Homer's Iliad tells how Achilleus, the all-powerful warrior of the Achaean army, turned the tide of the Trojan War as a result of a dispute with Agamemnon, the king. from Mycenae. Although this story does not tell the beginning or conclusion of this great war, much like its companion The Odyssey, it offers an in-depth look at the inner workings and aftermath of this iconic battle in Greek mythology. Likewise, although this tale has been attributed to the singular poet and author Homer, it is believed that many authors were able to contribute to this work due to the "traditional culture of oral storytelling" (Martin 16) in the time of Homer. Professor Murray, quoted in Albert Lord's article "Homer and Huso II: Narrative Inconsistencies in Homer and Oral Poetry", suggests that the Homeric works were "the creation of entire generations of men, poets and listeners , working across many eras. " However, as Martin states in his introduction to Homer's Iliad, "there is still work to be done on all the sources that may have contributed to the masterpiece of the Iliad." Nonetheless, it may serve as an explanation for the inconsistencies found throughout the Iliad, such as in book five, and for the necessity – or lack thereof – for all twenty-four books to be included in the publications of this poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThis long narrative poem discusses the events of the years-long war between the Greeks and the Trojans, whose origins date back to to Helen, wife of Agamemnon's brother and King of Sparta Menelaus. During the marriage of the mortal Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis, Paris, prince of Troy, was chosen by Zeus to determine who was the most beautiful among the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, thanks to a stratagem orchestrated by Eris, the goddess . of Discord, and its apple kallest?i (Martin 9-10). Paris's selection of Aphrodite grants her the ability to seduce Helen and from there it is believed that they either elope or Helen is kidnapped, instigating the start of the Trojan War. Meanwhile, Agamemnon's refusal to return the beautiful Chryseis to his father Chryses leads to Apollo sending a plague on the Achaeans and Achilleus refusing to fight in the war, thus marking the beginning of the Iliad. In book five, the Achaean commander Diomedes prays to Athena for strength, vengeance, and assistance. In return, she grants him the courage and divine ability to discern gods from mortals on the battlefield. “I have removed from your eyes the mist that was there before, so that you can clearly recognize the god and the mortal” (The Iliad of Homer 5, 127-28), she told him. Although these enhancements prove very useful as the violent massacre continues, it is a fact seemingly forgotten later in book six when Diomedes approaches the Trojan warrior Glaukos with a view to fighting, only to discover the kinship previously forged between their families and thus refuses to initiate the fight. fight. He asks in Homer's Iliad 6.123-29: “Who among mortals are you, good friend? I have never seen you before in battles where men gain glory, but now you have come far ahead of all others in your great heart, who dared to stand against my spear in distant shadow. Yet unfortunate are those whose sons are up to the task. warcraft against me. But if you are one of the immortals descended from the shining sky, know that I will fight against no god of the sky…” This line can be interpreted as inconsistent with Athena’s earlier act granting Diomedes divine power. vision, as he would have been able to identify whether Glaukos was a man or a god before he even spoke.Another slight inconsistency from book five concerns the death of Pylaimenes, "lord of the Paphlagonians, men in armor, great-hearted" (Homer's Iliad 5.577). His violent death is carried out by Menelaus, who stabs Pylaimenes in the collarbone with his spear. Following this, however, in book thirteen, the same Pylaimenes makes a reappearance mourning the death of his son (Homer's Iliad 13.656-659): "...the kind-hearted Paphlagonians cared for him, lifted him up in a chariot and brought him to the sacred grief of Ilionin, and his father, weeping tears, walked alongside them, and no human price was offered to him for the murder of his son. thus sacrificing many essential details to the overall storyline, as demonstrated by key supporting characters. Albert Lord argues, using the critical analyzes of Professors Scott and Murray in his article "Homer and Huso II: Narrative Inconsistencies in Homer and Oral Poetry", that such errors could serve as evidence of the oral origins of this tale, and perhaps be reinforce the belief. that it was not a story told by a single Homer but a collective narrative with slight variations between each narrator (Lord 440, 444). Professor Scott also implies that book five might have been the conclusion of a section of a recital, and that the Homeric narrative "makes a new beginning in book six" (Lord 444), based on the thematic changes in Diomedes' refusal to engage Glaukos in battle. Another notable feature contained in book five is the underlying battle between mortals and their immortal counterparts that is brought to the forefront of the Iliad. Despite the fact that many mortal figures, notably Diomedes, relied on the great gods and goddesses for their power and inspiration, this may be evidence of men's struggle to control their own will against the gods who toyed with them through each of their movements. . Basically, the events of the Iliad would have played out much more differently if the endless divine influences were not present. Taking into consideration the premises of the Iliad and the Trojan War in relation to the aforementioned struggle, one can see that both events were heavily influenced by the deeds of the gods and immortals. However, regardless of the supernatural powers wielded by these immortal beings and the actions they undertake with these powers, it is almost as if the Iliad draws a parallel in the distinction between man and God using the states of 'to be mortal or immortal. Although being able to live forever seems like a tangible concept, the actual idea may be more complex. In the first book, Thetis laments the fate of her son Achilleus to live a short and difficult life (Homer's Iliad 1.413-18): “Ah me, my child. Your birth was bitter. Why did I resurrect you? If only you could sit quietly by your ships, without crying, for indeed your life must be short, without length. Now it has come to pass that your life must be short and bitter beyond that of all men. To an evil fate, I carried you to my chambers. » Achilleus was doomed from the start to live a mortal life, unable to reap the same harvest as his mother, the sea nymph. However, much later in the ninth book, Phoenix "the old horseman" (The Iliad of Homer 9.432) tells Achilles that "the Achaeans will honor him as they would honor an immortal" (The Iliad of Homer 9.603) , to which Achilles retorts that he does not need such an honor since he has the support of Zeus but that he would be ready to share this honor with Phoenix who could "be king on an equal footing with [Achilleus] » (Homer's Iliad 9.616). Fully aware of the life he should be doing..