The Great Theme Of Fate In Homer's Iliad

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The Great Theme of Fate
In the ladder part of “The Iliad,” Achilles is faced with a life altering decision after Hector kills Achilles’ friend, Patroclus. Achilles’ options are to either kill Hector and soon meet his own death, or to run away from it all and live a long life. This concept of one having a say on their fate is strange though, for most people believed it was the gods who decided and worked out their fate. That, however, was not the case in this circumstance. Achilles had the option to flee from his death, but refused it in order to avenge his friend’s death. Achilles states “As for my own fate, I’ll accept it whenever...” (Iliad page 161, line 122) speaking of his death. He was willing to die not only in order to make sure that the murderer of his dear friend was taken down, but also to make sure that he would be remembered. This highlights the tendency in humans to fight for their desires, no matter the consequence. …show more content…
But, on page 206 (book I) of the Odyssey, Zeus declares “How shameless – the way these mortals blame the gods. From us/they say, come all their miseries but they themselves/compound their pains…” Though the gods have a final say in the fate of the mortals, and can do anything they please, the mortals play a big factor in the events that lead up to their fate. For example, Odysseus’s fate was to finally reach his home of Ithaca. However, his sometimes reckless decisions took him off track, thus delaying his arrival home. This misunderstanding of the mortals highlights the tendency of humans to believe that they are not responsible for their

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important. Fate played a significant role in Homer’s poem ‘The Iliad and in many Greek tragedies of that era, fate was not only the common theme but also in alliance with the power the Gods have in controlling human action. In Ransom, Malouf demonstrates how chance has a key factor in Achilles and Priams pre-determined fates. Although priam and Achilles both know the end of their story, they know they cannot changed their fate but they by chance they can control how they deal with their fate or how…

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those of the mortals’. In the case of Robert Fagles’1990 translation of Homer’s The Iliad, this statement could not be any more accurate. An ancient Greek epic poem, passed through generations by word of mouth, The Iliad is one of the most famous Greek works of literature in history, depicting the story of the battle of Troy and social customs and traditions respected amongst people of the time. A main theme observed in The Iliad is the mortality of man and his creations. The epic’s clear juxtaposition…

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