The Iliad, The Sakuntula

In both works, supernatural role is evident; however, the intervention and the different roles played by the supernatural depicts that there is more difference in the theme of supernatural in the two works. This is because, in the Iliad, the supernatural is seen to take full control of everything that happens (Louden 32). This is to an extent that people do not interfere with the actions and influences of the supernatural. However, this is not the case in the Sakuntala since the supernatural is not depicted to play a role in making everything happen. Therefore, the supernatural takes a more central role in the Iliad than in Sakuntula (Louden 36). On the other hand, the role of the supernatural, in the Iliad, is more seen in the intervention of war and fate. However, this is not the case in Sakuntala since despite the supernatural being involved in determining fate, the supernatural does not take a more central stage in the war (Kālidāsa and Arthur 38). Besides, the difference in the roles of the supernatural in the two works sets in because there is a portrayal of more supernatural intervention in the Iliad than in the Sakuntala. This is seen especially through the action of gods in deciding the fate of different men through rallying them and commencing fights. It is through the intervention of the gods that the men participating in fights lose or win. In addition, the difference of the theme of the supernatural role is seen in the two works in the creation of heroes. The supernatural is seen to have an essential role in the creation of more heroes in the Iliad compared to the Sakuntala; in the Iliad, more heroes are created because of the role of the supernatural in determining losers and winners (Louden 54).

Works Cited

Louden, Bruce. The Iliad: Structure, Myth, and Meaning. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2006. Print.

Kālidāsa and Arthur W. Ryder. The Recognition of sakuntala. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2003. Print.