Everyone has always heard a version of this quote “you’re the author of your life, so you write your destiny.” Many people believe this is true others that it’s false and some are just unsure. Could gods will be control’s everyone’s lives and could their lives be determined before they are even born? In literature, the readers encounter how powerful the will of gods are in characters’ lives. The force if the will of the gods is a common theme in many stories and help with the development of the storyline. In some cases the characters are unaware of how their lives are being pushed in certain directions or how the powerful the gods will are. Two literary works that exemplify this common theme of the force of the will of the gods are The Iliad and the Hebrew Bible.
In The Illiad, there is a common theme of gods playing a big role in the lives of the characters. One example of this is when Agamemnon demands Achilles to give him Briseis, whom is a woman captive of war awarded to Achilles. Infuriated about his demand, Achilles tells him that he will no longer be fighting in this war because he feels disrespected. His rage over powers him and he draws his sword in attempt to kill Agamemnon but Athena, whom was sent by the goddess Hera, comes down and stops him and says, “Now come on, drop this quarrel, don’t draw your sword. Tell him off instead. And I’ll tell you, Achilles, how things will be: You’re going to get three times as many magnificent gifts because of his arrogance. Just listen to us and be patient.” This is another great example of how the force of the will of gods drive the storyline. If Hera and Athena had not intervened, Achilles would have just fought Agamemnon and one of the two would die and the story would have been different. The force of the goddesses Athena and Hera is pushed further with the promise of rewards for his obedience.
Athena prevents Achilles from killing Agamemnon.
Another example in this epic of the force of the will of the gods was when the Trojans have gotten the Achaeans back to their ships and are about to set their ships on fire when Achilles allows his male comradeship of Patroclus to help the Achaeans fight back but Achilles tells him that he can use his amour and protect the ships but to not go after Hector. Patroclus kills many Trojans then tries to go after Hector. The gods on Mount Olympus see this and remember that Patroclus is destined to die so Apollo removes his amour and Hector eventually kills him. This shows that the force of the gods is more important than anyone’s personal agenda. Although his destiny was not to die in this way or at this time, Patroclus was unaware that his life is always in the hands of the gods and that at any moment it could be taken away. Given these events and the murder of his friend Patroclus, Achilles rejoins Agamemnon and the troops to avenge his death. Thetis says, “I won’t have you with me for long, my child, if you say such things. Hector’s death means yours.” This meaning that his fate has been pre-destined by the gods and killing Hector will eventually lead to his death. Although hearing this, Achilles still goes and kills Hector and which leads the reader to already know that Achilles death is just around the corner.
Achilles kills Hector although he knows that he has been warned by the gods that Hector’s death will eventually lead to his death.
Another book that exemplifies this common theme of the force of the will of the gods is the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible starts with the creation of the world by God. God created the world in 6 days and on the 7th he used it to rest. He then created one male and one female named Adam and Eve. They were in the Garden of Eden and God told them that they could eat fruit from any tree from the garden except from the tree of knowledge. This was God’s way of testing Adam and Eve’s faith in him. But they failed the test and were tempted to eat the fruit and obtained the knowledge of good and evil. Their faith was tested and they failed and gave into temptation of the serpent whom is supposed to represent the devil. As a result they are punished by God and are cursed to work for their food and a living, the women will feel all the pain that comes with bearing a child and men shall rule over women. This is a representation of the force of the will of God because it shows how God is a being that should not be disobeyed because they are consequences to those actions.
God punishes Adam and Eve because they disobeyed him and ate the forbidden apple.
Another example from the Hebrew Bible that exemplifies this theme is the story of Abraham and Isaac. In this story God tests Abraham’s faith in him and tells him to take his son to the mountain on the land of Moriah and offer him as burnt offering. Upon arrival Abraham took a cleaver to slaughter his son for the offering. In that moment God’s messenger stopped him and explained that he doesn’t have to kill his son because God now knows that Abraham fears him and sacrifice his only son for him. This shows not only was God testing Abraham loyalty but also intervened and rewarded him by Abraham being able to keep his son. God does not only punish the disobedience but also reward those that show him loyalty.
God sent an angel to stop Abraham from killing his son, Issac, once God realized that his faith was true.
In the Iliad, the reader is shown the way the Greek gods intervene in the Trojan War as well as the lives of the characters. It changes the course of the epic and gives one side the upper hand in conflicts but ultimately they try to keep things s balanced as possible. In the Hebrew Bible, God is a force that test his followers’ faith through various tasks. The reader encounters different stories throughout that show the role that God plays in these people’s life as well as the way he affects their life. The force of the will of the gods is apparent in not only literary works but in the readers’ everyday life, it guides one to their destiny.
