Fate : The True Agent

Zeus also shows no mercy to mortals in The Iliad. His own son, Sarpedon, was allowed to die at the hands of Patroclus while Zeus looked on, unwilling to break fate and save even his own son. Zeus was debating whether or not to take him from the battlefield, but Hera convinced him by expressing the feelings other gods would have, namely anger. She told him that he would not be praised and that other gods would possibly take their loved ones out of battle as well. Zeus was confined to his own sorrow because he was not willing to take his son out of the battle. Zeus was able, however, to have Apollo take his body from the battlefield and take him back to Lykia, where he could be buried as a hero.

When we look at depictions of free will in regards to Achilles, we can see that his reputation throughout the territory is well-known, bringing fear to Trojans and inspiration to the Greeks. Despite his reputation being earnt through war and strength, Achilles would not be remembered for this. Malouf presents to us the raw, vulnerable side of Achilles with his mourning for Patroclus. The very act of dragging Hector’s body each morning behind his chariot “… breaks daily every rule [his men] … have been taught to live by.  Their only explanation is that he is mad” (p.29). However, we can see the gods do not interfere with Achilles desecration by taking Hector’s body, instead they return the body to an untarnished state, adding to Achilles rage (p.31) Priam’s arrival to Achilles camp is an autonomous act as he wishes to ransom “myself as well as my son” linking back to the small child Podarces who was ransom in himself. This highlights Priam’s

Throughout the Iliad, death is a theme that readers encounter frequently because this poem confronts the fact that everyone is destined to die. Because Kleos, meaning ultimate glory, is something that is worth fighting for, characters like Sarpedon and Hector die in order to battle honorably by the side of the Trojans and to protect them from Agamemnon. Because of this, these characters can be seen as heroes because of the glory they’ve achieved. However, it can be unclear as to what drove Patroclus to his death and why, especially when it could be because of intervenients of Gods or just Achilles not being present in the war. Although Patroclus was gruesomely killed by Hector’s spear, what really drove Patroclus to his death and to be in

They can disrupt the war whenever they feel is best. Since Zeus promises to help the Trojans he finds several ways corrupt the efforts of the Archaeans (Book II). Hera sees men fleeing to their ship after Agamemnon fakes a forfeit, and Athena convinces Odysseus to call back the men (Book II). Aphrodite also saves Paris from death against Menelaus. In all of these instances, the mortals could have had different outcomes without the intervention of the gods. The gods’ favored sides also aid in the successes and failures of the war. For example, Apollo helps the Archaeans by wounding Patroclus so that Hector can kill him (Book 16). Additionally, Apollo gets Zeus to tell Thetis to negotiate with Achilles about getting Hector’s body as a ransom (Book 24). It comes to show that the gods can easily manipulate the mortals to do anything they ask. In athletic competitions, such as the one that Achilles holds after Patroclus’ funeral, Diomedes wins with the help of Athena (Book 23).

“then Father Zeus held out his sacred golden scales:” (Iliad, 22, line 249). The scales illustrate the doomed fate of Hector, the glorious son of Priam. This highlights the resonating theme of the Iliad: predestined fate. The opening statement of The Iliad contains the phrase "the will of Zeus," and this reflects the Greek's belief that man is in the grip of forces that he cannot control.  It is another way of saying that all things are fated and not in the hands of man. In the Iliad, characters struggle with the concept of fate by debating, fighting, and accepting their destiny. Time and again, we are reminded how it is hopeless to escape fate.

Achilles full of rage, goes to his mother and begs her to ask Zeus to punish the Greeks. As soon as Chryses is reunited with his daughter, he asks Apollo to lift the plagues from the Greeks, Apollo hears him, and lifts the plagues. The Greeks now have another problem to deal with , ever since Agamemnon and Achilles got in that argument, Achilles has withdrawn from the battle. Not only that but After Achilles went to his mother Thetis, she went to Zeus and asked him to punished the Greeks. Zeus finally agrees and gives his favor to the Trojans, this does not look good for the Greeks. After a lot of fighting, the Greeks almost leaving altogether, the war almost ending, and the gods favor going back and forth between the Trojans and Greeks, it is almost time to bring back the main character who has been away for quite some time. Patroclus, Achilles dear friend comes in one day weeping like a child, because of all the death and suffering the Greeks are going through. When Achilles asks why he is sobbing, and Patroclus tell him, he begs Achilles to go out in battle and save the

At the beginning of Book XVI we find the Gods Zeus and his wife Hera, discussing whether they should save Zeus’s son Saredon, who is also a Trojan ally. Zeus struggles with the fact that he is not able to mess with his son’s fate to keep him alive, because he knows if he does this it will make the other Gods upset as well. “Son of Cronus, what a thing to say? A mortal man, whose fate has long been fixed, And you want to save him from rattling death? Do it. But don’t expect all of us to approve. Listen to me. If you send Sarpedon home alive, You will have to expect other gods to do the same And save their own sons – and there are many of them.” (Book XVI: lines 477-483).

