Role Of War In The Iliad

In today’s context, war seems to be a time where normally unethical principles are deemed acceptable. “Thou shall not kill” is a fundamental belief in every major religion, yet during times of war, breaking this commandment is not considered a sin. Instead it is a necessary action to properly serve and protect the country. However, when modern-day soldiers return from battle they generally do not discuss the details of the war to the public. Conversely, in the Iliad, as more people know of a hero’s war story, the more glory he attains. The Iliad’s depiction of war is multifaceted; during this time period war is a means of achieving fame and glory, war is a form of entertainment for the gods, and yet it is inaccurate to say that the Iliad is

War is how they leave their legacies and how they are judged honorable men. However, for the gods, war is seen as a form of entertainment. The gods choose sides just for the fun of it and then proceed to interfere in the lives of humans, just so their side will win. The gods do not really genuinely care about the humans; they just want things to happen in a way that is preferable to themselves. The gods repeatedly interfere and change the course of battle whenever they want to. For example, Aphrodite whisks Paris away right as Menelaus was delivering a death blow in Book 3, therefore preventing the war from ending right then. Furthermore, the plot of the Iliad may have been completely different had Athena not prevented Achilles from fighting Agamemnon in Book 1. The war also serves as entertainment for future generations of humans. The stories of the Trojan War were passed down orally through generations of people and even now these battle stories are a source of

For example, the death of Patroklos causes such an uproar that it convinces Achilles to rejoin the battle, even though he knows doing so will result in his death. “I must die soon, then; since I was not to stand by my companion when he was killed” (Homer 18.98). The deaths of Patroklos, Hektor and Achilles are most emphasized in the Iliad and these deaths were heavily foreshadowed throughout the text. Even when Achilles is killing Hektor, he acknowledges that he too will die soon. “But even for me, I tell you, Death and the strong force of Fate are waiting” (Homer 21.123). The audience and even Achilles himself knows that his death is near. Moreover, Achilles tells his army that they will not eat until Patroklos’ death is avenged. This shows how much of an impact Patroklos’ death had on Achilles and the severity with which Achilles is mourning. A pro-war piece would not include such drastic examples of mourning nor would it contain deaths that evoke such sadness in both the characters and the