. To prove this I will be using the story Iphigenia At Aulis, a painting titled, Wall, by an unknown artist, The Iliad, and an article titled, The Structural Similarity of "Iliad" and "Odyssey" as Revealed in the Treatment of the Hero's Fate. My first source will be focused on the decision that Agemenon must make in the play, “Iphigenia At Aulis.” In the play, the Greek army is preparing to set sail for Troy. During their waiting period, the goddess, Demeter, is disrespected, and to punish the Argive army, the prophet Chalcas tells Agamemnon that he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. Agamemnon then…show more content…
In the article, the author, Samuel E. Bassett, compares the concept of fate in The Odyssey and The Iliad. When Bassett writes about the fate in The Iliad, he analyzes how Achilles knew his fate before choosing to return to battle, and that it was his hatred for Hector that drove him to make his fatal choice. Essentially Bassett explains that ultimately Achilles accepts his fates by choosing to die in battle (P.560). In the Odyssey, Bassett describes the moment in book nine when Odysseus blinds the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Bassett explains that Odysseus alters his own fate due to his own hubris (P.561-562). I think that this article was extremely interesting and made some great points. I completely agree with Bassett that both Odysseus and Achilles altered their own respective fates with their own decisions. I also acknowledge that Homer definitely knew what he was doing when writing about the fates of these two greek
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