What horribe gods!

What do the Greeks really think of their gods? I know if I were them I would wish they would just go away.

Reading the first twelve book of the Iliad it seems to me that the mortals want a good outcome and justice, but the gods always lead them to their own desired paths. In the scene where Paris and Menelaus duel and Paris is flown away by Aphrodite, the soldiers want to just give over Helen and be done with the war, but of course Athene steps in, causing the fighting to start again.

Another example is Helen. In the past when I watched Troy or heard about the story I thought she was the trouble maker for running away from her husband, which is easy to believe when in the movie Menelaus is an old hairy guy and Paris is well Orlando Bloom, need I say more =P. But in the book it says that she misses her old husband and is humiliated by Paris’s cowardly behavior and her own destiny with him. From reading this in the book and our discussion in class I now think that she like the other mortals may have never wanted to leave her husband and old life but this trouble was forced on her by Aphrodite.

No wonder the Greeks believed that chaos is the normal in society when their gods are always in this constant battle with each other and use the mortals as pawns for their will. Is it really a blessing to be backed up by a god in battle? Sure it can bring you glory above your enemies, but like hector, Zues is only making him succeed to fulfill his over all plan for Hector to die at the hand of Achilles and all of Troy to be burned to the ground. What a wonderful favor Zeus is doing him!

If those were the only gods out there, perhaps a life without gods would be better. If that would be possible in Greek society with out gaining the wrath of those horrible immortals.