The Iliad Essay - 1854 Words

Divine Intervention is a â€Å"direct and obvious intervention by a god or goddess in the affairs of humans†. In various myths such as the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Herakles, divine intervention was called upon in order to restrain a hero’s destructive or too powerful forces. Although the divine intervention was used to impair different heroes, the purpose to constrain was the same in all the narratives. Homer’s The Iliad: Book XX features a battle between the Trojans and Achaians, shortly after Patroklus’ death (Lattimore Book XVI), where the gods must intervene in order to restrain Achilleus’ destructive nature that becomes amplified due to the grief and wrath as a result of the loss of his cousin/lover. The divine foresaw an early†¦show more content†¦It plays a main role in the beginning with the creation of Enkidu, the middle with Ishtar, and the end with the destruction of Enkidu. The gods first intervene when Gilgamesh’s subjects call for help to them for the sake of the young women oppressed by the â€Å"lord’s right†. The Great Mother Goddess creates Enkidu to stand up against Gilgmesh to stop his destructive nature that has terrorized his city (Dalley 39-50). Gilgamesh domesticates Enkidu and they create a friendship which turns Gilgamesh less destructive towards his citizens, thus limiting his destructive power and also fo cusing the remaining towards monsters; but together they make some wrong choices and their destructive natures are portrayed during the Cedar Forest incident and the killing of the bull of heaven (Dalley 83,102). For retribution of killing the bull that Ishtar had sent due to her rejection, Enkidu is destroyed by the gods; warning Gilgamesh that he isn’t exempt from this fate if he continues being uncontrollable and tyrannical (Dalley 120-125). Euripides’ tragedy, Herakles, consistently portrays divine intervention as if it’s a direct challenge between a divine figure, Hera, and a hero, Herakles. Hera’s hatred for Herakles stems from his parentage, Alcmene and Zues (Hera’s husband), making Herakles an offspring created by his unfaithfulness towards her (Sleigh 12). Hera also dislikes the fact that he has godlyShow MoreRelatedThe Iliad Of The Homer s Iliad Essay1475 Words   |  6 PagesThe Iliad ranks as one of the most important and most influential works in terms of world literatures since its establishment. Between the underlying standard to which the Iliad offers us as audience members, along with the plethora of writers that have followed in the footsteps to which Homer’s Iliad paved, the impact that the Iliad has played is remarkable in itself. 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