How Athena Corrupted In The Iliad

Despite people viewed the gods as holy icon, in the epic poem The Iliad, Homer suggested how the Greek gods are corrupted and prejudiced during the Trojan War. In different books of The Iliad, Athena and Aphrodite failed to hold their justice and interfered in the mortals’ conflicts with prejudice and jealousy. The two goddesses opposed each other when Paris, a mortal, fancied Aphrodite more than Athena. In return, Athena tweaked the war in favor of the Greeks when Aphrodite favored Paris and the Trojans. In book 3, Aphrodite brought Alexandros out of his fate when he battled Menelaus in a fair fight. In book 22, Athena not only deceived Zeus, but also deceived Hector into his death. These incidents suggested that the pettiness of the gods were a factor in the war. …show more content…
After facing Achilles, Hector exchanged turns with him, throwing spears at each other. When Achilles missed Hector, “Athena pulled it out and gave it back to Achilles without Hector noticing” (22.302-304). Favored by Athena, Achilles defeats Hector and as Hector was led to his death, Zeus never interfered in their battle. “In this way Zeus delivered Hector into his enemies’ hands to be defiled in his own native land” (22.447-449). Although Zeus carried no actions, he demonstrated ignorance towards Hector’s death and the unfair acts of the goddesses. In a way, Zeus favored Achilles by being a bystander of the unjust duel. Behind his reason is Achilles’ mother, Thetis, who requested Zeus to give great glory to Achilles. Before Hector’s death, Zeus allowed the Trojans to tore down most of the Achaeans, giving the Trojans great glory at the moment. However, Zeus allowed Achilles to receive all the glory at the end when he defeated Hector and the Trojans. The flow of glory was actually altered so that Achilles received the most glory and honor. Such actions by Zeus himself was rather considered petty and