The Iliad is an epic poem that glorifies the heroic ideals that war imposes on its men. War itself exerts a strange and deadly fascination on those involved in it. Although war is characterized as terrible and sinister, it is also characterized as the means for glory ("kleos") to surface in man. Warriors are often seen as willing to leave their lives behind and fight for their homeland, willing to risk everything. The ultimate goal of the ancient Greeks, illustrated throughout the epic, is immortal fame that endures beyond death. The concept of glory helps define what it means to be a hero and, as such, is fundamental in shaping everything that emerges in Homer's Iliad. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay Defeat and death are fundamentally inevitable in combat, as the Iliad will show. This epic is a living, breathing poem that finds its whole being in war – creating a world of violence in which man can justify his existence, most clearly, by beating and killing others. The realities of war are not ignored; men die terrible and horrible deaths, women are forced to become concubines and slaves, and cities are plundered for all they are worth. Even the most honorable warriors have their doubts and uncertainties; but even so, war is not considered a waste of time or a waste of human life. Each side and each warrior has a legitimate reason to fight: immortal glory. War is then presented as a reliable means of resolving a long conflict which has lasted for ten years. Kleos is the glory that can be achieved by heroes who have given their lives to fight and die on the battlefield. To die a horrible, violent and dramatic death was to accomplish the greatest and most honorable of acts: "Ah, for a young man, everything seems beautiful and noble if he falls in war, torn to pieces under a sharp bronze blade – he lies. there, dead... but whatever death lays bare, all wounds are marks of glory. » (Homer Iliad 22. 84-8, pp. 543-544). Only true heroes would be willing to consciously choose the path that would likely lead to their own demise. Sacrificing everything they knew and loved, these warriors fought for the honor and glory that would endure for their children and generations to come, beyond death. “Well, let me die – but not without a struggle, not without glory, no, with a great clash of arms that even men to come will hear of as the years go by! (Homer Iliad 22. 359-62, pp. 551). Ancient Greek warriors were judged on their skill, bravery, and courage in battle – not only by other mortals, but also by the gods. Those who chose not to fight were considered weak and cowardly. For example, Diomedes shouted to Odysseus: "Where are you running, the royal son of Laertes' cool tactician?" Turn your back on combat like a coward! (Homer Iliad 8. 108-110, p. 234). Kleos should be sought after, but often at a very high and personal price. Time and again, warriors' wives begged their husbands to be careful, for they too know the likely end: Heedless, my Hector, your own fiery courage will destroy you! Do you have no pity for him, our helpless son? Or me, and the fate that weighs me down, your widow, now so soon. Yes, soon they will kill you... /What other warmth, what comfort is left to me, once you have met your doom? / Please, please! Take your position here on the rampart, before you become orphaned by your son and surrender yourwidowed woman (Homer Iliad 6. 482-512, pp. 209-210). Andromache, Hector's wife, begs him to cease fighting on the battlefield and instead use defensive strategy and command from within the walls of Troy. Like many other warriors' wives, she wanted her husband to find a safer way to fight. Hector can accept the suggestion; however, he cannot move forward. Her response reveals the tragic dilemma many warriors often face when glory is at stake: All this weighs on my mind too, dear woman. But I would die of shame before the men of Troy and the Trojan women dragging their long robes if I backed away from the fight now, like a coward. The spirit does not push me in this direction either. I learned it too well. To stand up courageously, always to fight in the front ranks of the Trojan soldiers, winning great glory for my father, glory for myself (Homer Iliad 6. 522-29, pp. 210). To be a great hero is to sacrifice everything in battle. Hector realizes the path he must choose to achieve eternal glory; acting as if he had no value for his own life and that of his family. The Iliad, while valuing the obligations and ties that unite families, places respect for glory much higher. Heroes must choose between their beloved family and their great desire for kleos, and often choose the latter. We see throughout the epic that Achilles must choose which path of destiny he will follow. His life was predestined, like all lives in ancient Greece, and must choose between two destinies: “If I stand firm here and besiege Troy, my journey home is over, but my glory never dies. If I return to the homeland that I love, my pride, my glory will die... it is true, but the life that remains for me will be long, the blow of death will not come upon me quickly” (Homer Iliad 9. 501 -05, pp. 265). When Achilles first retreats from battle, he chooses to live a long and unglorified life, one that he fails to remember heroically beyond death. However, after Hector kills Patroclus, Achilles changes his mind and seeks to avenge Patroclus' death: "But now I will go to meet this murderer, this Hector who has destroyed the life dearest to him. I know. For my own death I will face freely... /But now, for the moment, let me grasp great glory! (Homer Iliad 18. 136-145, pp. 471). Avenging the death of Patroclus means choosing a short life, but full of immortal and eternal glory. Even though Achilles is determined to kill Hector, he will also succeed in battle to honor the name of Patroclus. As such, Achilles' kleos will extend to Patroclus, as he uses his own honor to bring glory to his comrade. While the war itself is a horrific and dehumanizing affair, the emphasis is on recovering the body for a proper burial. Those who have died heroically in combat, regardless of identity and side, must be treated with respect. In this case, Kleos can be assured to the hero if his body has been properly returned and honored, as Hector says at the hands of Achilles: “I beg you, I beg you by your life, your parents – do not let The dogs are devouring me near the Argive ships! /but give my body to friends to take home, that the Trojan men and women may honor me with suitable fire rites after I am dead” (Homer Iliad 22. 399-405 , pp. 552). This notion that respect and fame endures beyond death further illustrates the struggle to achieve glory. The Greeks believed that glory and honor lasted far longer than anything.