Role Of Achilles's Intervention In The Iliad

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The excerpt shows that in face of Agamemnon 's humiliation of depriving him of his glorious gift, Achilles search for help from his mother Thetis, which may be seen as a cunning action from the point of view of the modern readers for he does not fully depend on his own power. It is also the starting point of Zeus ' intervention in the whole story of the Iliad, which leads to the death and vain struggle of other heroes. The reader may also be a bit envious for they are not born to be a special person as Achilles did. The envy turns out to be the increase of negative opinions on Achilles.
The same pattern may be applied to Paris, who is also supported by gods most of the time. However, the transformation of attitudes may not be so big as the …show more content…

If he is killed, it is done by the gods through the hands of Achaians. He knows that he cannot control his the god 's will as all human can 't so he want to look at his wife and son again before entering the fierce battlefield where he may face his death given by the god. In this excerpt, Hector is likely to awaken the sympathy of the readers since he not only shows his awareness on god 's action but also shows typical human emotions. In Book Seven, Hektor even shares a similar same viewpoint with readers:

Hektor 's word implies he jumps out of the duality of Achaians and Trojans and discover the duality of mortals and immortals. He discovers the battle from a perspective of readers, while at the same time he cannot get rid of the effect of that world on him. Although he is conscious, he is still subject to the control of god, which may seem more tragic. The readers may also feel pity for him for he is clever and has martial power but he is forever trapped.
Another character, Diomedes, has already been mentioned in ‘The intervention and the value system '. In face of the god 's intervention, he shows persistence in human values, as can be seen in the following words,
"Though he saw how Apollo himself held his hands over him
He did not shrink even from the great god, but forever

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