I am certain that attempting to win a war or a battle is
difficult all on its own, especially in the days of the Trojan War when
everything is hand-to-hand combat.
However, the added struggle between the gods and their favor towards
certain sides adds a whole other element to the picture. I always knew that the gods took sides in the
Trojan War, and that I would learn more about it when reading The Iliad. However, I had no idea how large of a role
the immortals played, even in single fights between men. In book 16, the gods seem to be the ones
deciding who will win the battle, and not the men who are fighting and
dying.
“Then it was Phoebus met thee there in the terrible
conflict, dreadful god! Unmarked by Patroclus he entered the tumult, seeing he
joined the encounter with thick mist mantled about him, stopped behind him, and
smote him full on the back and broad shoulder-smote with the flat of his hand;
and dazed were the eyes of Patroclues.
Also the helmet was struck from his head by Phoebus Apollo; . . . Zeus’s
son, sovereign Apollo, loosened also his corselet. Then on his heart fell
blindness, his glorious limbs were relaxed; There he stood in a daze.
Here, Apollo is clearly the reason that Patroclus eventually
ends up dead, even though it is Hector who strikes Patroclus in the belly with
his javeline. I just think that it is
completely unfair that’s the gods are being so frivolous with the lives of the
humans. However, if I was an Athenian citizen listening to this story when it
was first told, I would feel differently.
Could it be that what the gods do is good and just because they are the
gods and they did it, or do they think that a certain action is good, and so
they do it. This is close to what Plato’s
dialogue Euthyphro asks, and it really has me thinking about the actions of the
god in the Iliad.
The gods were, well, gods and people thought that no matter
they did was good. However, according to
Plato, if the gods don’t agree on everything then their actions could be
considered good and also bad at the same time.
Then that makes me wonder if Patroclus dying is good for the Trojans, or
bad, or for that matter whether it is good or bad for the whole world. From a Christian standpoint, I know that
everything that my God does is good, but when you bring multiple deities into
the picture, it makes everything more confusing. In a way, Patroclus dies without knowing
whether that is the right thing to happen, or then wrong thing, according to
certain gods. I would hate to go through
my life knowing that the gods could change their mind or fight about my fate
for either better or worse! I’m sure
glad I have one God who has my best interest in mind!
p.s. I commented on Josh Spell's The Humanness of Epics
It is my personal opinion that because there are multiple gods, there actions can be good and bad, butt putting that aside I don't think the gods decide the outcome of the war. Everything is bound by fate; the war, the people, and even the gods, so therefore it was already decided that Patroklos would die, it was just a matter of how, and i don't think it was a problem that Patroklos' death came about as a result of a god's actions just as long as it was in line with fate. I do agree that the gods are being frivolous with the lives of the humans, but they are doing so in the same way that kids are frivolous with the lives of ants, the gods just don't see humans as being real important, unless that human is one of there offspring.
ReplyDeleteIf you think that is unfair, take a look at books 4-5. The gods actually step onto the battlefield. Athena, the god of wisdom steps helps the Achaeans, while Ares, the god of war, aids the Trojans. The greek gods are nothing to be afraid of. If they were, then the Iliad would end at book 4 because Ares would have killed all the Achaeans with a single blow. But that would not make good literature now would it? ;) No, the gods have limited power. And like we said in class today: even the gods have fates.
ReplyDelete