Apollo

The Roles of the Gods in Greek Myth In Greek myth, there are many deities who specialize in different realms. According to Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound and Homer’s Iliad, Greek gods do not only have power, but also have interactions with humans. Most of Greek deities make themselves or their intent known to humans through direct communication and indirect punishment. Zeus punishes Prometheus, the creator and protector of the mortals, for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to the human beings. Zeus, the king of the Gods, rules the world by his own laws.

Although Prometheus is one of the most intelligent Titans and takes Zeus’s side in the Titanomachy, he cannot avoid being punished for the violation of Zeus’s will. After Zeus wins the war against the Titans, he plans to destroy humans completely and create another race (Aesch. Pro. 229-237). Since Prometheus opposes Zeus and shows excessive stubbornness and pride, Zeus demands that his servants, Strength and Violence, chain Prometheus to a mountain to show his power. Gods also communicate with human beings. For example, in Iliad, Athena comes down and tries to make peace between Agamemnon and Achilles.

During the war between the Achaeans and Trojans, Achilles, one of the Achaean’s most important warriors, is angry with the commander Agamemnon for taking away his reward, Briseis, and stops fighting for the Achaeans. Athena hates the Trojans, so she talks with Achilles to convince him to stop fighting with Agamemnon and join the battle (Hom. Il. 1. 241-251). In addition, Athena gives the Achaean hero Diomedes incredible strength and the ability to see the gods so that Diomedes can be more powerful in the war (Hom. Il. 5. 1-3).

She also encourages Diomedes and warns him not to challenge the gods except Aphrodite (Hom. Il. 5. 136-137). Although the Greek gods communicate with humans and help them in some ways, they are actually not morally upright. Most of time, they make decisions based on their own interests. Almost all the Greek gods are involved in the outcome of Trojan War, which was originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera and Aphrodite. Zeus promises to help the Trojans not out of any profound moral consideration but rather because he owes Achilles’s mother Thetis a favor (Hom.

Il. 1. 600-609). Hera and Athena passionately hate the Trojans, so they work together to help the Achaeans recover from their retreat. Hera even seduces Zeus so that she can help the Achaeans behind his back (Hom. Il. 14. 283-289). In addition, the River Xanthus is very angry when Achilles kills so many Trojans, whose corpses are choking him. But in the fight between Xanthus and Achilles, Poseidon, the god of sea, comes to help Achilles because he holds a grudge against the Trojans, who never paid him back for helping them build their city.

Because of the Greek gods’ involvement in the Trojan War, it becomes quite chaotic. None of them are impartial or fair to both sides of the war. They are very emotional and always try to fight against the people they hate. The same type of behavior occurs in Prometheus Bound. Zeus has no pity or concern for others. He sent eagles to attack Prometheus repeatedly (Aesch. Pro. 1022-1025). Still, he decides to free Prometheus finally because Prometheus agrees to offer him an oracle. Therefore, the Greek gods are selfish and do not obey a moral code at all.

Zeus is not morally upright; however, as the king of the Olympian gods, he plays an important role in both divine and human interactions. The main theme of Homer’s Iliad is the wrath of Achilles. Though Achilles refuses to fight against the Trojans because of Agamemnon’s disrespect, he returns to the battle finally. This largely depends on Zeus, who is one of the moderators in this story. He agrees to punish the Achaeans when Achilles’s mother Thetis asks him to do so, which abates Achilles’s rage. In most parts of the story, Zeus stays impartial and keeps other gods from intervening in the war.

In addition, Zeus, as the symbol of authority and justice, never comes down onto the battlefield to interfere with the mortal conflicts, in contrast to the rest of the gods who fight for what they favor. For instance, Apollo and Artemis, who support the Trojans in the war, often give aid to the city of Troy. Zeus acts as a balance through the entire war. Since he is subordinate to Fates, he keeps the gods in order and prevents them from violating the Fates. Zeus allows some gods to go to the battlefield after Apollo joins the battle because he doesn’t want the Achaeans to win earlier than they are supposed to.

Throughout the Trojan War, Zeus is the director who keeps the war move along the right track. He mostly remains neutral and plays a vital role in the divine and human interactions. The divine interactions between Zeus and other gods are related to human affairs. These connections can be found in the relationship between king and subjects, male and female. All the Greek deities need to obey Zeus’s rules because he is the king of the gods, a powerful tyrant. However, Prometheus is an exception. He gives fire to mankind and is so stubborn that he refuses to make peace with Zeus (Aesch.

