The Epic Of War And War - 1589 Words

For many centuries the best stories that have been told were of battles in war. It is as if humanity gravitates to conflict and suffering. The Iliad was one of the first great stories of war and was composed three hundred years ago. It illustrates the cause and effects of the Trojan War. After all that time we wonder why so many military schools and scholars still refer to it for a background reference to what is to know about war. Many believe the war was glorified in this tale and others believe it was not. If it wasn’t a war of glory, why is it such a reference board for even military schools? Bloom wrote, â€Å"Even long after the decline of Greece itself, the Homeric epics would continue to form the mainstay of Western education and†¦show more content†¦(Bloom) According to Bloom the languages and geography and time Homer lived to the time the story was said to take place does not match up. He was able however to depict the Greek traditions very well as the Greeks did pass through their â€Å"heroic age†, a time in which the whole Mediterranean world was marked by wars and confusion and the restless migration of its peoples. Homer indeed tried to justify this war when he started out with the gods, showing their involvement. The Ionians and Greeks favored the gods in those days. The Greek gods were an important part of their lives. Therefore referencing the theme of the war premeditated by way of the god’s conflict is way of justifying this event. Homer was saying well this war was inevitable given that it was prophesied by the gods. The main theme in this poem was the wrath of Achilles but we may want to rethink that and look instead in the theme the wrath of the gods. When reading this poem you may feel a bit saddened for the Trojan and still feel that same sense of well this war was meant to be anyway. There was no stopping it give the prince Paris gave the golden apple to Aphrodite who promised her the most beautiful women in the world. The other two goddesses, Athena and Hera, plotted it where he ends up stealing someone’s wife and brought down destruction on his city. This is where the justification of wart based on morals comes