FREE ESSAY ON THE POWERS ABOVE

THE POWERS ABOVE

The Powers Above
Lana Fourdyce
Classic Civilization 115: Section G
The Powers Above
The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic.
The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any
group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled.
The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped
for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and
thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice
over nature, mortals, and even each other.
Justice is a very important ruling power for both gods and mortals. For instance, in
Sophocles' tragedy, Antigone, justice prevails over king Creon's actions. He sentences
his own niece to death for giving her deceased brother, a pronounced enemy of Thebes, a
proper burial. In return for his rigid ruling he loses his wife and son to tragic deaths.
Creon puts his own city's justice before the determined justice of the gods, and pays
dearly for it. Antigone also receives justice for her actions even though she dies. She
did go against the law of her mortal king, but did obey the law of the gods, and
therefore died a hero and martyr. The laws of the gods gives dishonor to those who do not
properly respect their family members. In order to keep her honor and self-respect,
Antigone had to break her city's law, even if it meant death.
"Justice" can also be associated with the goddess of Earth, Justice. Antigone follows the
laws of the gods that will live on forever, not Creon's mere proclamations of power.
Antigone will not let her sister die with her because Justice does not allow people to
die heroes if the do not deserve it. Order is more important than justice to Creon, and
it is one of the causes of his eventual downfall. Zeus and the other sky gods like order
and law. Antigone looks to the gods and goddesses of the earth that live in the
underworld, and will not take a mere mortal man's rules over the gods. She says the she
does not fear any mortal's words enough that she "would pay the price the gods demand
from those who break their laws" (Antigone, 458). The gods do recognize courageous and
just people, but these people do not always come to a happy end, as in Antigone's case.
Justice may not rule the gods as entirely as it rules mortals, because the gods
ultimately decide what is just or unjust. 
Antigone also speaks of the power of Hades when she refers to her brothers. She tells
Creon that Hades will apply equal laws to both, even though one is an enemy of Thebes.
Antigone realizes that Thebes' laws and enemies are not necessarily the laws and enemies
of the gods. 
Creon's regard for the laws of the city causes him to abandon all other beliefs. He feels
that all should obey the laws set forth by him, even if other beliefs, moral, or
religions, state otherwise. Antigone, on the other hand, holds the beliefs of the gods in
high reverence. She feels that the laws of the gods should be obeyed above all others,
especially when in respect to family. Her beliefs in "The sacred laws that Heaven holds
in honor" are for more important than those set by the king (Antigone 78). The king
cannot, and should not in the gods' eyes, override her belief in the God. Mortals that
hold state law over devine law in Greek myths always come to a dreadful doom, usually by
being punished by the gods. 
The gods have power over the weather, which in turn rules over humans. Zeus, the king of
all gods, rules over storms, thunder, and lightening. He and other gods can produce
earthquakes, tornadoes, and other devastating natural disasters at any moment if they see
fit. In Euripides' The Bacchae, Zeus' power creates a lightening bolt that burns down
Semele's house and kills her. Zeus' mere presence in the form of a god is enough to kill
Semele. Most every god or goddess has power over a vital aspect of human survival,
therefore putting humans at their mercy.
Mortals that go against the gods inevitably end up in great dispair. In the tragedy, The
Bacchae, young king Pentheus, and his mother and aunts meet a miserable doom for
disobeying and doubting the god Dionysus. Pentheus mocked and refused to worship the new
god, and remained stubborn and arrogant until he met death in the face. Punished mortals
were many a time made an example of to the rest of the human world. Dionysus made
Petheus' death an example by having his mother and aunts kill him and exploit his head
for all the city to see. His death also serves to punish his mother, Semele's, sisters
for not believing that Zeus is the father of Dionysus. Insanity possessed the women, and
they unknowingly killed their own king. Their guilt would be an eternal punishment, along
with banishment from the city. The gods always take terrible revenge on humans who wrong
them.
Sometimes, the gods take pity on humans for things that happen that are out of their
control, but other times, the gods punish the mortals. In The Bacchae, Cadmus and his
wife are sentenced to be serpents and roam the world for generations. Cadmus worshipped
Dionysus and tried to get Pentheus to so the same, but still ended up with a miserable
fate. His daughters were banished, and his grandson and successor to the throne was
violently murdered. Even though Dionysus made Cadmus face a miserable life, he eventually
took pity and promised to send Cadmus to the land of the blessed in death. This shows
that most of the time, the gods were compassionate to mortals with integrity and fear of
the higher powers.
The gods also have power over each other. There is definitely a pecking order on Mount
Olympus, and it is very clear in Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound. Prometheus goes against
Zeus' wishes and befriends the rudimentary race of humans. He is bound to a rock for
centuries to be pecked at by a bird everyday. In the play Zeus is depicted as a
villainous tyrant, but one with which the other gods give a great amount of respect and
fear. Might describes Zeus' rule perfectly in a conversation to Hephaestus when he
remarks that "There is nothing without discomfort except the overlordship of the Gods.
For only Zeus is free" (P.B. 49). This shows the power Zeus has over the other gods.
The relationship between the Greek gods and the mortals is fairly well defined. Gods can
help in a time of crisis, but only if they want to and see it fit to do so. They have
power over most everything in a human's life, from weather to death. Humans usually
recognize this and pay their respects to the gods. If a mortal does not give thanks and
worship to the gods they can face a terrible doom, as seen in the plays by Sophocles and
Euripides. The higher beings sometimes punish humans for situations that they are not at
fault for, and humans are forced to realize that they are under the mercy of the gods. As
Prometheus Bound demonstrated, the gods have power over each other as well. Euripides,
Aeschylus, and Sophocles have demonstrated that the gods possessed an all-encompassing
power over the entire ancient Greek world and culture. 
References Consulted
Grene, D., and Lattimore, R., eds. "Antigone" and "Prometheus Bound." Greek Tragedies:
Volume 1. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1991. 178-232, 65-106.
Grene, D., and Lattimore, R., eds. "The Bacchae." Greek Tragedies: Volume 3. The
University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1991. 195-262.
Powell, B.B. Classical Myth. Prentice Hall: New Jersey. 459-462.
Bibliography
References Consulted
Grene, D., and Lattimore, R., eds. "Antigone" and "Prometheus Bound." Greek Tragedies:
Volume 1. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1991. 178-232, 65-106.
Grene, D., and Lattimore, R., eds. "The Bacchae." Greek Tragedies: Volume 3. The
University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1991. 195-262.
Powell, B.B. Classical Myth. Prentice Hall: New Jersey. 459-462.