July 26, 2012

Homer's Achilles on The Human Condition

 Homer's Achilles: humans are the playthings of the gods.

"When their emotions have settled down, Achilles shares his philosophy of life: the belief that humans are the playthings of the gods, subject to divine whims and meted out fixed shares of joy and suffering. The judgments of the gods are seemingly random. The good or noble are not always rewarded, the wicked or base not always punished. There is no real justice, only fate." - Shannon E. French: "The Code Of The Warrior: Exploring Warrior Values Past And Present." Pg. 53.