The Role of the Gods in Homers The Iliad Essay -- Iliad essays

The Role of the Gods in Homers The Iliad We everlasting gods....Ah what chilling blows we suffer-thanks to our own conflicting wills-whenever we show these individual men some kindness. This exert clearly states what kind of authority Homer has bestowed on his Gods. John Porter said, their constant interference in the lives of the mortals, which seems to cast them in the role of malicious puppeteers, while reducing Homers heroes to mere pawns in a selfish and often rather petty divine game of one-upmanship. I establish it to be quite disturbing imagining these characters fighting in such a mercilous war, giving every ounce of strength they had, and in an instance, all of their efforts could be derailed by a God or Goddess. You almost have to wonder if these heroes really have any control whatsoever, or if they argon there for the pure fun of others. Porter also mentions the morality of the Gods. He points out that the gods display many of the same values that we criticize the hero es of having. They are as jealous of their honors (time) as are Agamemnon and Achilles i...