The Inhumanity Of War In Homer's Iliad

Members of a family would usually not divide, but the curse of war makes them chose sides. Similarly, war gives mankind justification for murder and looting. In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, Odysseus and his crew are overconfident and hyped up after winning the Trojan War. They sail to the far shore of Ismaros where the Cicones live. As Odysseus recounts, “I stormed that place and hilled the men who fought / Plunder we took, and we enslaved the women / to make division equal shares to all” (Homer 152-154). War curses Odysseus’ crew to be arrogant and murderous, even though the crew could have been grateful and guest-like. They break the law of hospitality without batting an eye because the recent war made them feel they could kill whoever they wanted. People have a tendency to abuse power, and the power to take someone else’s life is one of the most easily abused. War curses mankind to be jealous and murderous, as proven by Odysseus and his crew. Likewise, this wanton murder leaves lasting moral injuries in the minds of the

The epic poem, The Iliad written by Homer shows the conflicts and events that occurred between the Greeks and Trojans during the Trojan War. Among both sides there are warriors who follow a distinct code, known as the heroic code. This Heroic code helps portray the characteristics of the warriors and their perspective on war. This distinct code is composed of many elements such as arete, acceptance of fate, honour, excellence in war, leadership, courage and power. These traits are shown within the main warriors, Hector and Achilles throughout the epic war poem and helps to guide their decisions. However, in contrast, not all the characters are shown with heroic features, for example, Paris. Paris is a foil to both Achilles and Hector. He exhibits less heroic features to himself. The heroic code helps characterize the warriors and highlights their heroic features.

As the precise definition of justice cannot be definitively stated, the line separating just from unjust actions is incredibly obscure. Many factors may influence an individual’s perception of what constitutes justice, such as time period, culture, or personal morals. Thus, while an act may be considered righteous in one context, the same act may be ruled unjust in other contexts. For instance, when Odysseus finally returns home to Ithaca, as retribution for defiling his home and attempting to court his wife, Odysseus murders all of Penelope’s suitors. The extremely graphic depiction of his retribution had appeared almost superfluous, causing the morality of his actions to be brought into question. Therefore, interpreting this scene from a

Homer compares Sarpedon’s death to a slain bull in order to help the reader understand that his death is essential in weakening the Lycians by sending them into grief. Homer writes in The Iliad, “...spirited bull a lion has killed…” The word “spirited” reminds the reader of life and relates to the religious views of having

The Ancient Greeks value specific qualities in a person, however they did not value other. Ancient Greeks valued these qualities based on certain achievements or on a performances in war or even inside the city walls making substantial decisions. The Iliad is an epic novel by the Greek poet Homer. The Iliad is based off of the Trojan war between the Achaeans led by King Agamemnon and the Trojans led by King Priam of Troy. This novel focuses on the actions of several characters and how the disparate gods interfered with the war to help one or the other side have a chance to win. The Iliad also spotlights the individual qualities of a Greek hero or non-hero. Numerous characters in the Iliad demonstrated exceptional qualities of a Greek person that was valued, such as bravery and helpfulness and that was disproved of like selfishness.

Robert Kennedy once said, “What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever created? No martyr's cause has ever been stilled by an assassin's bullet. No wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders.” As Mr. Kennedy so eloquently said, acts of violence rarely accomplish their intended goal. Indeed, too often they only create more grandiose problems in the long-term. Throughout classical literature acts of senseless violence have been a common thread. In Homer’s The Iliad several instances of such violence are revealed. As Trojans and Achaeans engage in a brutal battle, neither mortal nor immortal is safe from the conflict. This violence will take several forms, from the emotional abuse endured by Helen, to the horrific slaughter of warrior after warrior. Becoming an

Since the beginning of time man has waged war with catastrophic outcomes for many reasons. The Trojan war was the brutal fight for Helen, the fairest woman of the known world. Was it the revenge seeked by Gods and mortals? Or was it the justice seeked by Gods and mortals? Gods and mortals fought a brutal war for what they thought was right and to get back at past evils. The actions inspired by vengeance and justice in Homer’s Iliad shows how detrimental the effects can be on others.

