Gods, heroes and humans

Orlando Caldern Larios A01169173

Art and Culture

Lic. Melisa Arzate A.
Group 5

The work known as "The Iliad", Homers epic written in several songs, has been a
significant representation of how the world was seen through the eyes of the Greeks. This
book recounts the Trojan War, which was a dispute initiated by the abduction of Helen by
Paris, prince of Troy.
The rhapsodies describe the actions in battle by each side, and that is where there are
curious and unique elements: the participation of the gods and the origin of the heroes.
According to this work, the whole conflict began after the setbacks of the gods, which are
not perfect beings and with various qualities and also make good and bad decisions, which
affect the lives of men, including war, in which gods take part in order to change the course
of the hostilities, like Hera, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemisia, among others, who decided to
help the Greek or the Trojans.
As I mentioned earlier, another important aspect are the heroes, humans with ideal
characteristics, including intelligence, strength, courage, etc., which can be understood as
a representation of Greek culture but also as a sign of great potential which they hoped to
reach. At the same time, these characters, outside of the epic history, served as a way to
"encourage" or "stimulate" Greek society, becoming a standard that increased Hellenic
people morale through literature.
Finally, another piece that is part of "The Iliad" are humans. Those participating in the
chants as the majority of the armies, however, are relegated to a lower level, because the
heroes are the main protagonists of the story, who shape the plot through their
achievements and mistakes. Although most of them are common soldiers, other human
characters also affect the course of history through having contact with the heroes, such
as Helena, wife of Menelaus, one of the main causes of war, or Patroclus, comrade in
arms of Achilles.
"The Iliad" presents many issues as heroism, friendship, hate, love, respect, admiration,
among others, which are present along the history in an implicit way, but are transmitted
through many of the protagonist heroes, but more important with the characters Hector
and Achilles, who are two of the main pillars of the work.
Anyway, even if it was a literary work or an explanation of the Greek genesis, The Iliad is
an epic that is still part of modern culture, because it was one of the early works that was
capable of enhancing human capabilities and beliefs.

Reference
Mira, B, et. al. (trad.). (2001). La Ilada (Homero). Mexico D.F., Mexico: Larousse.