...In the Iliad, there are continuous examples of women that are treated as an object or materialistically, women are also treated as they are inferior to the men and the gods. According to the dictionary definition of sexism is; prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. In essence women are shown to have no power in the Iliad due to the dominance and power of the men and gods. Treating women as inferior is a sign of a possible piece of sexist work. Unfortunately the Iliad does use men as a dominant power and women as inferior. It plays an important role to help prove that the Iliad is a sexist work. A work like the Iliad is considered sexist because of examples that are shown through the gods and...
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...The Fate of the Gods Iliad considered as a masterpiece at all levels, Homer combines literally devices in his books to create a vivid image for the reader there by evoking the readers’ emotions. Homer set the scene by giving vivid details of every important warlord and the gods in the battle. Homer includes the role the warlords and the gods play in the battlefield at every stage. Not only does Homer characterize individual roles in Iliad, but also symbolizes the individual’s achievement in the battle by. Gives the details roles the gods play in the battle, which keeps the reader focus on the central conflict. In Iliad, most of the scene depends on the individual’s character decision including the gods. From book 11, it can be seen as Zeus, the head of the gods controls the progress of the battle by first raining blood on the Achaeans causing them to panic. In retrospect, Zeus sends Iris to deliver a message “Hector, son of Priam, Father Zeus Has sent me here with a message for you. As long as you see Lord Agamemnon storming to through the ranks and laying them low you should hold back and order other troops to engage the enemy” (p204, 220) , one of the Homer inclusion indicating the war inspired by the gods. The relationship of fate and human keeps the reader focus and in suspense as the wall of the Greeks is doomed to fall by Poseidon and Apollo. The fall of the war justifies Homer uses of prophecy to progress the plot of the poem personifying the involvement of the...
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...Homer’s, The Iliad, the Greek gods of ancient times play a crucial role in the lives of the people they serve. These immortals decide who lives and who dies; who to help and who to ignore; who will win the war and who will lose it. Unfortunately for the Greeks, the gods are portrayed as selfish beings that make their decisions based on their emotions. Their idea of love is warped to fit their needs and wants. Having one’s fate entrusted to such a being would cause those individuals to be fearful of displeasing or angering the gods. When making decisions, the Greeks must always consider if their decisions will please the gods, or even more importantly, if their decisions will anger the gods. Due to their impulsive behavioral patterns, selfish...
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...While comparing the book the Iliad and the movie Troy there are a lot of similarities and differences. The book and the movie basically followed the same storyline as each other. Like most movies and books that do this, some of the characteristics are different in the characters, the way they look, and sometimes even their attitude. One of the biggest similarities in the book and the movie is all of the character names stayed the same. Some other similarities are Agamemnon used Helen as an excuse to attack Troy. Also Helen and Paris had a romance in both the movie and the book. Another big similarity is almost the exact same thing happened in the book and in the movie with the leading of the wars and events. The Greeks had won the war....
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...Classic Cultures 1110 Q: Consider the role of the gods in the Iliad. Why are they given credit or blame for so much of what happens at Troy? Does Zeus have ultimate control over the fate of these mortals? To what extent do the mortal characters exercise free will in their choice of actions? Be sure to discuss at least three separate episodes from the text to support your argument. In Homer’s The Iliad, divine intervention is a recurrent theme in the epic. The epic portrays a world in which humans and Gods somewhat co-exist even though they are in very different worlds. We witness that heroes in The Iliad go through many troubles when “fate” and the Gods operate their lives. In Homer’s epic, the Gods intend to constantly change the lives of the people and manipulate events that take place on earth for their own self interest or any other reason. We see many recurrent patterns throughout the epic between the Gods, fate, and the heroes. For example, the Gods play a very important role in Troy. Certain gods are on each side of the war and they all have a reason, albeit petty, to help a side. Hera, the patron goddess of women, and Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, are opposed to the Trojans because a Trojan said that Aphrodite was more beautiful than them. Poseidon, the god of the sea, is also against the Trojans, because the king of Troy once enslaved him and made him build the city's walls and then refused to pay Poseidon. Although Apollo, god of poetry...