Pro. 167-175). As a result, he is chained to a mountain, where other gods can see how humiliating he is. Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaean army is also selfish and arrogant, which is the same as Zeus. When one of his valuable warriors Achilles challenges his leadership, Agamemnon is so angry that he takes away Achilles’s reward (Hom. Il. 1. 378-382). So it is obvious that no matter in the Greek mythology or real world, the king always is endowed with power that he can control his territory and get whatever he wants.

But there is a little different in the standing of male and female. Unlike ordinary women, the Greek female deities do have some power; for instance, Hera is the goddess of marriage and women fertility; Aphrodite is the goddess of sexual attraction. While in mankind, Homer describes women as useless containers. Since they only consume food and do not produce, they are inferior and not able to speak their wills or make any decisions. In Iliad, Chryseis and Briseis, a pair of beautiful maidens is honored to Agamemnon and Achilles separately.

When Chryseis’s father tries his best to get his daughter back, Agamemnon replaces Chryseis with Achilles’s lover Briseis. Chryseis and Briseis are treated as objects. Homer does not mention any of their words in the book because no one cares how they actually feel except their parents. Overall, the similarities between divine interactions and human affairs are that the kings are always powerful and the female is subservient to the male. Though Iliad is a story about ancient heroes, gods and goddesses, it does reflect the values and conditions of Greek society at that time.

Iliad was written around eighth century BC, the Archaic Period in Greek history. The main transition is the rise of polis and colonization in Greek society. In the book, all the gods are leaded by Zeus and obey his rules, which reflects that each polis has its own ruler who is not morally upright and tends to set up dictatorships, raise armies and attack other polies to expand his influence. Additionally, the human relationships are not well if we consider the relationship between Zeus and Hera. In the Trojan War, Hera absolutely backs up the Achaeans.

So when Thetis asks Zeus to help the Trojans, he is hesitated; however, he finally agrees because he owes her (Hom. Il. 1. 619-635). Hera hears that and asks Zeus what’s his plan, but Zeus replies that she will be the first to know whatever is right for her (Hom. Il. 1. 644-660). So Hera is very angry and decides to seduce Zeus in order to help the Achaeans behind his back. From the myth, we can find that there is hardly any trust or promise between husband and wife. So it’s possible that husband and wife in real Greek family may cheat each other for different reasons.

Furthermore, Zeus promises Thetis that he will give Achilles more glories, which reflects that honor can be one of the most important subjects during that time. People want glory so that they can be powerful in the society. In conclusion, the Greek gods always have power in different areas, but they still are not as powerful as Zeus who rules the world. They use different ways to show their power to the human beings, such as communication and punishment. However, these Greek gods including Zeus are not morally upright. They act on their own selfish purposes and sometimes cheat each other to get what they want.

As the king of the gods, Zeus is crucial in the human and divine interactions. He can control the war and make those who challenge his authority like Prometheus to suffer. The depiction of the gods and divine interactions actually provides a realistic view of human conditions. The rise of polis and colonization are the important themes in the Archaic Period. The king of the polis always has strong power and makes decisions based on his will. The warriors and leaders are usually male because women are considered to be useless and inferior, which is a little contrast to the Greek myth.

The movie Troy written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen was inspired by The Iliad, an ancient Greek poem about the time of warrior Achilles argument with King Agamemnon during the Trojan War. Some events the film where taken straight from the Iliad, and is at times the two stories are very similar to one another. However there are several major differences between them, as Troy the movie was made to appealing to twenty first century audiences, where as the Iliad was meant to appeal to Greeks in the eighth century BC.

The difference in time, culture, and format between the movie and the Iliad make differences such as the gods roles and time the stories covered, are necessary to allow both to be understood and interesting by their audience, and where producible at the time. Time difference. The Iliad only tells part of the story of the Trojan War, covering only a few weeks during the war. The Iliad begins nine years after the start of the war, during the final year of the war.

However the movie begins before the Trojan War, and continues through to the end of the war. The movie aims to give more of an overview of the events leading to and during the war, where as the Iliad only focuses on a small piece of the full story. When hearing the Iliad the ancient Greeks would have known the rest of the story about the Trojan War, as it was part of their culture, they would have heard the stories from the time they were very young.

Because of this the Iliad did not need to explain why the Trojans and Greeks where at war, as its audience would already know what had happened before the Iliad, and they would also know what happens after the Iliad. Modern audiences on the other hand have not grown up hearing tales of the Trojan War, it is not part of our culture, and so most people watching troy would not already know how the war started, or who the different characters are. Because of this the movie begins by introducing some of important characters, the warrior Achilles and king Agamemnon, leader of the Greek kingdoms.

