Compare the treatment of the Gods in the Iliad and the Odyssey.

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Compare the treatment of the Gods in the Iliad and the Odyssey

The Gods in both the Iliad and the Odyssey are important figures. This essay will concentrate on Zeus, Poseidon and Athene who feature in both texts. Reasons of space prevent full exploration of the whole divine machinery.

The role of Zeus in the Iliad is of the all-powerful figure, the king of all the gods. The other Gods give him the uttermost respect and fear making him angry. So when he returns to his house “all the gods rose up from their chairs”(I.533-534).

Zeus has the power to drive the action forward. It is his agreement with Thetis that creates that catalyst for the climactic battles. His plan to bring about the redemption of Achilleus creates the plot structure. He sends the false dream to Agamemnon in which a figure in the form of Nestor persuades him that he can take Troy. Although he is neutral in the mortals conflict he is often brought into mediate matters, as he has the final say.

Zeus in the Odyssey plays less of a role in the actual direction of the events. He resumes his role as a mediator of disputes between the gods on Mount Olympus.  The notion of Zeus’s supreme will is also a feature of the Odyssey. This is displayed emphatically when Zeus sends Hermes, the messenger of the gold, to Calypso’s island to tell her that she must release Odysseus to leave so that he can be allowed to return home. Initially, Calypso is adamantly disputes and indicts Zeus’s decision. “You are hard-hearted, you gods”(V.118). She complains and condemns the double standards that Zeus applies unfairly to the female gods. Whereas male gods are allowed promiscuous behaviour and affairs, female counterparts are expected to act faithfully at all times. She disagrees wit this idea and is not afraid to let Hermes know. However she does not disobey the edict of Zeus, “since there is not way for another god to elude the purpose of aegis-bearing Zeus”(V.136-137). This can be seen to demonstrate Zeus’s authority over all mortal and immortal. E also reminded by Hermes about the “anger of Zeus”(V.146-147) and his capability to “hold a grudge”(V.147). This is seen more in the Iliad, but is illustrated in the Odyssey.

Zeus’s anger in the Odyssey though not as frequent as in Iliad, shown when he destroys Odysseus’s ships and sends his entire crew to their deaths beneath the waves. This is after Odysseus’s men disobey the orders of their leader and give in to their instincts and desires to slaughter the Sun’s flock for food. This Sun god asks Zeus to punish Odysseus and his men. This highlights the important role that Zeus plays in the Odyssey as an overseer of human moral behaviour. He is not personally involved with the events happening in the current story, as opposed to the Iliad, for example his vested interest with Sarpedon, his son and also his promise to Thetis. This allows him to maintain distance and a sense of aloofness from the proceedings and carry out his job, to punish Odysseus men for doing something they were explicitly forbidden to do.

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Poseidon is the brother of Zeus and the god of the sea. In the Iliad, he takes the side of the Greeks, because the Trojans never paid him is dues for assisting in building their city, Troy. The desire for the fall of Troy is therefore more personal reason than anything morally profound.

        He takes full advantage of Zeus’s lapse in interest in the battle in book thirteen. He is able to fight and boost the spirit of the Greeks who are lacking in confidence. He restores this confidence to the troops who are able to then face the Trojan ...

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