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...Readers of The Iliad may believe that the immortal gods of Mount Olympus respond to grief the same way as humans do. It is true that the gods in The Iliad express grief over the death of their children similarly to humans. The gods argue, forgive, and reason much like the mortals in the story. Their behavior is analogous to human behavior and subsequently facilitates the reader’s understanding. However, Zeus and Achilles do not respond to grief in the exact same way. Although they portray corresponding expressions, Zeus and Achilles have dissimilar reactions to grief. If readers misunderstand the capabilities of gods and humans then they will be unable to recognize the difference between gods and humans reacting to grief over the death of...
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...Throughout history, society has become accustomed with what they believe a hero should be but as each generation passes, this thought has shifted. Whether an immortal God with superhuman abilities or an average person who is giving everything they have to defend his or her people, heroes will rise when needed. The stories of Beowulf, Achilles, and Aeneas provide the reader with an example of what society of that time viewed a hero as and how they can compare with one another. Homer’s Iliad shows the reader whom ancient society believed a hero to be. It was written in a time when society relied on those strong enough and brave enough to rule the people. This was perfect for the character, Achilles, because in the Iliad he is described to be “godlike” (Iliad, 131) and “swift-footed” (Iliad, 121) suggesting he had superhuman traits such as strength and speed. These qualities worked to his benefit in battle and give him the “Hero” title he deserved. His story tells of his success on the battlefield and his defeat over Hector. Even though Achilles was seen as a hero to his people, he was not always emotionally sound. Achilles once gave up his wife, Breseis, to stop the god Apollo from sending a plague upon the Greek army. When the plague stopped, the battle roared on but Achilles did not participate. He was angered that his wife and prized possession was taken from him. It was not until his best friend, Patrocius, was killed that Achilles, out of complete fury, joined back in...
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...In the second part of the Iliad, the poem becomes very interesting and exciting. Rage continues to be a key factor. We will see that Achilles becomes very uncontrollable and unstoppable. The themes of Grief and Revenge also make a huge impact in this part of the Iliad. In Book Eighteen, Achilles has a lot of rage towards Hector for killing Patroclus. Achilles has a lot of honor. He is determined to get revenge on Hector. His goal is to kill Hector and to show him that he made a bad choice for killing his best friend. Achilles is very upset with Hector and is emotions are becoming overwhelming. Achilles is determined to seek revenge on Hector, because of the death of Patroclus. This causes Achilles’ rage to become very uncontrollable. In this part of the book, we can notice that Achilles’ rage is very uncontrollable. It seems like no one can stop his rage. His mother Thetis notices that he is showing a lot of grief. She doesn’t understand why he is very upset. She tried explaining to him that Zeus has prayed...
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...controlled by the actions of mere mortals? Do the gods determine the successes and failures? Is the outcome solely a matter of fate? Some may believe that mortals have free will, but after a quick skim of the Iliad, this belief is clearly shown to be false. Humans are not given control over their destinies; however, if this is true, then what are these destinies controlled by? Fate seems to be the only answer, yet, can fate alone stop a god from changing outcomes for their personal gain? In the Iliad, gods and humans are shown to have a varying degree of control on the outcome of human life and death. The true controller of the outcome of success vs. failure, and life vs. death, will be analyzed with...
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...contrast between Homer's quintessential invocation in the Iliad and the opening lines of the Aeneid reveal numerous differences between the two epics. There is clear reference to Homer's work in Virgil's first lines and both openings establish the theme of the epic. However, there are multitudes of elements within the Aeneid's opening that establish the epic as a clearly Roman work while maintaining its declaration as heir to the Greek tradition. Virgil's introduction in the Aeneid goes a step further than Homer's by not only establishing the theme,...
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...may be like me, first in glory among the Trojans, strong and brave like me, and rule all Troy in power” (6.562-69) In Book 6 of The Iliad, Homer describes the highly acclaimed Trojan warrior, Hector, returning from the battlefield to the city of Troy, where he meets his wife Andromache, and his infant son Astyanax. The excerpt displayed above describes the meeting of Hector with his family and serves an important purpose in The Iliad because it humanizes and reveals the positive traits of the great warrior; the audience can relate to Hector as he returns from war and suddenly embraces Astyanax upon seeing him. Homer is able to achieve a great level of emotional depth in this excerpt because he employs imagery that vividly conveys Hector’s return to his family. When Hector hastily removes his helmet upon seeing how it frightens Astyanax, Homer writes a series of clauses containing thoughts, feelings, and emotions which make the audience realize that Hector, who previously affirmed his devotion to the war, has a tender and loving side as well. Hector’s sudden display of emotion may seem questionable to the audience at first, because in previous chapters of the epic, he is a rather serious and stern figure who is bound to Troy’s war effort. Reading this excerpt, the audience may question why Hector would momentarily acquiesce to his emotions. An answer to this question may be that Homer wants to express his condemnation of war by juxtaposing Hector’s emotional personality with...
