In what ways does Achilles’ relationship to Patroclus in the Iliad echo the relationship between

Gilgamesh and Enkidu?

How would you describe the gods of The Iliad?

How does romance interfere in the lives of the warriors?

The Iliad written by Homer is an epic poem with so many characters that involve not only the
mortals but also the Gods. It focuses on the 10-year battle between the Archaean and the Trojans which
took place in Troy and the rage of Achilles as Patroclus died. The battle occurred because Paris took
Helen from his husband Menelaus, Agamemnon’s brother, to Troy.

Achilles does not wish to join the Battle in Troy because he was upset that Agamemnon took
Briseis as his prize in exchange for Chryseis freedom to stop the plague that Apollo did to the Archaean
armies, so when the Archaean was about to lose from the Trojans, they ask for Achilles to help but then
he still refused. When his great companion Patroclus, with Achilles’ armor, joined the battle and was
killed by Hector. He felt outraged and so he went to the battle and killed Hector. Achilles’ relationship
with Patroclus is the same with Gilgamesh and Enkidu in a way that they are very close friends, however,
the difference is that Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight hand in hand together while facing their enemies,
while Achilles, despite the danger of Patroclus using his armor, still refused to join the battle, leading to
the death of his friend. It pertains that even his closest friend cannot change Achilles’ mind and
temperament. The Battle of Troy is not just between the Trojans and the Greeks, it was also a battle
between Gods who likes the Trojans and who adores the Archaean. They use their power as Gods to
intervene and participate in mortal affairs. First is when Apollo sends the plagues to the Archaean army
and when Zeus, helps the Trojans not because he is concerned with the Trojans but because Achilles
prayed to her mother, in whom Zeus owes her a favor, etc. The battle also is not just about God’s divine
intervention to the mortal’s affairs but also how the romance interfered in the lives of the warriors.
When Paris took Helen and fled to Troy, it angered Menelaus, Helen’s husband, and Agamemnon, chief
commander of the Archaean army, which caused the battle to broke.

The Iliad is a very interesting story in a way that it does not just tackle friendship and romance in
a positive way, but as well as its effects that caused battle, death, and rage. The death of Patroclus
resulted in the rage of Achilles and romance between Paris and Helen, led to the Battle of Troy and the
death of many Trojans and Archaean, with the intervention of the Gods.