Thursday, September 06, 2007
Iliad Considerations
I was just thinking about the nature of the gods and the nature of war. I'm not sure what it tells us about the Greeks (it may be nothing at all), but I found it very odd that some of the gods, Zeus foremost among them, take an agressive and active stance against the Greeks while they are fighting the Trojans. This is such a break from what we are used to. What is the first reassurance that nearly every side in every war has taken? It is asserting that "God is on our side." I just thought it strange that Greek gods, who the Greeks presumably created, can go against their own people. Even in stories like Sodom and Gomorrah and Noah's Flood, God is always on the side of righteousness. I guess I'm just not sure what the ideals are that the Greeks are striving for. They're the society that created ethics, so what are the characteristics of a "good" man? Heroism? Physical beauty? Having the most attractive "prize?" Big question. I know.
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2 comments:
When considering which "side" the gods are on, I think it's important to keep in mind that the Trojans in this story, whoever they may be historically, are presented by Homer as being culturally Greek. The gods of the Argives/Achaians/Danaans are also the gods of the Trojans, and the earthly dispute is paralleled by a rift between the gods.
There is an interesting example of the gods choosing which group they will support at the beginning of Book Twenty. Zeus gathers the rest of the gods and says to them: I think of these [the Achaians and the Trojans] men though they are dying. Even so, I shall stay here upon the fold of Olympos sitting still, watching, to pleasure my heart. Meanwhile all you others go down, wherever you may go among the Achaians and Trojans and give help to either side, as your own pleasure directs you. (lines 21-25)
(The emphasis is mine.)
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