Themes in the "Iliad"

Paper Summary:

This paper briefly discusses how, the characters in "The Iliad" reveal to us the most basic ideas surrounding humanity, and that the gods prompt the characters to show us of such things. It looks at how, as the situations in "The Iliad" are examined, it becomes noticeable that a recurring theme is the necessity to call on others (both mortal and immortal) for support, strength and conflict resolution.

From the Paper:

"Some of the recurring themes in The Iliad are: the necessity for reason over will, the contrasting of an individual's values and ideas versus the values and ideas of society, the power of love and lust over morale, the excessive pride of human beings and the need for self-control in order to hinder emotions such as rage. Another major theme regarding humanity found in The Iliad is the idea that we, as humans, are never self-sufficient; we must always rely on the assistance and counsel of others to accomplish even the smallest of our goals in life. Throughout the work, characters consistently require the help of others in their struggle for supremacy. More often than not, throughout the epic, mortals look to the gods for such assistance. However, the mortals are often dependent on each other at various times in the war as well."

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