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

A Comparison of Iliad and Odyssey Although some(prenominal) works are credited to Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey provide two remarkably opposite views on the nature of the Olympian Gods, their relationship to humanity, and the general lot of mortals end-to-end their every last(predicate) too brief lives. As a result of these differences, both stories end up sending 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 phylogenetic relation can contain keep it under control. A perfect illustration 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 down in fight through Diomedes. In the Odyssey, however, the Gods of Olympus display far more unity and niceness toward each other. They argue and disagree, but their disagreements are never carried out to the extremes arrange 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 habitual 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 then rendering him unable to help his beloved Trojans. Nothing like this consequent can be found in the Odyssey. References to past disagreements and arguments amid the Gods (such as in the Poets tale 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 personal business of humanity is much greate r in the Iliad then in the Odyssey. In the Iliad, the 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, universe are just pawns to be shuffled around, sacrificed, and set against each other in order to resolve inter-Olympian ego-clashes.