« Poor things, why did I give you to King Pêleus, Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay, a mortal, you who never grow old or die, to suffer with men in their difficult lot? Of all the creatures that breathe and move on the earth, no one is more to be pitied than a man. ——Iliad Book 17: 497-501 Among mortal creatures, all those that breathe and move, the earth bears none more fragile than humanity. What man believes in coming misfortune, as long as the gods provide him with valor and strong knees? But when the gods in bliss cause miseries, then willingly, blindly, he endures. ——Odyssey Book 18: 164-169The events of Homer's epic poems take place in two parallel worlds, the mortal and the immortal. The Iliad and the Odyssey describe the dramatic relationships between humans and the gods. The gods have immense power over humans. For example, the gods can keep Paris away from Menelaus' spear as easily as they can place Patróklos in the midst of destruction. Nevertheless, when Odysseus is offered immortality, he chooses to be mortal and embrace all the pain that Kalypso predicts. Seeing this unusual case, we can't help but compare humanity and immortality and explore the meaning of being human. The intrinsic difference between humans and gods is that humans “possess the ability” to die. Death, making life fleeting, gives unique value to the life of a human being. The sad fact that Penélope will die makes her more precious to Odysseus than Kalypso. Additionally, the characters even welcome a glorified death. Hektor is clearly aware that "a day will come when ancient Ilion will fall." (6:521) When Andrómakhê sincerely begs Hektor not to abandon his family and go to the battlefield, he does not abandon his position on the battlefield, because he wants people to remember him as of the one “who fought the best”. Trojan horsemen. (6:535/6) For him, fighting for honor is far more important than his family, despite the risk of his wife becoming captive and his own life being lost. Likewise, Akhilleus is also faced with the choice of living in peace or returning to battle with the threat of death as glory walks hand in hand with his loss. However, his response is determined: “I should face the darkness | sad spirit of death... Now, however, may I gain my perfect glory. (18:132/3, 140) He pursues the honor of war and the revenge of Patróklos instead of living a peaceful life. By dying a hero, his name will be remembered for centuries and he will be able to achieve what the gods could never achieve: immortality in the minds of people who will forever remember him as a hero. Death with glory is therefore not the end of life, but the beginning of immortality. Furthermore, as Hektor declares before leaving Andrómakhê forever: “Let me hide in the depths of my grave | before I hear your cry or take you captive! » (6: 539-40) While Akhilleus also consoles Thetis by telling her “[he] will rest when [he has] fallen! » (18:139) They both welcome death as a final resting place, where one does not have to suffer grief or war. The theme of immortal humans recurs throughout The Iliad and The Odyssey. If we define immortality as simply an eternal presence of the mind, spirit, or mental world after death, the existence of the Underworld best illustrates the possibility for humansto obtain immortality. This explains why Patróklos and Elpênor beg for a proper burial, since in ancient Greek belief only souls whose bodies had been properly disposed of could enter the underworld. In Book 18 of the Iliad, Homer steps back from brutal war and personal vengeance to reflect on the immense beauty of the larger universe that enacts war, imagining different scenes on the immortal shield just after Akhilleus finds the meaning of his life and decides to re-enter the battle. How insignificant is our Earth – the theater on which all our mighty designs, our deaths and all our wars take place – compared to the universe [Christiaan Huygens 1690]. To a greater extent, an individual dies, but their descendants carry their blood and lineage, so the history of humanity lasts forever. The wheel of history will continue to turn through the death of the old life and the birth of the new life, over and over again. The death and rebirth of the Homeric heroes also illustrate this type of eternal life. Meanwhile, this idea echoes Persephone's eating the "pomegranate seed with honey" (2:372) proposed by Hades in the Hymn to Demeter. While in many cultures pomegranate seeds are associated with fertility, birth, and sex, they demonstrate that death is somehow linked to sex, where new birth comes from. Sex and death, creation and destruction, the most powerful forces, form the cycle of nature, and it is the endless desire of humanity that perpetuates this cycle. As the quotes at the beginning of this article indicate, the gods know the agony of mortals. , because they played the most important role in its creation. But human suffering exceeds that of any other creature. Before Akhilleus joined the battle, his mother, Thetis, already told him that “he and [Patróklos] were destined to| to stain the same earth dark red here in Troy. (18:384/5) But although he is aware of divine interventions, he is unable to prevent his fate. Human awareness of the absurdity and arbitrariness of the gods' treatment of them cannot help them make better decisions with foresight; it only increases the pain and agony. Hektor foresees the fall of Ilion and Kassandra predicts his death with Agamemnon, but neither can simply walk away and avoid the dark death that awaits them. The human tragedy lies in the excess of knowledge and the inability to manipulate that knowledge to change human destiny. However, it is from this suffering and pain that true human virtues and spirits arise. In Book V of the Odyssey, when Poseidon punishes Odysseus by raising a huge wave on his way to Skhería, “Ulysses would have perished, | beaten inhumanely, but he had the gift | of self-possession of gray-eyed Athena” (455-7) and survives. Despite the help of Ino and Athena, it was Odysseus who reached Skhería. Odysseus has the determination and perseverance to realize his dream of returning home, despite the many mishaps brought on by the angry Earthshaker. Therein lies the human spirit, which is a strong response to the fragile nature of the human being. Although they know that without divine help they cannot achieve their goal, they nevertheless courageously meet the challenges that come before them. This immutable misfortune expands human virtues, often associated with the development of their personality. When Akhilleus stops tasting his own rage and decides to face death, he suddenly realizes many things he had never thought of. When Priam implores Akhilleus to return Hektor's body,.