Zeus In Hesiod's Theogony

Zeus is the most renown Greek God in the entirety of Greek Mythology. Of course, this popularity comes with his incredible amount of power over all of his fellow Gods as well as mortals. In every myth that Zeus is involved, he has the power to control the outcome. He truly is the father of all Gods and is strong enough to do whatever he'd like with the universe. From the golden age all the way to the current iron age, Zeus has controlled the fate of all mortals and ruled over his Gods/Goddesses. Zeus was never the most noble God, nor was he the nicest, but he was certainly the most powerful and influential. In Hesiod's Theogony, “Why Life is Hard” as well as many other myths, Zeus demonstrates his undeniable ability to control the universe …show more content…
With this title of father of all Gods/Goddesses, Zeus oversaw all beings, making sure the universe was being run the way he liked it. The God of lightning was known for his harsh punishments to crimes, in Pandora's creation myth he demonstrates his severe sentencing on titan Prometheus. Prometheus was a man who had a love for humankind, all he wanted to do was help them reach a better living. Ultimately, Prometheus stole fire, a tool that was only meant for Gods (according to Zeus) and gifted it to mankind. Prometheus by no means was a weak warrior, as he was one of the deciding factors in Zeus' win over Kronos (Titanomachy). Although, when Zeus came to the realization of Prometheus' crime, his supremacy quickly came to light. He chained Prometheus to a rock in the Caucasus and sent his eagle to eat Prometheus' liver every single day as a consequence for his actions. Not only does he showcase his dominance over a fellow God, he takes a step further by plaguing all of humanity with the creation of Pandora, mankind's first woman. One of Zeus' top priorities was to ensure that Gods were the strongest in the universe. Even the smallest of threats such as mankind obtaining the ability to use fire was not okay with the ruler of all beings. By inserting Pandora into the lives of men, they are said to be eternally corrupted by the cunning Pandora and future women who will come to be. All of this punishment came to be …show more content…
Throughout Greek Myth there are plenty of myths which don't included the involvement of the almighty God of lightning. The Trojan War is just one example of many, but what would have happened if Zeus cared enough to interrupt some of these myths? Well, just as we saw in Pandora's creation story, Zeus can be quite the harsh enforcer of justice. Not only that, but I can safely say that in every myth Zeus gets seriously involved in, he is the determining factor on how that particular myth will end. In my opinion, if Zeus was heavily involved in all Greek myths, mythology would have become a much less popular field of study. Readers enjoy stories where hope is installed through certain characters, having a dominant character like Zeus in every myth would have ruined them. For example, in Pandora's creation myth I caught myself constantly wishing for Prometheus to be set free because he was indeed trying to perform a kind act for humankind. This brings me to a second argument, as humans, we enjoy the humanity in stories. Don't get me wrong, many people love stories where strong characters such as Zeus appear, but what fun would all of Greek Mythology be if Zeus interrupted every myth and swiftly got his way without conflict? Without the human aspect of conflict (and the resolve of conflict) these myths with have little to no meaning. Zeus was a character created