In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.

The Iliad is a riveting tale of violence and rage amongst heartbreak and tragedy, where a range of emotions are evoked through various events and decisions made by the characters throughout. Some of these characters act on impulse, while others think over with others and themselves to find the best course of action and do what they feel would be the best, be it for their families or their people, or for themselves alone. Through such feelings, certain events play out that either work out to the favor of the characters, or the exact opposite. Characters like Achilles and Agamemnon act on their anger, often going beyond what would be deemed reasonable and even affecting the events following. Achilles’ anger was triggered by Agamemnon’s arrogance

The plot of the Iliad takes place in the middle of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans that lasted for ten years. This conflict according to Homer and ancient Greek mythology occurred because the Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus, brother to king Agamemnon. In this paper, I will be examining the consequences of war, as outlined by Homer. I will be analyzing a battle scene to answer the question of why do the men in Homer’s “The Iliad” continue to fight when all hope of winning perishes? especially as they face the consequences and horrific tragedies of war. What is it that they continue to fight for, even at the expense of their lives? What is considered to be so valuable that they are willing to die? And is it worth the risk? These men fight for Kleos, which is an eternal glory. They fight for their glory to live on and their names remembered even long after they are dead. They earn this glory through being renowned for their bravery and courage, as well as their strength and victory in war. To attain Kleos is valued highly to the ancient Greeks and worth the consequences of war, even death.

Written by Homer, The Iliad, portrays the life of Achilles, and how the Greek Hero allowed anger to overwhelm his decision making. Complications arise when anger leads to hate, pride, or suffering, and Achilles life illustrates the results of anger. Throughout the book anger slowly consumes Achilles and significantly changes results of the Trojan War. Causing him to act foolishly, Achilles’ anger brought harm upon many Greek people. Also, The Iliad teaches that anger caused a downfall to Achilles’ life. Achilles anger throughout Homer’s masterpiece results in the unnecessary deaths of many warriors, a shameful reputation, and a disastrous downfall.

The Ancient Greeks value specific qualities in a person however they did not value other. Ancient Greeks valued these qualities based on certain achievements or on a performances in war or even inside the city walls making substantial decisions. The Iliad is a epic novel by the Greek poet Homer. The Iliad is based off of the Trojan war between the Achaeans led by King Agamemnon and the Trojans led by King Priam of Troy. This novel focuses on the actions of several characters and how the disparate gods interfered with the war to help one or the other side have a chance to win. The Iliad also spotlights the individual qualities of a greek hero or non-hero. Numerous characters in the Iliad demonstrated exceptional qualities of a greek person that was valued such as bravery and helpfulness and that was disproved of like selfishness.

Homer’s depiction of the nature and character of war itself seem to be unmerciful in its raw form. Throughout the course of book seven of the epic, The Iliad, many events and actions of the characters are in the motive of war and winning a battle.

Homer’s Iliad is one of the earliest depictions of war ever written. At face value, the epic is the story of Achilles’ rage, beginning with his honor being insulted by Agamemnon and it continues with the death of his best friend, Patroclus. Yet, the Iliad showcases so much more. It illustrates two very different perceptions of war: one one hand glorious honor and victory, and on the other, the the jarring horror of death and destruction. Homer, in his poem, incorporates scenes in which the characters contemplate how meaningful war and violence really is; a thought which, tragically, many individuals in today’s world contemplate every day. Despite having been written nearly two millenniums ago, the Iliad’s themes still ring true today and further illustrate how human nature has not changed.

Iliad, the epic poem is written by a great epic poet Homer. This poem is a classic in real terms and recounts some historic facts about the last ten years of Trojan war and the Greek siege city of Troy. Tracing back its history, Iliad is thought to be written back in 8th century B.C. and it is considered one of the earliest works in western literary tradition. It captures the scene of blood, abductions, murders, wrath of Achilles, revenge, anger and intervention of gods. The scene of warfare and blood are presented in the poem through oral tradition initially. These are the subject matters of the great epic poem which mark its significance as a great classic Greek poem (ancient Greece). This epic subject matter becomes inspiration for so many