The Iliad

Love has a relative meaning, that can be thought of differently between people. Love means different things to different people, and becomes more important as our world grows older. In the Iliad, love means different things to the couples in the book. The beliefs on love and loyalty to a partner in the Iliad seem to be completely different to that of our 21st century generation. For Zeus and Hera, love means a verbal agreement; Inside of their marriage, deception and backstabbing appear frequently. Opposite of them, Hector and Andromache show true love and care, as their marriage show true love and caring for each other– They truly love each other. Paris and Helen show that how loosely the term love can be used throughout life and how love …show more content…
Hector and Andromache’s love highlights the best parts of romance and what it means to be in love. Although sometimes teenagers don’t have a grasp on what it means to be in love, one thing remains certain; Love requires strong feelings towards each other. As Hector leaves to go fight in the war, Andromache says her goodbye, as she believes she will be a widow at the end of this war, “When I lose you Hector, there will be nothing left, no one to turn to, only pain.” (78) The love and care shown between Hector and Andromache shows contrary …show more content…
Love for Paris and Helen launches 1000 ships. They do not realize the effects of their “love”. To Paris and Helen love means attraction to one another; Not caring, believing, and supporting one another. Many characters continually treat Helen as a war prize because she, being the most beautiful mortal, can add a lot to a person’s social life. As the war begins, and Paris and Agamemnon start to argue over Helen’s love, Paris claims “Next time I’ll beat him [Menelaus] … I’ve never wanted you so much.” (42) Although this sounds sincere, Paris’s actions prove that he wants Helen for what she can bring to him in his life (beauty, sex, social power) and not because he has feelings of love for her. Homer tries to convey by telling the story of Paris and Helen that love can be shown differently between different characters and their relationships with their partners. Paris and Helen stand as an example of how loosely the term love remains in the Epic. Paris and Helen’s romance shows the benefits that having a partner brought to a person’s life. To Paris, being with Helen, the most beautiful woman, brings him higher social standings and sexual pleasure. Homer shows through Paris and Helen how love adds to a person’s life and how it makes it better; the feeling can sexual, social, and economic and all ways it adds pleasure. The love between the characters in the Epic add different aspects of life during this time, and the things