ipl-logo

Duals In The Iliad

462 Words2 Pages

In Iliad, a story of a war between the Greeks and the Achaeans, there are several themes illustrated through characters interacting with one another in this war. That of glory, pride, revenge, honor, and the gods care for the outcome of this war. These themes play a crucial role in informing the reader of how war was viewed by those in that time.
In this war, these soldiers received honor and glory when they were deeply involved in the battle and came out the victor. Often, two highly respected soldiers came across each other and would challenge each other to a dual. Other duals were brought about from one soldier calling out and challenging the other.
Hector killed Patroclus and stole the armor he was wearing as a trophy and a taunt directed at the Achaeans. Achilles acted entirely out of revenge for his friend Patroclus. Out of rage, Achilles charioted directly to the walls of Troy and challenged Hector to a dual. Hector accepted. The two started by throwing their spear at the other. After, they drew their swords and fought until Hector fell and Achilles attached his corpse to the back of his chariot and drug his body back to the beach. It seems as though the louder the dual, the more the victor flaunts and taunts, the more glory and respect that soldier receives after winning. The gods didn’t act any different. They sought glory of …show more content…

The entire war was fought with both sides believing in the fate of their army winning. The gods also had it known among themselves when each soldier was destined to die or to succeed. The gods played a huge role in who won the war and who lost. Pride, revenge, power, and honor were all integral parts of the Iliad. These themes are what make war such a glorious event to these people. In the end, fate ruled over if you succeeded or not, not if you were the better soldier. The gods continually stuck their hands in every part of this

Open Document