Comparing Homer 's Iliad With Wolfgang Petersen 's Film Troy Essay

Religion is a major cultural factor in both epics as gods and goddesses are a daily presence in people's lives and have great influences on them. In the Iliad, the gods were called more to intervene the mortals' affairs than they were in the Odyssey. In the Iliad, the gods are portrayed as deceptive, volatile, and conniving as there were a lot of sneaking behind one another's backs to aid one side over the other. For example, Hera wanted the Achaeans to win, but Zeus tries to remain neutral. In result, some of the god's plot to put him to sleep so they could help the Achaeans win. It appeared as though the battlefield was a theatrical play and the mortals were their puppets. The extent of their generosity was even exposed. The priest of Apollo, Chryses, stated, "Hear me, lord of the silver

epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, and was it a good movie from a critical point of

In ancient Greek culture the gods were seen as taking a very active role in the development and course of human history.  The entire Olympian pantheon, as well as many other less important divinities, meddles in human affairs to no end.  The people of the many city-states that composed Greece firmly believed that every aberration from normalcy was due to an act of the gods.  Homer, the author of The Iliad, coined the prevalent religious beliefs of the time in his epic poems, showing the gods as temperamental and willful, meddlesome and dynamic.  Homer’s entire poem is replete with instances of divine intervention in mortal lives, and no single major occurrence comes to pass unless it is the will of one of the many Olympian gods.  Few major decisions are made without consulting the gods first, and the handful of instances in which one leader or another takes initiative almost always fails miserably.  Life, according to the Greeks, is almost entirely rooted in their religion, as there is a god or goddess governing every aspect of the universe, and also because the gods so actively involve themselves in the everyday lives of mortals.

Narratives need to have well-developed characters. As authors and translators do revisions and translations, they often change things in a piece, most often how the plot runs and how the characters act. Greek mythology has a strong idea of what makes a hero as well as certain ideals of honor and war. This essay will be looking at the character changes of Paris of Troy -- his cowardice, unmanliness, and lack of spirit -- through the novel The Iliad, by Homer, and the movie Troy, directed by Wolfgang Petersen.

The Greeks in the Iliad believe in many gods. Each god has a specific “power” or “gift” that is

The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic. The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled. The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice over nature, mortals, and even each other.

The gods were more involved in the Iliad than in the movie Troy. In the Iliad they manipulated people’s emotions, the weather, the outcomes of battle; they would disguise themselves to trick the characters into the move they wanted them to make, physically trip them up to give the opponent a better standing. In the movie the gods had no visible role they were more of a believe system and a thought process. The characters believed that there were signs from the gods letting them know how to proceed. An example of this is when determining wither to go into battles after a farmer saw a sparrow with a snake

Great pieces of artwork sometimes reflect ideologies of other works in a unique manner. For this reason, this paper looks at the similarities that are apparent in the Coen brothers’ film, O Brother Where Art Thou? and the epic Greek poem, The Odyssey, by Homer. In particular, special reference is given to the protagonists Ulysses in the movie and Odysseus in the poem. Without doubt, one is forced to associate the concept of the movie made in 2000 to that of the great epic poem, which is a work written around 700 B.C.

Regardless of the time frame, Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s epic the Iliad share both a copious amount of similarities and differences. For example, many common themes such as heroism, fate, and destiny are apparent in both works. Within the Aeneid and the Iliad, it is seen that the wars going on during that time were glorious that is why the role of gods were significant in leading both Aeneas and Achilles and influencing fate. In both texts, it is clear from the beginning that the role of the gods is to make Aeneas and Achilles fulfill their journey The Iliad focuses on the end of the Trojan War and the damaging power, while the Aeneid is focused during the aftermath of the war and underlies the foundation for the new civilization. This paper will address and argue the comparison of the role of gods and how each of the authors representation of the gods have influence on the lives of mortals.

As the last scene of movie Troy fades, we see the words “inspired by Homer’s “The Iliad””. There is no doubt that the Iliad is one of the greatest poems of all time and, therefore, it has inspired multiple works of art over almost three thousand years of its existence. One of these works is the film Troy, which attempts to make an adaptation that reflects the Greek culture and appeals to the modern audience at the same time. In this essay Troy will be compared with the Iliad through examination of time spans, intended audiences, portrayals of Helen, Achilles and Hector, main themes of both sources and conveyed messages.

The gods in the Iliad are manifested not just to have a direct hand in the lives of mortals, but moreover to be picky about whom they would like to help. Greek religion held powers and fears of all kinds so therefore the reasons behind their motivation and resolutions is not like the modern Christian notion where they think that whoever deserves to have the honor will be it. From what I have read to see, its gods were within the world, one that they did not create. Power such as gods, spirits and nymphs did not die but yet were born. The Greek gods were immortal and had a long life with all

Over the thousands of years that the epic story the Iliad has survived, there has no doubt been some form of alteration to Homer’s original. Last May, Wolfgang Petersen directed a movie based on the Iliad. This movie, Troy, has proven to be a very loose adaptation of Homer’s original, as are almost all stories that are made into movies, unfortunately. With its timeless storyline, amazing scenery, gorgeous actors/actresses and most of all, its reported two hundred million dollar budget, it is easy to see why Troy was hyped up to be a box office hit. However, the film critics were harsh on this movie, as they had every right to be, and it ended up being a total flop. Compared to Homer’s Iliad, Troy is rather

Over the thousands of years that the epic story the Iliad has survived, there has no doubt been some form of alteration to Homer's original. Last May, Wolfgang Petersen directed a movie based on the Iliad. This movie, Troy, has proven to be a very loose adaptation of Homer's original, as are almost all stories that are made into movies, unfortunately. With its timeless storyline, amazing scenery, gorgeous actors/actresses and most of all, its reported two hundred million dollar budget, it is easy to see why Troy was hyped up to be a box office hit. However, the film critics were harsh on this movie, as they had every right to be, and it ended up being a total flop. Compared to Homer's Iliad, Troy is rather disappointing. But, to be

Homer’s Iliad does not fail to portray the role of the gods in the Trojan war and it also includes several magical elements within the poem. However, in the 2004 movie Troy, these significant elements are rather neglected. In addition, some of the history of the characters are changed in the film, resulting in a change of plot. Nevertheless, the portrayal of the characters, gods and magical elements in the epic and the film differentiate from each other in a multitude of ways. The differences between the two are definitely worth pointing out and discussing.

Homer’s epic The Iliad, is a great tale of war and glory. It takes place during the last year of the ten year Greek-Trojan war. The Greeks have been fighting with the Trojans for quite some time, and just when peace seemed like a possibility, the youngest prince of Troy, Paris, acts out selfishly and steals the beautiful wife of Menelaus, Helen. This instigates the fighting again. Throughout The Iliad, Homer tells of two heroes, both similar, but also very different in their character; the great and powerful Greek, Achilles, and the strong, loving father, Prince Hector of Troy. In Homer’s The Iliad, Hector and Achilles differ as heroes in regards to pride, duty, and family love, the latter being self-centered and prideful, while the