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The Pros And Cons Of War In The Iliad

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War- a pleasurable and rewarding or detrimental and sorrowful act. War is fought among groups of individuals who do not agree on something or prefer a specific idea, leading to rivalry, causing injuries, bloodshed, and an overall victory among one side or the other. The Trojan War was the setting of the work by Homer, The Iliad; though it did not begin until the final year of the war, the tenth year (Puchner 224). The war itself was not depicted as something that was negative, instead, for the characters it was a positive aspect, as it was a way for them to gain kleos, everlasting glory; they were willing to partake in war to possibly receive the gift they have always wished for. Where The Iliad seemed to celebrate war, it also went through the brutal deaths, slavery, sicknesses, and intense fighting mechanisms. Males in The Iliad saw glory to only be able to be sought through winning battles, as the females saw war as a terrible aspect, since it could take the lives of the ones they loved. Characters in The Iliad, Achilles, Homer, and Paris, all had contrasting views and understandings of the meaning of war, depending upon their fighting ethics, confidence, and courage. They all hoped to gain honor through kleos, which may allow them to gain approval from the Gods to enter Mount Olympus (Puchner 225). War is an act that tears everyone in competing areas apart, yet is the only thing that brings contrasting individuals together.
To be more specific, Greek hero, Achilles,
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