world of the hero: illiad themes

Honour and glory

Achilles - chooses to live a short life in order to achieve honour and glory

Hector - powerful and courageous leader of the Trojans, caring father/ husband too

Mainly defined by their power and battlefield skill

The gods

Interference - breaking the truce at the start, Zeus sending a false dream to Agamemnon

Transactional relationships - Thetis helping Achilles, Chryseis and Apollo

Apathetic - don't care for the mortal lives of the war, see it as entertainment, Zeus easily gives over Troy

Fate and free will

Gods - Gods such as Zeus are able to have some sort of interference, making the Trojans succeed (by a scale)

Fate - although it is also something the Gods can't beat either

Unclear free will - Achilles seemingly has choice but doesn't as well, he is already fated to die young with glory or live old and unknown

Wartime vs peacetime

Homer - compares battle scenes with similies/metaphors to rural Greek life

Peacetime - there is reference to homelife, such as Hector with a wife and child

Mortality

heroes - even Achillies is fated to die, even if hes not fully mortal

Homer - he describes the people who die and their families, brings some emotion and personality to the constant deaths in war

- Moments of glory are only limited

Love and friendship

Friendship - helps unite people and support them in the war

Love - the war started due to Helen and Paris and Menelaus, Achilles' deep care for Patroclus

Parental love - Thetis helping Achilles, Priam going into dangerous territory to regain Hector