Introduction: The Iliad is an epic poem studied by many people in multiple fields of research. The epic contains many themes such as pride, morality, compassion, war, etc. However, the one that contributes to all is the role of destiny. It is after numerous analyzes and rereadings of the Iliad that the question arises: "To what extent does fate play a role in the Iliad with regard to the outcome of the war and the individual characters?" Thesis Statement: The role of fate in the outcome of war and individual characters is used to an extreme extent, as Zeus holds power over the destiny of everyone and everything. Through research showing how Zeus controls all fate, examples of his use of fate manipulation throughout the war and characters, we are able to see this argument as true. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay It is said many times in the Bible that God is the one who controls our destiny; that He knows what we are destined to do and that He has plans for us greater than we can expect. He controls our birth and death. Topic Sentence: In the Iliad, it is not clearly stated who controls destiny, but everything considered destiny has been touched or manipulated by the hands of Zeus. Evidence and Citation: According to Homer's Conception of Destiny, Zeus represents the highest deity of divine power. In comparison with the Holy Bible, Zeus and God have the same stature of power. They both hold the power of destiny in their hands. “It is Zeus who holds the balance of life and death in the conflict. It is from him that victory comes” (Duffy p.477). James Duffy, the author of Homer's Conception of Destiny, believes that Zeus would not be called "all-powerful" and "lord of all" if we were to submit to a higher power more powerful than him, he is therefore the highest power and he controls destiny. In ancient Greek, the word “Moira” has several meanings. In the Iliad they are translated as destiny, it is fate or death. “Aisa” is also another word for destiny which is often used in the epic poem. “On one occasion Homer states that the ruin of Troy must be affected by Aisa...since the poet clearly attributes the destruction of the city (Troy) to Zeus.” Since the word "Moira/Aisa" is attributed to Zeus, it is reasonable to believe that he controls destiny. Commentary: Fate is dealt to each individual at birth by destiny, however, only the gods can change the course of destiny but ultimately it is Zeus who makes the final decisions regarding destiny. Zeus has the choice to disobey fate and create a new one, but if this happens he will lose the respect of the other gods. This is seen through the death of Sarpedon. Sarpedon was his son who fought in the war against Patroclus. He knows his son is doomed to die in this battle and watches him slowly be defeated by Patroclus. He considers saving him, but Hera reminds him that the other gods would respect him less if he saved his child. He decides to leave fate alone and sees Sarpedon die. However, during all of this, Zeus had the power to save him and did not do so. James Duffy states: "If it were true that Zeus had nothing to do with Sarpedon's fate, it would follow that he would be incapable of dealing with situations of a familiar nature." Commentary: Now that it is understood that Zeus is responsible for manipulating fate if he wishes, we can see how this plays out in the epic poem and see whatis his contribution. Topic Sentence: In the epic, it is destined that the city of Troy will fall in its ninth year. The fate of Troy has therefore already been decided and put in place. In the second book of the Iliad, Zeus gives Agamemnon a dream in which it is deciphered that it is time for him to gather the Achaeans for battle and that it is time to attack Troy. Zeus starts the war by doing what follows the line of fate. Although Zeus has the power to control destiny, he decides to leave it as it should be; protecting him from the other gods. Throughout the beginning of the war, the gods play their part in trying to protect those they favor, such as Aphrodite saving Paris while fighting Menelaus in book 3. In book 8, Zeus tells them to stop to intervene in the war and let it play out. fought by mortals. Evidence and Citation: By preventing the other gods from intervening, he ensures that they do not spoil destiny. He also explains his power over them, by threatening the gods. "Listen to me...I don't want any god, male or female, trying to keep his word...If I catch any of you with a private plan to help the Greeks or the Trojans...Then you'll know who is supreme here. » . This shows that while other gods can play with fate, ultimately it is Zeus who chooses how fate will unfold. They must all follow his orders because he is all-powerful. Despite Zeus's demands, Athena and Hera once again attempt to intervene in the war on their chariot. When Zeus sees this, he sends Iris to stop them. Another example in which Zeus plays with fate is when he asks Apollo to heal Hector in order to keep his promise to Thetis. Zeus had promised Thetis that Achilles would die an honorable death. Therefore, by giving the Trojans the upper hand by healing Hector, he is manipulating destiny. Zeus is also aware of Hector's fate and knows that he will die at the hands of Patroclus after killing Achilles, which is why he manipulates fate in this way. Proof and citation: “The impartiality of his judgment found an image in Homer in the golden scales that Zeus holds in his hand” (Burkert and Raffin). By manipulating destiny, he keeps his promise but also fulfills certain destinies. However, the fact that he manipulates fate and honors certain causes still affects the course of fate because the Trojans now have the upper hand whereas if he had not manipulated the fate of the war, the Greeks would still be in control. winning. Because of his intervention, there is ambiguity about what might have happened if he had not manipulated fate. During this period of manipulating fate to cure Hector, Sarpedon is killed by Patroclus. As previously stated, he honors the course of fate and watches it die, but then decides to kill Patroclus, thus manipulating fate again. These are times when Zeus protected destiny or manipulated it. Commentary: Every action has a reaction, when Zeus manipulates fate there are results that could have happened that we are not aware of. Even though we don't see it with the main characters, there are minor soldiers fighting in the story who are collateral damage and who also manipulate their destiny. Topic Sentence: It is obvious that Zeus has a major role in what happens in the war. with the simple way he can turn the tables and give one side the advantage over the other. Through the previous examples, we can see how it can affect individual characters as well. One character that the Iliad is particularly interested in is Achilles. As stated earlier, destiny is given at birth. “Zeus weaves the thread of man’s destiny at his birth.” It is also declared.