From the start of the story, it can be observed that there are interventions by the Gods, in fact, the war is even planned by the Gods. Yes, the Gods are powerful, but they cannot control everything. This can be clearly concluded because of the unexpected death of their mortal sons in the war.
Wars were one because time by time, Gods would interfere and help their sides. From the looks of things, it is the Gods' war, not the people's. Events like Zeus and the other Gods sending omens to give clues to the people, Hera's seduction to Zeus, and Apollo's act of being one of the soldiers, are powerful evidences that Gods manipulated the war.
But with all of these interventions, I definitely disagree with the fact that the heroes' free and strong will are immaterial. One example is Hector, even though he has seen the omen of the Eagle dropping the serpent in the middle of the Trojans (Book 12), he refused to retreat, and as a result, they were able to give the Achaeans a defeat.
Therefore, I conclude that no God can be able to stop one's free will, no matter how powerful he or she is. It takes a lot more than exceptional powers to change one's heart.
Score:9
ReplyDeleteWorthy insights!
I regret that you do not have the 2nd and the last blog which is worth 30 pts.