Homeric treatment of death (The Illiad)

As much as death is important in "The Illiad", the important and glorious lives of warriors is where it begins. War is very celebrated in the Iliad, and Homer portrays his character's worthiness in the story based on their bravery to die. All the fighters shared the same ambition, which was to die with fulfillment from war. Homer points out that the fight is never a waste of time and rather a journey that leads …

…death brings Achilles back to his senses, and drags him back to war as well. It's peculiarly strange that in a tale where dying is so frequent, it took the death of someone for Achilles to realize what meant so much to him. Then it took another death, that of Hector, for him to recognize his morals and resolve his painful anger. The death burial of Hector marks the temporary peace between the two sides.