Western Literature Week Nine－Midterm Exam

V. Essay

1.   What role does fate play in the emotional and psychological effect of The Iliad? Why does    
Homer make his characters aware of their impending dooms?

     

            Most of Homer’s audiences were really familiar with the story that The Iliad tells because Homer was a bard who collected what he heard and gathered the information into a book. So, if he wanted to add something new, he still could not change how the story ends. Making the characters know their fates seems not dramatic enough to offer the effect of irony which shows people how those characters stumble toward the endings that they knew in advance. However, Homer did not sacrifice the drama; actually, this technique he used made the story much more stunning.

             Even if those characters knew their fates and tried to be careful, they still had no real choice and ability to change the whole situation. What they could do was head to those endings which was destined initially. It is kind of torture, isn’t it? Take Achilles and Hector for instance. Achilles knew that if he killed Hector, the next one who should die would be himself. Yet, their obedience to the fates which they already knew made them not only tragic but also emphatically heroic.

2.   How does Homer portray the relationship between gods and men in the Odyssey? What roles do the gods play in human life? How does this portrayal differ from that found in the Iliad?

              The gods and goddesses in The Iliad usually used their powers to change humans’ life such as Aphrodite made Paris and Helen fall in love and triggered the Trojan War and Apollo sent the plague to Agamemnon’s army. On the contrary, the immortals in Odyssey did not use their powers that much. Most of time, they were sort of spiritual guides and supporters who often indicates mortals some directions such as Tiresias told Odysseus that he would be back home eventually. Also, the actions of gods sometimes would still remain overworldly. In a sense, it was appropriate to shift in focus between the two epics.

               Based on different types of stories, Homer used different ways to tell them. The Iliad describes a violent and glorious war in which the immortals were really powerful and control mortals’ world and life. The Odyssey, on the other hand, relates to a twenty-year long journey and the gods and goddesses often provide some assistance and advice to humans as guides.