Question

The gods and goddesses play a central role in story of The Iliad. Describe in complete sentences at least TWO examples from Book 1, 22, or 24 where a god or goddess intervened to change the action in the epic. Be sure to include the name of the god, and what they did, who they helped, and how it affected the story line. As well, include textual evidence from the book that shows this example. Use side notes on the right-hand side of the text to help you find evidence.

Answer 1

These two examples of how the gods intervene in the lives of humans come from Book 1 of The Iliad.

The first example is that of Apollo. When Agamemnon takes Chryseis, a beautiful maiden, for himself, her father asks for her back. He even offers to pay a significant amount for her, but Agamemnon refuses. Chryseis's father asks the god Apollo for help, and Apollo decides to send a plague to the Greek camp, which leads to the death of many soldiers.

Another example is that of goddess Athena. When Agamemnon sees that he might be deprived of a woman, he asks Achilles to give him his own, a maiden named Briseis. This causes Achilles to become extremely angry, and he even considers killing Agamemnon. However, in order to defuse the situation, the goddess Athena intervenes and succeeds in preventing the duel.