The Iliad is famous for addressing the historic Trojan war. Homer outlines an apocalyptic vision where all humanity is lost. Simone Weil’s essay compared this to the Second World war and the tragic awareness in war where there is a complete loss of hope. (Weil). The central issue of Homer’s Iliad is undoubtedly focused on the vision of warfare.  One of the astounding revelations of the Iliad is how much significant detail of the Trojan war is omitted. It provides no clear account of when the Trojan war commenced, nor many of the more famous incidents of the war i.e. the recruitment of Achilles and Odysseus, the elopement of Paris and Helen, the Trojan Horse and the downfall of Troy.

One of the important messages of the poem is that war is unremitting. In this sense the very basis of warfare is endless. Battles interrupted by truces rarely involve a finality of hostilities, instead they merely continue the conflicts. Even during the brief respites at night time the battles remain firmly in the vision of the soldiers tortured souls. Homer illustrates this by omission of no clearly defined beginning and no definitive conclusion. Homer’s vision of war can be described as being very fatalistic. He envisions the very fate of man being the unchanging condition of life. In this regard man has little control over his own destiny, there is nothing he can do that will change this. Homer elaborates upon this in the way he describes the universal nature of war.  Despite dealing with the roles of individuals he outlines how this is an integral part of a far greater picture. An example of this being when Hector is facing death and he can only describe the future of his son as being a great warrior and victorious in battle. Hence the only future he can portray for his son is a continuation of the very circumstances that now confronts him. (Homer)

When reading the Iliad it is clear to see Homer dealing with the many ironies of warfare. His description of the battle scenes are extremely graphic and bloodthirsty.  This is then contrasted to the many human values developed from warfare i.e. courage, comradeship, loyalty, etc. Homer makes no attempt to disguise or camouflage the sheer butchery and slaughter involved in total warfare.

” That said, he threw his spear. Athena guided it straight to Pandarus’ nose, directly by the eyes. It smashed through his white teeth. The tireless bronze sliced through his tongue, at its root, coming out his chin right at the tip. Pandarus fell from his chariot” (Homer)

There are repeated examples throughout the poem describing the graphic brutality of warfare. As such Homer is forcing us to gain a vivid impression of the battlefield and what happens when soldiers fight.  Homer has a unique way of gaining our emotional involvement with the individuals in the battle scenes.  We have previously been introduced to family members i.e. wife, parents and children. In this way you are not precluded from the identity of death  Homer often concludes the brutality of death with a reminder of a significant being lost to us forever and transformed into dust. He leaves no salvation in the sense of an “after life” but rather leaves the impression of decaying mortality illustrating the finality of it all. The irony described by Homer both exalts men but equally at the same time ultimately destroys them. At the end of the day there are no virtues or glory to be found, rather a grim reality and a sad finality. (Lattimore)

Essentially Homer’s vision of warfare is both brutal and fatalistic. It provides the reader with a horrific vision describing the loss of humanity. For early philosophy it is both extremely provocative and rewarding material. The Iliad addresses the pivotal questions of warfare – Is a soldier ever justified in confronting his commander (Achilles)? Must a soldier sacrifice his life for the cause of another? As a man dies for his country, in so doing does he betray his family?