The first scene of the film lets the audience know who king Agamemnon is and how powerful he is. It also shows how Achilles and Agamemnon feel about one another. Referring to Achilles King Agamemnon says “Of all the warlords loved by the gods, I hate him the most. ” Later in the scene when speaking about Agamemnon Achilles says “He’s not my king. ” This sets up the ill feelings between the two, which is very important in the rest of the movie, as well as in the Iliad.

The movie then continues to explain why the Trojan War began, and introduces the rest of the main characters before showing the beginning of the war. This allows its audience to understand what is happening in the movie without already having knowledge about the war and the characters in it. The movie also continues on after the end of the Iliad, which ends with the King of troy, Priam getting his son, Hector’s body back from Achilles, who had killed him and taken the body back to the Greek camp.

The movie however continues on passed this point, going on to show the end of the war. This was changed because the film amid to give an overview of the whole war, if it ended the same as the Iliad modern audiences would most likely have felt confused by the ending, and would want to know what happened afterwards. To the modern audience it would seem like a strange place to end, as they would expect the main conflict of the film, the Trojan War, to be solved before the movie ends.

The length of the Trojan War is also changed in the Movie, in the Iliad the war has already been going for nine years, implying it was a long hard struggle for the Greeks to take Troy. In comparison the movie makes it appear as though the entire war lasted a number of weeks. The ancient Greeks would have known about war, as it was part of their culture, and would find it believable that the war between two such strong armies, with Troy’s strong walls to protect them would take time, they also knew the Iliad was only part of what happened, and they had other stories about the rest of the war.

Modern audiences however, especially in western culture do not have war as a large part of their culture, so are happy to believe the war lasted only a few weeks. The movie also did not have time to explain what happened in the nine years before, and as it does not really affect the storyline of the movie or Iliad it would have been easier to cut it out, then try to explain to the audience how much time had passed between events. The role of the Gods The role of the gods differs greatly between the movie and the poem.

In the Iliad the Olympic Gods and Goddesses play a major role in the lives of the characters, and the outcome of the war. The Gods continuously intervene in the characters lives, hugely involving themselves in all the main events in the Iliad. For example in the Iliad when Paris a prince of Troy, fights Menelaus, king Agamemnon’s brother, for the beautiful Helen, the Goddess Aphrodite intervenes to save Paris when she see’s he is losing: “Aphrodite hid Paris in a dense mist and whisked him away. There are many other examples in the Iliad of Gods becoming involved in the Trojan War, such as when Zeus, the king of the gods, persuades king Agamemnon to launch a full scale attack on Troy in a dream, and later when it looks like the war might be over Athena convinces a Trojan archer to fire at Menelaus to anger the Greeks and make sure the war continues. Smaller deities are also involved in the Iliad, such as the spirit of a river called Xanthus, which was near Troy.

The river is on the side of the Trojans, and when Achilles killed many Trojan solders in and near the river, the river “raised a high wave and attacked him … The great and terrible wave gathered about Achilles, falling upon him and beating on his shield, so that he could not keep his feet. ” Achilles was saved by the rivers anger by another deity, Hephaestus, god of metal work, who boiled the river. In the Iliad Achilles mother, Thetis, is also a deity, she is a river nymph, who convinces Hephaestus to make Achilles new armor after Hector takes his old armor.

The continued presence and intervention by the Gods in the Iliad is very different in the Movie. In the movie only one deity, Thetis, is ever seen. It is not inertly clear in the movie if she is a goddess, though it seems more likely that she is not one. A boy who wakes Achilles for battle mentions a rumor he heard about her, saying “They say your mother is an immortal goddess” the only time we see Thetis in the movie keeping with her being a river nymph she is standing walking in the ocean, collecting shells.

However apart from this she appears to be mortal, as there is nothing godly about her, she looks like an older women, which you would not expect if she was an immortal nymph, but makes sense if she is Achilles mortal mother. Thetis only appears the movie once, near the beginning, before Achilles goes to Troy, to prophesize that if Achilles goes to Troy he will die there. The rest of the gods are never shown in the movie, although they are mentioned.

