fate in the iliad essay

Everything you need for every book you read.

Throughout the Iliad there is a deep sense that everything that will come to pass is already fated to happen. For Homer, the Trojan War was already an old story passed down for generations, and the poem is presented from the very beginning as a completed story, “the will of Zeus …moving toward its end.” In the lives of men, the gods are powerful enough to act as fate, spurring them to actions they might not have undertaken on their own, such as Achilles ’ decision not to kill Agamemnon or Helen ’s return to Paris ’ bedchamber, sent forth by Aphrodite . The soldiers of the poem often use the idea of fate to justify their actions, as they reason that the current battle might be their fated time to die. As Hector puts it: “And fate? No one alive has ever escaped it, / neither brave man nor coward, I tell you— / it’s born with us the day that we are born.” In Book VIII, the fate of the war is represented as a scale that Zeus literally tips in favor of the Trojans.

However, Zeus is not all-powerful, and the other gods are capable of deceiving him in order to turn the war to their advantage, at least temporarily. Accordingly, Zeus and the other gods occasionally speak about fate as something not even totally in their control. For instance, the fate of Achilles is foretold by prophecy, although the gods help bring it to pass. Thetis tells Achilles that he has the choice to either return home and live a long life without glory, or die a glorious death fighting at Troy. Paradoxically, Achilles seems to have some choice in his fate, and it is hard to say whether Achilles’ fate is already determined, or whether he controls his fate up until he makes his choice. Achilles decides to fight, knowing that he is sealing his fate when he returns to battle. Ultimately, the relationship between fate and free will in the Iliad remains unclear.

Fate and Free Will ThemeTracker

Fate and Free Will Quotes in The Iliad

Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses, hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls, great fighter’ souls, but made their body carrion, feasts for the dogs and birds, and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end. Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed, Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles.

Someday, I swear, a yearning for Achilles will strike Achaea’s sons and all your armies!

O my son, my sorrow, why did I ever bear you? All I bore was doom… Doomed to a short life, you have so little time.

I and Achilles…Ah if the two of us could ever think as one, Troy could delay her day of death no longer, not one moment.

Maddening one, my Goddess, oh what now?... Well, go to him yourself—you hover beside him! Abandon the gods’ high road and become a mortal!... suffer for Paris, protect Paris, for eternity . . . until he makes you his wedded wife—that or his slave.

Why so much grief for me? No man will hurl me down to Death, against my fate. And fate? No one alive has ever escaped it, neither brave man nor coward, I tell you— it’s born with us the day that we are born.

Mother tells me, the immortal goddess Thetis with her glistening feet, that two fates bear me on to the day of death. If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy, my journey home is gone, but my glory never dies. If I voyage back to the fatherland I love, my pride, my glory dies . . . true, but the life that’s left me will be long, the stroke of death will not come on me quickly.

One man is a splendid fighter—a god has made him so— one’s a dancer, another skilled at lyre and song, and deep in the next man’s chest farseeing Zeus plants the gift of judgment, good clear sense.

Do as you please, Zeus . . . but none of the deathless gods will ever praise you… if you send Sarpedon home, living still, beware! Then surely some other god will want to sweep his own son clear of the heavy fighting too.

Ruin, eldest daughter of Zeus, she blinds us all, that fatal madness—she with those delicate feet of hers, never touching the earth, gliding over the heads of men to trap us all. She entangles one man, now another. Why, she and her frenzy blinded Zeus one time, highest, greatest of men and gods, they say

Come, friend, you too must die. Why moan about it so? Even Patroclus died, a far, far better man than you. And look, you see how handsome and powerful I am? The son of a great man, the mother who gave me life a deathless goddess. But even for me, I tell you, death and the strong force of fate are waiting.

Past the threshold of old age… and Father Zeus will waste me with a hideous fate, and after I’ve lived to look on so much horror! My sons laid low, my daughters dragged away… Ah for a young man all looks fine and noble if he goes down in war, hacked to pieces…When an old man’s killed and the dogs go at the gray head and the gray beard…that is the cruelest sight in all our wretched lives!

Fate In The Iliad Essay

The Iliad is an epic poem, recounting the events of The Trojan War between Greece and Troy. The story follows several key characters in The Iliad, such as Achilles and King Agamemnon, throughout The Battle of Trogyllium  and The Siege of Troy. Fate and Destiny play important roles in The Iliad, because The Gods manipulate the lives of The Greek and The Trojan leaders to fulfill The Fate of The Trojan War (Homer 731). The Greeks allude to the fact that their victory over Troy is The Will of Zeus (Homer 780), due to “destiny” or The Divine Will.

