The Role Of Fate In Homer's Iliad

Homer’s Iliad: An epic tale of war, love, death, and fate set in the final year of the ten-year Trojan war. The Greeks and the Trojans spend several years enduring many bloody battles and ultimately fighting for their own honor while dealing with outside factors such as divine intervention. By this point in the war it has become very personal for many of the characters. Some strive to seek revenge and honor for the disgrace of their fallen comrades while others hope to prove their superiority and defend their pride. Unfortunately, these common goals of the warriors are often tested and strained when the gods intervene and fate becomes an outlying issue. Fate often interferes with decision making among the warriors and can often encourage/discourage …show more content…
This can be first demonstrated by his refusal to fight in the war, which was partly due to the actions of King Agamemnon, but also largely due to the toll the war would take on the life of Achilles. Thetis, Achilles’s mother, expressed the certain fate her son would face, “Doomed to a short life, you have so little time. And not only short, now but filled with heartbreak too, more than all other men alive- doomed twice over. Ah to a cruel fate I bore you in our halls!” (1.496-469). Achilles was aware, that although he was an outstanding warrior, continued fighting in the Trojan war would lead to his demise. With his death would come great honor and pride, however, this prize did not quite seem large enough to be deemed worthy of his death. Achilles also knew that if he refrained from fighting, though he was very much needed, he would be able to live a long life as a person with no recognition. This is one of the clearest examples of how fate plays a major role in the decision making of the characters. By Achilles knowing his fate, he was emotionally affected and mentally conflicted as to what the best route to take would be. Fate even lead him to question the worth of easily the biggest prize for any warrior: honor. Because of his knowledge of his fate, Achilles experienced mental conflict and psychological problems in deciding to do what he does best: be a warrior. Beyond Achilles own fate, the fate of his great friend Patroclus lead to more emotional trauma. Patroclus met his fate he disguised himself as Achilles in order to alarm the Trojans and startle the front lines away from the Greek’s camp. This could have been due to a few different reasons. Achilles may have felt remorse for the fact that he drove his friend to his fate by allowing Patroclus to fight in his armor instead of fighting himself.