Homer's The Iliad is an epic poem written about the events that transpired during the war between the Achaians and Trojans and the fates of the warriors and civilians. What is Fate? Britannica.com defines fate as an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end. Homer expresses the idea that the gods and goddesses intervene in the fates and destinies of the warriors during battle and in their everyday lives. Frequently throughout The Iliad, Homer has Zeus or another god depict the fate of a character. These fates are irreversible and final. No matter how much a character tries they cannot be changed.

In Book I, Homer already depicts godly intervention in the lives of the characters. During one of the Achaians many raids on cities located near Troy, they captured two enemy maidens, Chryseis and Briseis. Chryseis was awarded to Agamemnon (Commander-in-chief of the army) and Briseis to Achilles' (Achaians best warrior). Upon this action, the father of Chryseis, Chryses pleads with Agamemnon for her safe return. Agamemnon refuses to return her. Therefore Chryses prayed to Apollo who then brought a plague on the Achaian camp.

This is an example of the god's intervention in the lives of mortals. Achilles' then tries to tell Agamemnon that he is the reason for the plague but Agamemnon will have none of this. Achilles' then draws his sword on Agamemnon but Athena convinces Achilles' otherwise. These events brought great despair to Achilles' who then prayed to his mother Thetis, the sea goddesses. He pleads with her to convince Zeus to ensure that the Trojans defeat his fellow Achaian soldiers. Thetis then visits Zeus and convinces him to aid the Trojans. In Book IX, Diomedes prophesizes the fall of Troy, saying," They can all return home, he says, but he, Diomedes, will remain alone, if necessary, to continue fighting, for it is fated that Troy will eventually fall." In Book XVI, Achilles' allows Patroklos, his best friend, to wear his armor and lead the Myrmidons into battle. Achilles' thus prays to Zeus for Patroklos' "safe and sound return from battle. Zeus granted Patroklos success but denies him a safe trip home from battle. Patroklos falls victim to the spear of Hektor with a little help from Apollo. Apollo slipped up behind Patroklos and strikes him so hard his armor fell to the ground and his helmet flew off. As he was dieing, Pat

Some common words found in the essay are:
Achilles' Hektor, Chryseis Chryses, XVI Zeus, Zeus Patroklos', Fate Britannicacom, XVIII Thetis, IX Diomedes, Agamemnon Athena, Book Homer, Homer Zeus, hektor's body, homer's iliad, patroklos' death, deathless gods, book xvi, achilles' throws, achilles' death, zeus considers, intervention lives, son achilles',
Approximate Word count = 822
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)