"So the immortals spun our lives that we, wretched men live on to bear such torment...." This one statement, made by the godlike Achilles to King Priam in the last chapter of the book, provides the reader a contextual summary of what the Greeks believed was their role in the universe. Robert Fitzgerald translated The Iliad, composed orally by Homer three thousand years ago. The Iliad, among many other themes contained in the poem, is an anthropocentric epic exposing the ancient Greek's views about man and his relationships. Homer demonstrates the pious and customary behaviors, as well as the impious and rebellious, to illustrate the amicable and adversarial relationships of man. ...view middle of the document...
.." at the hands of Patroclus, Apollo is forced to physically defend Troy and shriek down "winging words of terror" in order to protect destiny from the "superhuman" assault. In this case, without defense of the gods, destiny would have been undermined by the will of man.
Moreover, at least in the case of Achilles, Homer posits that fate is not without options. Through the goddess Thetis, his mother, Achilles learns that "two fates bear" on him concerning his death. If he remains and continues to lay siege on Troy, he will die before he is able to return home, but he will obtain imperishable honor and glory. Yet, if he returns to his homeland, then he will live a long life without honor. Though Achilles deliberates this dilemma through much of the book, his decision to remain at Troy and face Hector, is used by Homer to demonstrate the appropriate and pious choice of glory in Greek society.
The relationship between man and the gods is less ambiguous, but is both amicable and adversarial. This relationship can be examined by exploring four types of interactions between gods and men. They are will of...