In the Greek world, there was a group of women called the Moirai, or the Fates. They were described as elderly and really ugly to look at. The Fates were three sisters who dealt with incarnations of destiny and life. In other words, they dealt with fate. Fate is described as the development of events beyond a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. In relation, the Fates each have a role in which they determine a mortal’s fate. There are many complications figuring out who their parents are; it’s between Nyx and Erebus or of Zeus and Themis. Although the Fates have control over one’s destiny and life, nevertheless they are important because they worked with some gods, Zeus approved of them, and they had the ability to control the thread of life of every mortal from birth to death.

Carrying out this request, Zeus will be shaping the fate of the Trojans and Achaeans. The war will have a definite outcome unlike if the gods do not interfere. But as Zeus is the god of all gods he has the right to change the course of things as he pleases. Seeing that Thetis had to ask Zeus to carry out Achilles’ request, it seems to me that Zeus is the only god who is able to make drastic decisions while other gods have to bring the request to him before making decisions. Having a definite outcome of a situation is something that is far beyond any mortals’ control. With the help of the gods the Trojans will win the war even if they do not deserved it.

The will of the gods in Greek mythology determined the fate and destiny of events. According to Homer, Zeus promised Thetis to giver victory to the Trojans over the Achaeans in honor of his son Achilles (Homer, 2009). The promise was based on the pride of Achilles who wished to humiliate Agamemnon after Agamemnon similarly humiliated him. The promise that was made by Zeus to Thetis was therefore to allow the Trojans to defeat the Achaeans in battle in order for Achilles to gain honor. Achilles brother decided to go into battle and was killed

Throughout the Iliad, death is a theme that readers encounter frequently because this poem confronts the fact that everyone is destined to die. Because Kleos, meaning ultimate glory, is something that is worth fighting for, characters like Sarpedon die in order to battle honorably by the side of the Trojans and to protect them from Agamemnon. Because of this, Sarpedon can be seen as a hero because of the glory he has achieved. In any case, it can be controversial in the matter of what drove Patroclus to his death and why, particularly when it could be a direct result of intervenients of Gods or just Achilles not being present in war. In spite of the fact that Patroclus was horrifyingly slaughtered by Hector's lance, what truly drove Patroclus to his demise and to be in that circumstance? In view of all that, it is clear that Patroclus himself is the reason for his passing. Also, though he is battling with the Greeks, it is impossible for Patroclus to leave the fight alive on the grounds that he is physically defective as he can not be compared with Achilles. Battling in substitution of Achilles while murdering Trojans caused fury and outrage becoming within him, coming to a point that it can be reflected to the rage of Achilles, which shapes The Iliad. Patroclus' fury blinds him from the possibility of death coming, even subsequent to getting notices about what can happen when fate and the Gods are disregarded.

Throughout the Iliad, fate and death are themes that readers encounter frequently because this poem confronts the fact that everyone is destined to die. Because Kleos, meaning ultimate glory, is something that is worth fighting for, characters in the poem die in order to battle respectively to protect their people from the opposing side. Because of this, they can be seen as heroes because of the glory they achieve. In any case, it can be controversial in the matter of what drove Patroclus to his death and why, particularly when it could be a direct result of intervenients of Gods or just Achilles not being present in war. In spite of the fact that Patroclus was horrifyingly slaughtered by Hector's lance, what could possible drive Patroclus to his demise and to be in that circumstance? In view of all that, it is clear that Patroclus himself is the reason for his passing. Also, though he is battling with the Greeks, it is impossible for Patroclus to leave the fight alive on the grounds that he is physically defective as he can not be compared with Achilles. Battling in substitution of Achilles while murdering Trojans caused fury and outrage becoming within him, coming to a point that it can be reflected to the rage of Achilles, which shapes The Iliad. Patroclus' anger takes control where he doesn’t realize the possibility of death coming, even after getting notices about what can happen when fate and the Gods are disregarded.

Fate is a contradictory force in many societies both today and in early Greek culture. Some people believe that our life is predetermined, whereas others fall into the belief that decisions guide ones path. Fate is defined as a power thought to control all events and impossible to resist. Through the tales of Homer, we are revealed the role fate played in the everyday life of Greek heroes. Through closely analyzing the alterations of Homeric tales, Alessandro Baricco’s An Iliad and Gareth Hinds’ The Odyssey, we are revealed how fate replaces the role of the gods by driving characters towards death, glory and heroism.

Fate and destiny are powerful concepts especially when one is referring to his life. Whenever something fortunate happens we credit our hard work and perseverance while on the other hand one wrong decision and we end up against an obstacle or we get puzzled or end up in a situation we least expected it is our obligation to just move on and calm the heart saying it was destiny's call. Now we, the people of subcontinent have mastered this trick so well that it is applied in each and every situation no matter how much wrecked we are. So it was the most crucial part of life as the time had come to opt for a career and for that a suitable and more importantly a renowned university. So like all the conventional students an academy was chosen and along with

Thetis, a sea nymph or water goddess and also Achilles mother, attempts to advise him against it even though she knows it is fated for them to fight and for his death to come after killing hector. There is nothing she can do because she knows that it has been fated. tries to persuade him to not fight Hector but knowing all along that he will fight any way and die after killing Hector because although she is a Goddess fate has decided his death to follow him killing Hector. Fate is such an ultimate power, not even the gods can change it as we see here and also with zues son Sparedon. Zeus his always seen with such power and greatness but even he becomes to the all influence of