The Iliad is a poem that tells the story of The Trojan War. It was written by Homer, in Ancient Greece, in approximately 800 BC. The poet draws his readers in through The Iliad’s vivid characters and exciting events. The gods play an important role in this addictive tale; their often mysterious actions go on to affect the lives of mortals down on earth. The themes of Fate and Destiny become apparent when The Iliad begins to take shape alongside its unique history.

The epic starts with Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, demanding that Achilles (one of Greece’s finest fighters) hand over his slave-girl Briseis as part of his spoils from with The Trojans . The pride of The Myrmidons, Achilles refuses Agamemnon’s order, which causes tension between the men until Thetis (Achilles’ mother) tells her son to obey The King.

Thetis persuades Zeus to intervene, hoping he will protect Achilles from Agamemnon’s anger by hiding The Greek warrior at the court of The King who reigns over all Greece. Thetis asks that her son is allowed to remain in The Land of Fire until The War ends, but Zeus states that Fate has already decreed his death before The Battle begins, and nothing can change this.

Thetis harbours a grudge against Hera for stealing Arisbe away from her as a baby; she makes it clear she won’t be on The Queen of The Gods ‘s side , but Thetis’ argument with Zeus is in vain. Fate, Destiny and The Furies (the goddesses who punish crimes against blood-relatives) are responsible for Achilles’ death, and no one can change this. The King’s best friend Patroclus urges his leader to make peace with Achilles: maybe The Mighty Myrmidon will come back to fight The Trojans and earn Agamemnon the victory?

The authority of Destiny is emphasized throughout The Iliad. It has been around since the beginning of time; even when mortals think they’re in control, Destiny always wins in the end. Thetis makes it clear that nothing she says to Zeus will change The Fates’ decision, Thetis knows her son is going to die, but not how or when. The epic ends with Thetis warning Thetis that Zeus always gets what he wants in the end.

This article was created by Niamh McIntyre, a 2nd year Bachelor of Arts student from Ireland. For more detail see the University’s online catalog.

The Iliad portrays fate and destiny as supreme and ultimate forces. The Iliad presents the question of who or what is finally responsible for a man’s destiny, yet the answers to this question are not quite clear. In many instances, it seems that man has no control over his fate and destiny, but at other points, it seems as if a man’s fate lies in the consequences of his actions and decisions. Therefore, The Iliad reveals a man sometimes controls his destiny. The Iliad also reveals that fate and destiny are two different forces.

The Greek people in The Iliad believed in Fate or Destiny, an unchangeable, inexorable force of the universe that dictated every person’s life from birth to death. The Greeks saw themselves not as autonomous individuals with free will but as links in the chain of Fate leading back into eternity and forward into eternity. The gods controlled human fate not because they were cruel or vengeful but because there was nothing else they could do; their actions were propelled by Necessity’s inexorability just like everyone else’s actions were shaped by her rigidity.

The two forces of fate and destiny, the one blind and the other silent, are presented by The Iliad as the supreme forces in The Iliad. “ The gods themselves are driven by a force greater still, for they are slaves to Destiny, that woman from Sparta who spun the thread of life for each man on his day of birth and set down how much like a mere mortal he should enjoy his share of pleasure and endure his share of pain. ” ( The Iliad , Book 8).

The line quoted above establishes Fate or Destiny as higher than even the gods; this means the Greek people believed it was beyond their control. The use of destiny instead of fate further suggests there were different connotations between these two words. Some Greeks viewed fate or Destiny as fixed, unchangeable, and inevitable, but they viewed destiny as more of a goal, an aim toward which men might strive. The ancient Greek dramatist Sophocles wrote of this distinction between fate and destiny in The Theban Plays.

In The Theban Plays, the chorus states “It is precisely because we are mortal that we must always be looking for something better than what Fate assigns to us. If Zeus had not made Destiny a thing to be striven after rather than a mere condition to accept, no man would ever have thought himself unhappy or fortunate at all” ( The Theban Plays, sixth century BC). Although it seems as if the Greeks believed some control over their fate, fate was nonetheless seen as utterly unable.

