The Gods In The Iliad

The gods in the Iliad control the plot line. In a very short summary of the Iliad, we can say it is the story of Achilles’ anger instigated by the gods. The Iliad is an epic where besides the anger of Achilles, and the Trojan War, the gods are a central emphasis in the book. Most of the events that occur are the result of the gods. For example, they use their power to persuade the Trojan soldiers of the battle of Troy to get the outcome they want. The gods and goddesses in the story are constantly deceiving one another, causing disaster for themselves and the humans. It is safe to say the gods hold all the power, and they use that power on the mortals. The Iliad is set in the ending of the Trojan War. The war is between the Trojans and the Achaeans. The gods create alliances of both sides …show more content…
The role of the gods is very simple; it is to control the mortals. A human’s life is determined the gods. Therefore, the mortals lose their free will. The epic depicts a world ruled by unpredictable gods. The gods provide no consistent moral code, they follow their own rules while the mortals follow the gods, which can sometimes led to tragedy. In the Iliad, we can the gods drive the plot with their interactions and by changing the fate of the characters. The human however do practice free will. The war of the Trojans was started by the actions of Paris, a prince. If Paris gave Menelaus back his wife, Helen, maybe this the war might have not happened. However, the humans exercise their right to free will as little as possible because the fate of their actions are not only controlled by their actions but the god’s actions as well. The gods alter what the humans, as well as other god’s, thoughts. The gods are blamed for many of the actions of the Iliad because they are the ones who change the series of events. Also the mortals act honorable, while the gods are deceptive and