HONR 1101 Lecture Notes - Iliad, Omnipotence, Odysseus
Document Summary
Throughout the entirety of the iliad thus far, it is clear that the gods have the upper hand. They have the ability to determine the outcome of mortal events with their divine powers. They help the humans, and they deceive them. They foretell the fates of certain humans, and they can change their lives in almost any way that they desire. One would think that these gods and goddesses would be perfect beings. Not having much knowledge about greek mythology before reading the iliad, i always imagined the gods to be omniscient and omnipotent. I imagined mount olympus as an idyllic and harmonic society filled with faultless gods. It does not take long to realize that the image of the gods that i had expected is absurdly far from the reality of the situation. The relationship and distinction between the gods and humans is strange and unclear. It is not defined in black and white, but all shades of grey.
