Themes

War the duel of Paris and Menelaus that Aphrodite undoes in Book III, and the truce broken by Pandarus in Book IV. Honor and Reputation the prize that Agamemnon takes from Achilles in Book I, and Achilles' refusal of compensation in objects in Book IX. Fate and Free Will the golden scale in which Zeus weighs the death of Hector and that of Achilles in Book XXII. Death the short life that Thetis confirms to Achilles in Book I, and the prophecies of Patroclus in Book XVI and of Hector in Book XXII, spoken as they die. Loss and Grief Achilles' lament for Patroclus in Book XVIII, and the funeral of Hector in Book XXIV. Compassion and Charity the meeting of Achilles and Priam in the tent, in Book XXIV.