The film makes it clear the Greeks and Trojans believe in the gods, at one point Achilles has his men ransack a temple of sun god Apollo, one of his followers Eudorus tells Achilles “Apollo sees everything. Perhaps it is not wise to offend him. ” However Achilles does not care and cuts the head off a statue of Apollo. The Trojan king Priam asks a priest of Apollo for advice before he goes to battle, listening to the priest, as he believes the man is “a servant of the gods. ” And that the signs the priest sees are from the gods, telling him what will happen. Achilles also speaks of the gods, but not in as kind a light as the others, when briam

The illiad book 1 Who is the king of the Achaens Who is the best warriar Where are they making war What was the reason for this war Who were the prices for achiles and Agamemnon (the girls) Who is chryses Why was there a plague? Who is archilles mom what is she the god of and what favor doeshe ask of her Odyssey book one and 2 Who is Poseidon why is he mad at odyssey Who is hermes What is the favor Athena ask poseidon Where is odyssey trapped and by whom? Wha does her name mean How does Penelope trick the suitors into marrying him Why does Athena dress up as mentes and who is telemechas

How does Athena protect telemachas and what journey does Telemachus go on Whaat does the two eagles mean that zeus brings down Aeneid book1 Y is juno mad at aeneas (two reasons) what does juno do for revenge who is god of wind who is the queen f carthage how does venus protect aeneas from juno book 1 bok 2 book 4 of metamorphoses what des metamorphoses mean wha does cupid do to Apollo, who does he fall in love with and what does she transform into what does apoll do that represents he will be with her forever which character did juno sleep with and what was the character turn into and for what reason?

What did mercury do to argus and what? What was his transformation and who turn him into ir Difference between magpies story and muses who won? Why were the perdies turned into mag pies. What were the mag pie stories about as well as the muses Who is Diana the goddess of The devine comedy What r the three real msdanes travel through As dante climbs the hill towards the light wha kind of animal blocks it? What are the other two animals he encounters? Who is the ghost that he encounters

Why does the ghost tell dante to come with him Where is dantes homeland What is a canticle Whatsa stanza Why is it called a comedy( 3 reasons) Who translated dantes work and year Who does dantes compare himself to? Who is Beatrice Dantes way with words whatdoes he compare himself to? The thousand and one nights. Who is the king of india Who is the king of shamarkand What is the vizier What is the reason for th eking of india to keep killing woman How did the vizier protect his daughter from getting her

Achilles

Motivation

• Fighting for personal honor

Knows that his fate leads him to death so he is willing to sacrifice his life so his name will be remembered Cared little about anything except for his own desire”…but this man’s ambition, remember, is to lead, to lord it over everyone, give orders to the rest of us!” (lines 337-340) ”Well, this time I make sail for home. Better to take now to my ships.

Why linger, cheated of winnings, to make wealth for you?” (lines 197-199). ”And let them both bear witness before the gods who living bliss, as before men who die, including this harsh king, if ever hereafter a need for me arises to keep the rest from black defeat and ruin” (lines 394-398). ”Thetis left her son still burning for the softly belted girl whom they had wrestled from him…” (lines 494-496) Loss of girl=loss of honor

”He tells the delegates that he has decided to return to his kingdom and live out his life in comfort, forgoing the honor of dying a hero’s death in battle” (246).

Vengeance

• Hector killed his best friend

”On hearing of Patroclus’s death, Achilles is overcome with grief and rage. Vowing to avenge his friend, he finally returns to the battle” (246) ”Hector, had you thought that you could kill Patroclus and be safe? Nothing to dread from me; I was not there. All childishness…The dogs and kites will rip your body. Hiss will lie in honor when the Achaeans give him funeral” (lines 392-400) ”Down by the ships Patroclus’s body lies unwept, unburied. I shall not forget him while I keep my feet among the living” (lines 458-460).

Actions Taken

• Strong temper/rage

“A pain like grief weighed on the son of Peleus, and in his shaggy chest this way and that the passion of his heart ran; should he draw longsword from hip, stand off the rest, and kill in single combat the great son of Atreus, or hold his rage in check and give it time?” (lines 220-225) “But now the son of Peleus turned on Agamemnon and lashed out at him, letting his anger ride in execration…” (lines 263-265) “On hearing of Patroclus’s death, Achilles is overcome with grief and rage. Vowing to avenge his friend, he finally returns to the battle, mercilessly slaying the Trojan forces”

Accuses Agamemnon of being a glory hound and trying to take more than his fair share “I have seen more action hand to hand in those assaults than you have, but when the time for sharing comes, the greater share is always yours” (lines 192-195).

• Sensitive when his pride is in jeopardy

“Eyes wet with tears, he spoke” (lines 412-414)
“Thetis left her son still burning for the softly belted girl whom they had wrestled from him…” (Lines 494-496)

Selfish/prideful

• puts his own needs above his army’s lives.