Fate was a silent force that could not be escaped or denied. The Theban Plays further clarifies this idea of fate versus destiny by showing how while both Fate and Destiny control a person’s life, it is only Destiny which one should aim toward rather than accept passively. The Theban Plays concludes with the chorus stating “The future will take care of itself if we do our part in the present moment well” ( The Theban Plays, sixth century BC).

This shows that although Destiny can have no influence on what has already happened, she does determine what will happen in the future and makes clear that power over destiny lies within human hands. In The Iliad, there was little any man could do to avoid his preordained fate and destiny. The Theban Plays shows how the Greeks viewed Destiny as a goal toward which one might strive, but The Iliad reveals that man was not always able to control his own destiny and that Fate and Destiny were different forces.

The Theban Plays suggests there is something beyond Fate or Destiny, but The Iliad shows only men’s actions could change their fates, sometimes resulting in disaster and sometimes leading to happiness. The Theban Plays also implies humans play a role in controlling their destinies because it speaks of an ideal towards which one should aim, while The Iliad does not say this about humans because, throughout the epic, gods shape mortals’ fates without any input from them whatsoever.

More Essays

• Role Of The Gods In The Iliad Essay
• Essay On The Role Of Fate In The Iliad
• The Greek-Trojan War in The Iliad
• A Comparison of Iliad and Odyssey
• Women In The Iliad Essay
• Examples Of Achilles In The Iliad Essay
• Oedipus: Fate vs. Free Will
• The Iliad by Homer

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Join Now to View Premium Content

GradeSaver provides access to 2357 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11005 literature essays, 2763 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

The Role of Fate in The Iliad Anonymous College

Homer’s Iliad features many sacred cultural principles present in the ancient Greek culture, but the importance and gravity of fate are communicated at the forefront of the work.

While the exact properties of fate and how it can be changed are a mystery to the audience, the importance and honor in meeting one’s fate is clear. In The Iliad, the significance of fate becomes more evident when mortal and semi-mortal characters come to learn their destiny because the gods reveal it to them under some special circumstance. Characters including Achilles, Patroclus and Hector learn their destiny from the gods, and this gives them a different perspective on their lives and greatly affects their decision-making. This essay will examine these circumstances, address the intervening nature of the gods and determine how knowing one’s destiny affects the way the character makes decisions.

In Book One of The Iliad, Agamemnon and Achilles come to an enraged confrontation after the gods curse their troops with a plague because Agamemnon will not return Chryses, his slave prize, to her father. During the argument, Agamemnon threatens Achilles, claiming that he will steal Achilles’s prize, Briseis, and return Chryses home to end the plague....

GradeSaver provides access to 2313 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 10989 literature essays, 2751 sample college application essays, 911 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

Already a member? Log in

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Iliad — The Issues Of Gods And The Fate In The Iliad

The Issues of Gods and The Fate in The Iliad

• Categories: Iliad

About this sample

Words: 2567 |

Pages: 5.5 |

13 min read

Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 2567 | Pages: 5.5 | 13 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2.5 pages / 1032 words

6.5 pages / 2881 words

4 pages / 1694 words

2.5 pages / 1223 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Homer. The Iliad of Homer. Translated by Richmond Lattimore, University of Chicago Press, 2011.

Controversy infects our world like germs. It can be contained and controlled for a time but it will never truly be gone. In order to regulate the issues, they must first be addressed. However, when this occurs, more problems [...]

Arete, a central theme in Homer’s epic poem The Iliad, is a concept deeply embedded in the ancient Greek culture. The term, which roughly translates to “excellence” or “virtue,” is a multifaceted idea that encompasses moral, [...]

In the epic poem The Iliad by Homer, two central characters stand out as powerful warriors and leaders on opposing sides of the Trojan War: Hektor and Achilles. Both Hektor, the prince of Troy, and Achilles, the greatest [...]

The respective endings of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey prove the different world-view that each epic takes. While both concern the era of the Trojan War, the characters in each seem to value two opposing outlooks. A close reading [...]

