Gods in the Iliad
...and manipulate the mortals into doing it for them. In a way, the Iliad is a book about a fight between the gods fought out by the humans. Throughout the Iliad, we see how the gods interfere with the battles and influence some of the warriors to do things that they normally would not do. From the very beginning in book 1, we see how the gods will interfere as Athena did to stop Achilles from killing Agamemnon. She did this for her own benefit so that she could see the Trojans completely destroyed. Then again in book 4, after Menelaos has conquered Paris in the duel, a truce is called stating the war should be over. However, because Athena and Hera want the complete destruction of Troy, Athena persuades Pandaros to kill Menelaos which will break the truce and the fighting to resume. If the gods had not intervened, the war would have ended there, and both sides would be free to go home. The tensions between some of the gods are displayed throughout the epic. The conflict between Hera and Athena with Aphrodite is apparent from the sides they choose to fight on. Aphrodite chooses the side of Troy because Paris said she was the most beautiful woman. With that said, Hera and Athena are determined to gain back their pride and dignity, and they will d...