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  • Essay / Civic law and how it developed over time in the Iliad

    When contemplating the ultimate nature of the Greek gods and the roles they play in human affairs, it is helpful to consider examples of divine intervention through the actions of the goddess. Athena. Athena occupies a central place in The Iliad, The Odyssey and the Oresteia. Each work elucidates various traits of Athena, which can be better understood in the context of the different stories. While Athena's overall personality remains constant throughout each of the stories, diverse and sometimes contradictory attributes emerge as the main themes of each work come into place. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In The Iliad, Athena represents the Greek army and fervently supports it, both on the battlefield and on Mount Olympus. She is characterized by her war persona, fighting and positioning herself at the forefront of the action. Athena demonstrates her leadership abilities throughout the Iliad as well as her resourceful and diplomatic nature. At the beginning of The Iliad, Athena intervenes in the story by telling Achilles that she has "come to control your rage." The Iliad as a whole represents a more controversial epic conflict, and war permeates every aspect of the work. Thus, Athena's actions within the Iliad portray her more as a supporter of war, against the dark backdrop of the story of the Trojan War, as told in the Iliad. The warlike nature of the Iliad can be contrasted with the almost hyper-civilized nature of the Iliad. tone of Homer's Odyssey. At the heart of this approach is the theme of hospitality. Hospitality is used to establish an expected code of conduct for each character in the Odyssey. A character with balance, or lack of balance, in this virtue causes both conflict and resolution within the story. Being too hospitable or not hospitable enough causes different sufferings and resolutions. It is imperative to note that this society is not at war, as the society of the Iliad was. Virtues such as gift-giving, hospitality, and the ability to speak well are all latent in the text. The suitors also illustrate a violation of the host-guest relationship in the role of host. What's important is that Athena is actually the cause of their lack of hospitality. She does this because she understands that by making them unsuitable guests, they will end up having to pay dearly; this is part of the resolution process that follows. Athena gives the reader and Odysseus the opportunity to see exactly what kind of guests the suitors are: "And induced him to fetch his pieces of bread from the suitors and thus to know which of them were righteous." On both sides, the suitors have created imbalances in their relationships, which is the origin of the major conflict within the Odyssey. The interaction and mirror relationship between Athena and Odysseus also illustrates this different approach to life from the Iliad to the Odyssey. Athena in the Odyssey represents the traits of a more evolved civilization. She is the dominant figure among the gods and is shown to be extremely eloquent and diplomatic throughout the epic. She shares these same qualities with Odysseus, whose oratory skills and cunning transcend mortals. Both Athena and Odysseus represent wit, wisdom, and leadership abilities. While her combat skills and penchant for war marked the Athena of the Iliad, the Athena of the Odyssey represents the mental rather than the physical. In the Odyssey, Athena even shows genuine affection towards..