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...The Essential Role of Goddess in Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey Just as women were viewed as inferior to men during Homer’s era, a first glance at Homer’s epics The Iliad and The Odyssey portrays goddesses as inferiors to gods. Despite the era’s bias to men, the goddesses are of equal importance to the plot of his stories as the gods. The goddesses play vital roles as either helpers or nightmares to men by often determining the results of an action. Homer did not establish the goddesses in his epics merely as minor structures to blend in the background. Rather, he established dynamic goddesses who were both powerful and intelligent. In fact, in many ways the goddesses controlled the gods by having an influence in their decisions and actions through manipulation, persuasion and guidance. By influencing the gods, the goddesses also played a large role as shepherds for human fate. The goddess’s constant intervention in the mortals’ lives was driven by favoritism, love or sexual desires, and their pity for the weak. Although the goddesses are often restricted from doing as they wish by the gods, they have proven, in many occasions, to overpower the gods through manipulation. Goddesses were often told what to do by the gods. Tasks such as delivering messages from Zeus were often carried out by Athena. Just as Hector told his wife, “Go home, attend to your own handiwork at loom and spindle, and command the maids to busy themselves, too. As for war, that is for men, all we...
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...No matter what religion someone believes, who their family is, or what they look like, all people are people, and everyone should be treated equally. This belief can be seen thousands of years back in time, even in some of the earliest writings of literature, such as The Iliad and The Odyssey, two Greek epics written by Homer. In The Iliad, the story takes place during the end of the Trojan War, where the Trojans and Greeks do see themselves not only as superior but do not even treat their enemy as their equal. Greeks believed that Trojans were savages or less than human, and the Trojans felt the same way about their opponent. In Homer’s Iliad, However, he writes in an unbiased way, using symbolization, figurative language and dialogue to...
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...Odyssey The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of the world masterpieces that have survived the times . Admired through the ages as the ultimate epics Homer 's Iliad and the Odyssey , was venerated by the ancient Greeks themselves as the cornerstone of their civilization (Nagy , Online . The two epics are the portrayal of early Greek civilization with the spotlight focused on heroism and the heroes ' struggles and triumph Early Greece likewise was depicted in the two epics as a people who believed in the power of the immortals which was clearly shown in how br the gods and goddesses ran the lives of the characters The Iliad and Odyssey are both colorful and dramatic . Not only was Homer able to use vivid s of the different war episodes but he was also successful in portraying supernatural beings that Odysseus met during his journey back home . These styles of Homer likewise characterized the people during the time that the epics were written A very diverse Greek culture was shown in the Iliad and the Odyssey Just like what was previously mentioned , people in ancient Greece revered their heroes . The people then consider men or women who were endowed with superhuman abilities which were believed to have come from the gods and the goddess as their heroes . These heroes likewise embodied the character of the Greek people as a whole . Homer used the different characters in the two epic to give a picture of how society and the people was during the earlier times Achilles was regarded...
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...instilling moral values, recording history, bringing meaning to the unknown, or simply entertaining an audience, the oral tradition is a necessity to all societies. Though the written word is a well respected art form in and of itself, there are many ways in which the oral telling of stories can achieve more than a literary work. I do not believe true epics, such as Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, survive the transition from oral storytelling to literary works. I believe this to be true because a reader will not get the same story as an audience listening to an oral telling. One of the ways that the literary transitions of epics falls short of the oral telling is the lack of control the author has over the reader’s understanding of the intended emotional response. Devices such as emphasis, volume, delivery, intonation, cadence, and facial expressions are all together lost when a work is being read as opposed to heard and seen. An oral storyteller has the ability to change a single sentence from a sorrowful tragedy to a comedic parody using simply their voice and tone. The first lines of Homer’s The Iliad could be argued to be the most important in the book. Within the first stanza, the whole tone and mood of the epic is set; imagine the immense power a story teller possess here: “RAGE: Sing, Goddess, Achilles’ rage, Black and murderous, that cost the Greek incalculable pain, pitched countless souls of heroes into Hades’ dark, and left their bodies to rot as feasts for dogs...
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