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Who's Pulling the Strings Here?- Rachael Gregson


 The war and its wounds run deeper than we think. I mean, yes, we are reading about the feud between the Trojans and the Greeks, but the opposing side is really not portrayed in a way that opposing sides are usually written. They are written as people, the same as the Greeks, and the real war being between the gods and acted through mortals as their puppets. This can be seen in how the two armies go about fighting; it gets to a point where they are so desperate to stop the fighting that they don't even have a preference as to who wins anymore. They just absentmindedly declare a truce and pray that the side in the wrong would be killed and their women raped if cease-fire ends-whoever that is meant to be. When conflict does resume once more, both sides suffer terribly. Both sides by the end of it also seem to lack emotion, as if a force bigger than themselves has all the strings pulled. Pandarus fires toward Menelaus only because of Athena's influence, and no ones makes decisions solely based off their judgments, just like Helen goes back to bed with Paris only because of her fear of a goddess. If you look closer, the war isn't even between men.It's between the gods. They are the only ones taking pleasure out of the war, and it's something that Hera and Athena can hide behind to settle things with Zeus. It's just unfortunate that the humans serve as their pawns. 

I commented on posts by Jamie and Ian. 

Comments

  1. ClaboAugust 24, 2020 at 4:12 PM

    I completely agree with you and had the exact same thoughts as I was reading through the books. It seems as if the gods are more invested in the wars than the Greeks and Trojans. Maybe its because of their immortality and they are just trying to find a way to entertain themselves at the expense of the people. It is very unfortunate for the humans, but that is what happens when you live in a world where the gods are mostly self-serving.

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  2. Hailey MorganAugust 24, 2020 at 4:29 PM

    Homer definitely emphasizes the inherent humanity of the warriors on both sides of the battle. In fact, when reading, it quickly becomes almost impossible to pick a favorite between the Achaeans and the Trojans since neither is truly represented as being the enemy.

    Because both armies are essentially under the control of the gods, choosing a side to root for becomes ultimately tied to which deity you would prefer to win the war.

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