The Iliad

Main Ideas

• Achilles' wrath and its impact on the Achaeans in the war against the Trojans
• The conflict between human will and fate as determined by the gods
• The portrayal of war as a relentless and destructive force that ruins human lives and destinies
• Heroism and martial valor as the highest values of Homeric heroes
• The theme of friendship and loyalty, illustrated by the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus
• The quest for immortality through glory achieved by heroic deeds on the battlefield
• The contrast between humanistic ideals of honor and glory and the brutality of war and death