In today's society, movies in all genres thrive on romantic plots and subplots. Many decisions made are all centered around securing a love interest. Although Homer wrote The Iliad hundreds of years ago, his story is no [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

the iliad essay

European Literature 1 Fate and Free Will in Homer's The Iliad Homer's The Iliad is one of the most intriguing classical epic Greek poems known today. The Iliad was an oral tradition for four hundred years before finally being written down around seven hundred B.C. The poem is a beautifully written balancing act between two cultures, clashing in a time of unease between traditions of honor and Polis, (Troy) and the traditions of war, marriage, and fame, (Achaeans). The Bronze Age poem is also one of the best known tales of humanity, with its plot combining two aspects of ancient Greek society, actions of the Gods, (fate) and the actions of men, (choice). The Iliad is one of the most important pieces of historical literature for it's explanation of fate versus free will in human beliefs. The Iliad is often interpreted by many scholars as a representation of the spoils and shortcomings of ancient war, and by others as a criticism of war and humanity itself. Although the tale only covers the final weeks of a ten year war, those final moments convey the actions and consequences of human error in agonizing detail. The story is told in books, a written collection of a once ancient oral tradition, and has been passed down by word of mouth through generations of rhapsodes. Because of this tradition, The Iliad is undoubtedly important to ancient Greek history. No other texts in the Western world of literature convey so central a concept of

Related Papers

Reile Slattery

The Extent of Destiny: Gods, People, and Fate in The Iliad Reile Slattery, Pepperdine University What is the true extent of destiny? For thousands of years, people have struggled to determine the roles and proportions of free will and fate in human lives. In The Iliad, Homer writes of a continuous struggle between the mortal Greeks and Trojans, along with constant conflict among the gods. Immortals interject themselves into human affairs more often than not, and the bits of wisdom they share frequently have huge effects on the outcome of wars and on the lives of individuals. The Iliad depicts characters who struggle with the concept of fate by questioning, fighting, and accepting their destinies. Though the ancient Greeks had a complicated view of fate's function, analyzing Homer's ideas is important to the modern reader who hopes to gain some understanding of destiny as a timeless concept. In The Iliad, how is fate viewed by soldiers in war, and how is fate treated by the g...

Barbara Graziosi

Michael Kenneth Wilson

This is a summary of all 24 chapters of the Iliad, followed by some of my concluding observations.

Marek Wecowski

Efstratios Sarischoulis

Stephen Shivone

IPS Homer / Virgil 11 May 2009 Signs of Order in the Iliad Beneath the splendid and glittering surfaces of the poetry of the Iliad, the beauty of the heroes and gods, one easily senses chaos. This shadow of chaos lies in the background for the most part. When a warrior dies, for instance, we are usually told that a mist of darkness clouds his eyes, a formula either evoking the obscure realm into which men pass when they die, or the finality of a death beyond which there is nothing. The poem is marked by a dim but persistent consciousness that just beneath the surface of life lies a dark abyss that threatens to engulf what little there is of human happiness and pleasure. But the shadow also moves in the foreground of the poem. History itself appears to bear no meaningful pattern, but to consist of “constant aimless alternations of glory and misery,” as C.S. Lewis said. Zeus intends to visit tears and sufferings on both Danaans and Trojans alike and he even remarks on how dismal the l...

Adrian Kelly

This article replies to an attempt by P. J. Finglass ('The Ending of Iliad 7' Philologus 150 (2006) 187–97) to cast doubt on the authenticity of Il. 7. 466–77, by addressing his arguments on Homeric technique and language, and placing the passage within the broader social and economic contexts of the epic world.

RELATED PAPERS

Marie-christine Maurel

Yunfang Yang

Rik Leemans

Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology

Jan Janousek

Journal of the American Ceramic Society

ALISSON CABRAL RODRIGUES

Constellations

Emanuela A V Fornari

Kunstzeitung

J. Emil Sennewald

Indian J. Chem. Technol

Palanivelu Kandasamy

Mikael Stenmark

Journal of Development and Capital

Maya Koronyo-hamaoui

SSRN Electronic Journal

Michael Perlin

Neurobiology of Disease

christian schmeer

Tempo Presente

Paolo Lombardi

laouissi Naziha

HAFIZ KHIZAR HAYAT bset-fa17-080

Digital Signal Processing

jose antonio martinez

Liesbet Van den Bruel

Journal of Scientific Research, Education, and Technology (JSRET)

tria wahyuningrum

Developmental Psychology

Carla Lucia Contreras Garcia

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine

Melissa Brewer

Rosana Sifuentes Machado

arXiv (Cornell University)

Bryan Van Scoy

Molecular Catalysis

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies

Marwan Abu-Hijleh

See More Documents Like This

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024