The Prolonging of the Trojan War: Fault of the Gods?

KJ Eichstaedt

October 1, 2013

Prof. Tyson—Honors 200_014

The Prolonging of the Trojan War: Fault of the Gods?

The gods make their presence known throughout Homer’s Iliad, often swaying the major decisions made by significant characters. These gods are made out to be superior and divine, and are looked up to and worshipped by the humans in this time period as beings to be obeyed for good fortune. However, some of the events that occur as a result of divine intervention have caused more harm than good for the humans. During the discussion led by Max, a perplexing thought came up: with all the flaws and human-like qualities the gods show, how much of a benefit is it to listen to them? The gods in Homer’s Iliad are unfit to influence humans, and are the reason the war—and all the suffering that comes with it—has prolonged.

In Book 1, Achilles and Agamemnon have an argument regarding the return of Chryseis to Chryses so that the plague brought down by the god Apollo may be eradicated. This plague causes much suffering and may be seen as unjust because the lives of innocent soldiers are being negatively affected due simply to a dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon. The suffering brought from Apollo could potentially be blamed on Achilles and Agamemnon and their inability to come to terms, but it is in fact Apollo that drives these men to quarrel. “What god drove them to fight with such a fury? / Apollo, the son of Zeus and Leto” (1, 9-10). This demonstrates calculated cruelty in a god. If Apollo didn’t use his godly powers to escalate this conflict, the Greek army would not have suffered from the plague and Achilles and his men wouldn’t be divided from the army. The plague decreased the morale of the soldiers and cost them the services of their finest warrior, thus weakening the army so that it is harder for them to win victories against the Trojans, further prolonging the war.

Another moment where a god makes a questionable decision that...