Gods and Mortals in The Iliad.

Gods and Men in Books I-IV of The Iliad.

The gods play a crucial role in The Iliad. The Olympians stir up trouble, they play favorites, and they sometimes scheme, trick, and lie to suit their needs.  They are can be passionate and selfish, and have intense rivalries with each other. They often seem to regard mortals as so many chess pieces in the games gods play. They are most predictable when considering - and being part of - the affairs of their mortal sons and daughters, but even then their powers can be thwarted and their selfish interests frustrated. Mortals regard the gods as powerful, but they rarely count on them for anything. Mortals might appeal to their of right and wrong or fair play, but those standards apply more to humanity than to the gods. 

Using Books I-IV in The Iliad, examine the role of the gods in the confrontation between Agamemnon and Achilles. Discuss the gods’ behavior as they argued or colluded with each other, and discuss what they did to interfere (or not) in affairs of man. Discuss how mortals on both sides of the war tried to influence the gods in order to gain advantage, and how the gods responded to their entreaties.

Respond to this prompt in a 700-1000 paper, using specific details from the text to prove your point. Make sure to cite each example with a book and line number. Use MLA format standards.