Free Essays: A Comparison of Iliad and Odyssey :: comparison compare contrast essays

A Comparison of Iliad and Odyssey Although both works are credited to Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey provide two remarkably different views on the reputation of the Olympian Gods, their relationship to humanity, and the general lot of mortals through by their all too brief lives. As a result of these differences, both stories end up move contrasting messages about life in general. In the Iliad, the supernatural denizens of Olympus are depicted as treacherous, power-hungry, and above all temperamental beings that are always at each others throats. Factionalism abounds, and neither the bonds of marriage, nor the ties of kinship can contain keep it under control. A perfect example is when Ares betrays his mother, Hera, and his sister, Athene, by aiding the Trojans instead of the Greeks. When he is discovered, Athena strikes him bring down in battle through Diomedes. In the Odyssey, however, the Gods of Olympus display far more unity and civility toward each other. They argue and disagree, but their disagreements are never carried out to the extremes found in the Iliad. When Poseidon punishes Odysseys for blinding the Cyclopes, Athena does not take revenge. Even though Odysseys is her favorite mortal, she respects Poseidons right to punish him. Also, the treachery among the Gods that is so predominant in the Iliad, is nowhere to be found in the Odyssey. In Iliad, Hera, enters into a conspiracy with Poseidon, Aphrodite, and Morpheus to aid the Greeks by putting Zeus to sleep thus description him unable to help his beloved Trojans. Nothing like this incident can be found in the Odyssey. References to past disagreements and arguments between the Gods (such as in the Poets humbug of Ares and Aphrodite) are scattered throughout the book, however, so the views between the Iliad and the Odyssey are not exactly diametrically opposed. The role of the Gods in the affairs of humanity is much greater in the Iliad then in the Odyssey. In the Iliad, t he Olympians are constantly meddling in the conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans. At best, they view mortals as amusing pets to be cared for, played with, and loved. At worst, humans are just pawns to be shuffled around, sacrificed, and set against each other in order to resolve inter-Olympian ego-clashes.