Similarities Between Greek Gods And Mortals In The Iliad

In The Iliad, the Greek Gods are described to be very similar to humans. The gods not only physically resemble humans, but they are consistently portrayed as containing many personality characteristics and emotions prevalent in mortals throughout the text. The sole difference between gods and mortals is that the gods never die; leaving them no choice but to exist alongside each other for eternity. The beginning of The Iliad shows that they are cognizant of this fact when Hephaestus advocates Hera and Zeus to settle their disputes about the Greeks, since “they’ll be no more pleasure at our feasts if we let things turn ugly” (I, 608-609). Having to live in each other’s presence forever seems to be a reasonable motive to keep things harmonious.
Paris was offered assistance from Aphrodite in order to attain the most beautiful woman in the world as long as he declared her the most beautiful goddess over Hera and Athena. He then snuck into Menelaus’s palace and took Helen brought Helen to Troy as his possession. In the process, he deceived Helen’s husband, somehow manipulated Helen into leaving Greece, and was assisted by Aphrodite. In another significant scene, Hera used the human-like themes of manipulation, deception, and assistance from a deity in order to distract Zeus so she could sway the war towards an Achaean victory. Hera thought of a plan
Ah but tell me, Hera, just what can you do about all this? Nothing. Only estrange yourself from me a little more- and all the worse for you. If what you say is true, that must be my pleasure. Now go sit down. Be quiet now. Obey my orders, for fear the gods, however many Olympus holds, are powerless to protect you when I come to throttle you with my irresistible hands.” (I, 674-683).

At this point, Homer made it clear that Zeus and Hera are far from divine symbols of trust and composure. In those aspects, they resemble mortals, Achilles and Agamemnon. One would assume that the almighty union of Zeus and Hera would be rid of flaws due to the fact that they are deities. Deities are perceived to be exceptionally better than the mortals in every aspect. However, this is not the case with the king and queen of Mount Olympus. Hera and Agamemnon share a distrust towards their family members, strive to establish their power, and have outbursts when they lose control over a situation. Zeus, Hera, Achilles, and Agamemnon all have a tempers, senses of pride, and senses of entitlement in controlling the events of the Trojan War. This shows that mortals and gods view each other with suspicion and intolerance and contain identical emotions of distrustfulness, anger, and