CLAS 203 Lecture 24: CLAS 203 - Class 24 - 25th of November
25 Jan 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
One of the major themes is that one cannot escape his fate. You are fool if you believe you can escape the fate of the gods. Polyphemus had called on poseidon, his father for help as a revenge for his blinding. Poseidon obeys and makes sure odysseus suffers for many years before he is able to reach his home after many hardship etc. in the. Iliad, both achilles and hector cannot escape their respective deaths; their deaths have been prophesized and the gods intervene to make sure they do not escape their fate. Another major theme is the universality of human suffering especially in war. It is made evident when king priam comes to ask for the body of hector. Both mourn their losses in war together even though they are enemies. Odysseus was admired later on especially by stoic philosophers. They believed that what happened to you in life is only your fault if you are affected by it.