“Without Achilles’ help, the Greeks are at a serious disadvantage against the Trojans” (246) “Achilles’ immense pride is revealed as he stubbornly refuses to accept Agamemnon’s gifts” (246). “…he has decided to return to his kingdom and live out his life in comfort, forgoing the honor of dying a hero’s death in battle” (246) Torture’s Hector’s dead body

• disrespect/dishonor

Role/ Reaction of others

• Only his mom grieves for him

“Her eyes filled, an a tear fell as she answered” (line 476) His army respected him when he was in battle but he did not seem to have a close relationship to anyone but his mother and possibly his bet friend Patroclus Role of gods

• Hera favored the Greeks in general
• Athena was constantly by his side

“Then Athena, gray-eyed, to the son of Peleus, falling in with him, and near him, saying swiftly:‘Now at last I think the two of us, Achilles loved by Zeus, shall bring Achaeans triumph at the ships by killing Hector…” (lines 253-259) “As his tumult swayed him, as he slid the big blade slowly from the sheath, Athena came to him from the sky” (Lines 226-228) Apollo did not favor him

“Archer of heaven, deadliest of immortal gods, you put me off the track, turning me from the wall this way…you saved my enemies with ease and stole my glory, having no punishment to fear” (lines 18-24) Obeys the gods

“Die, make an end. I shall accept my own whenever Zeus and the other gods desire” (lines 435-436) “Nothing for it, goddess, but when you two immortals speak, a man complies…” (lines 253-255).

Hector

Motivation

• Duty and honor
• Protector of the people

“Hector returns to battle, fighting fiercely for the Trojans” (246) “…here you may fight on to save our Trojan men and women” (lines 66-67) Not motivated by what was best for him, but what was best for his country and his people

Actions Taken

• Selfless
• Would die for his people

“Now my soul would have me stand and fight, whether I kill you or am killed” (lines 298-299) Tried to make a pact of honor with Achilles
“So come, we’ll summon gods here as our witnesses, none higher, arbiters of a pact: I swear that, terrible you are, I’ll not insult your corpse should Zeus allow me victory in the end, your life as a prize . Once I have your gear, I’ll give your body back to Achaeans. Grant me,too, this grace” (lines 300-306). Examines ways to get out of conflict fear?

“Suppose, though, that I lay my shield and helm aside…and go to meet the noble Prince Achilles, promising Helen, promising with her all the treasures that Alexandros brought home by ship to Troy… Then I might add, apart from these, a portion of all the secret wealth the city owns” (lines 134-142) “ “These were his shifts of mood” (line 157)

• Runs away

“…and Hector, as he watched, began to tremble. Then he could hold his ground no more. He ran, leaving the gate behind him…” (Lines 164-165) cowardly not to fight

Role of Others/ Reaction of Others

• Everyone loves and cares for him

“If he brings you down, I shall no longer be allowed to mourn you laid out on your bed, dear branch in flower, born of me” (lines 103-106) “With tears and cries the two implored their son, and made their prayers again” (lines 109-110) “Child, I am lost now. can I bear my life after the death of suffering your death? You were my pride in all my nights and days, pride of the city, pillar to the Trojans and Trojan women” (lines 507-511). Role of the gods

• Apollo was on his side

“How could he run so long from death, had not Apollo for the last time, the very last, come near to give him stamina and speed” (lines 239-242) Zeus felt sympathetic towards him
“How sad that this beloved man is hunted around the wall before my eyes! My heart is touched for Hector;” (lines 200-203)

• Athena was against him

“Now at last I think the two of us, Achilles loved by Zeus, shall bring Achaeans triumph at the ships by killing Hector…” (lines 256-259)

• The gods choose his death

“This the end. The gods are calling deathward… Long ago this hour must have been to Zeus’s liking and to the liking of his archer son” (lines 351-358)

Similarities

• Both are driven by stubbornness

“Achilles’ immense pride is revealed as he stubbornly refuses to accept Agamemnon’s gifts” (246) “With tears and cries the two implored their son, and made their prayers again, but could not shake him. Hector stood firm…” (lines 109-111) Neither listen when a wise figure tells them who they are up against is more powerful “ …don’t try to hold your ground against this man, or soon you will meet the shock of doom, borne down by the son of Peleus.

He is more powerful by far than you, and pitiless” (lines 45-48) “Achilles, for your part, do not defy your King and Captain. No ones vies in honor with him who holds authority from Zeus. You have more prowess, for a goddess bore you; his power over men surpasses yours” (lines 327-332) Both are heroes in the eyes of their peers at one point

• Both have some pride in them

“Book 6 reveals to us Hector’s pride, for we learn that although he believes Troy is doomed, honor will not allow him to surrender” (246) “Now troops have perished for my foolish pride… He kept his pride and ost his men, this Hector” (lines 126-129” “Agamemnon, humiliated me! he has my prize by his own whim, for himself” (lines 411-413) Both are ruled by fate through the gods