Although war is a major theme in Homer's The Iliad, the author did not glorify the concept of war and violence in the epic poem. Instead, he presented the concept as a part of life that men felt inclined to take part in and that could not possibly be ignored. However glorified war may seem throughout the story, an in-depth reading of the poem reveals the insignificant effect war truly has on societies, which are actually based on people's relationships.
             The poem opens with the word Rage, which is an evident metaphor that establishes war and violent acts as a major theme in The Iliad. With a beginning like this, of course the reader will begin to associate war with honor and glory. From the outside a person would assume that war was a glorious part of society. Great warriors lived like kings, and they're looked upon as an extraordinary breed of man and god. But actually all wars are fought out of jealousy or greed. Later in Book I, Achilles begins to realize that all the honor and glory he receives is not nearly worth the price he pays on the battlefield. In a confrontation with Agamemnon about whether or not he should continue fighting Achilles says,
             whenever we sack some wealthy Trojan stronghold
             my arms bear the brunt of the raw, savage fighting,
             true, but when it comes to dividing up the plunder
             the lion's share is yours, and back I go to my ships,
             clutching some scrap, some pittance that I love,
             when I have fought to exhaustion. (108)
             This is the first time that anyone in the poem questions the meaning of war and why anyone fights. At this point Achilles is truly beginning to realize that no one really fights for themselves.
             Once again, in Book XVI, the glorification of war is questioned. In this part of the story Patroclus has taken Achilles' armor and gone to fight. Although he proved to be a worthy opponent for most
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