The warriors of Homer's Iliad strive to secure posthumous glory, but most of the individuals involved in the main conflict apparently lack the personal sensitivity as they remain anonymous and unaware of the power of those who exhibit individuality – those who actively rise from the masses to exemplify autonomy Illustrating conformity to naturalistic impulses by comparing the Achaean forces to swarms of bees and through comparing the cry of. Thersites' mutiny, Homer establishes the decisive. need for individuality and individuality within the hero, for only those who wield the power of the gods - or diverge from their divinely overwhelming authority - can act within the conflict of the Iliad. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay "Why should violent video games not be banned" Get an original essayA necessary sense of banality governs the condition of the warrior in Homer's epic as, instead of gaining autonomy, conscience of soldiers is reduced to a sort of uniform senselessness that makes it impossible to achieve glory. In a simile in Book II, Homer presents the legions of Achaean soldiers as "like swarms of grouped bees" who categorically lack individuality (as inferred by comparison with the hive mind species). Similarly, Homer further pacifies the actions of individuals by presenting them hanging “like / clusters of grapes as they hover beneath the flowers in spring,” noting the unceasing nature of their condition as they “emerge forever / in fresh rushes from the hollow stone.” . Thus, composed and reduced to a minor aggregate condition, warriors lose their individuality and therefore their destiny is predetermined. While the heroes of the epic display a perceived ability to defy fate or, at least, to recognize the divine forces that give rise to an immutable destiny, the warrior "bees" act without agency as they move "this way and that ", unaware of both the motivations and consequences of their actions. Even when Homer allows for collective action as “the people” take “their positions,” it is clear that human action among the masses causes natural discontent with the “groaning earth” in response. If the submissive individuality of the common warrior serves to complete the divinely ordained world, then only those who exercise divine power over nature are granted heroic likeness. Even so, this amounts to a sort of variant of Euthyphro's dilemma: are heroes great because the gods choose them, or do the gods choose heroes because they are great? Likewise, the poem's presentation of “Mighty Agamemnon” constructs a notable dichotomy that allows for discussion of the origins of power and its respective value. Perhaps the most obvious emblem of the king's divergence from his hive is his material scepter that “Hephaestus had carefully crafted for him.” Homer immediately details the celestial history of this scepter rather than a history of Agamemnon's might, since the fact that ownership of the entity can be traced back to Zeus grants Agamemnon authority beyond what his individual actions could have expressed . In fact, the scepter was left to the great king "to carry / and be lord of many islands and all of Argos". Furthermore, Agamemnon – when he first addresses his swarm – leans “on this scepter” to obtain the divine power of the logo, physically relying on a symbol of regalia and therefore of monarchical inheritance. However, while Agamemnon speaks of the senseless mutterings of the Achaean warriors, he achieves individuality only through a divergence.