Role Of Fate In The Iliad

Self-Definition holds three major factors throughout the Greeks and Japanese culture, Honor, Shame, and Fate. In the Work the Iliad by Homer, In Homeric’s description of a hero was to fight and gain glory and immortality through the actions taken on the battle field. The mans honor was paramount and required men to protect it at all cost. That means to avoid bringing shame upon not only the family lineage, but as well as their immortality. Greek hero’s especially in the Iliad compete with this idea of heroism and the cards fate has dealt them. Which is a common theme which is played with by homer. But for Samurais self- definition heroically is less on fate than it is in the Iliad. The Samurais in the Chûshingura held onto more morals codes

In fact, its remained a dilemma which all main characters are forced to confront. In the Iliad, Fate is constantly hovering around. Even the power of the gods in unable to intervene with the course of fate. The Iliad mentions fate many times because the characters strongly believe that fate is the center of the universe. Homer though played with the idea that the gods are powerful enough to act as fate. But the Iliad also shows that man can potentially sometimes controls his destiny. In Book I, Thetis, mentioned Achilles fate, "Doomed to a short life, you have so little time…And not only short, now, but filled with heartbreak too, more than all other men alive - doomed twice over" (Page 15 lines 496-98). This shows that that fate is mostly used only as an excuse to rationalize death in the Iliad. When Zeus begins to debate whether he should save one of his sons, Sarpedon, from his fate. Hera stepped in and said “O fearsome power, my Lord Zeus, what a curious thing to say. A man who is born to die, long destined for it, would you set free from that unspeakable end?” (page 318 lines256-59). Mortal men are supposed to die in the Iliad. This goes to show how it wasn’t destiny nor fate that caused Zeus from interfering or stopping Sarpedon from dying. Sarpedon is a mortal man and the impending death is inevitable but in the end both Zeus and Sarpedon made a decision. The fact both had the free will and as well as the opportunity to change fate through the actions they took, which in the end wasn’t truly fates hand but their own knowing that there would be consequences and the benefits of their