The Quest for Honor in Homer's Iliad Throughout history, people have pondered the question of human mortality. Examining the question, the ancient Greeks came to the conclusion that there are two spheres of immortality: that reserved for the Gods and that which can be achieved by mere mortals. The Gods are destined for youth and eternal life; however, for humans predestined to die, this existence is impossible to achieve. Rather, humans must strive to achieve eternal honor, the only form of immortality available to them. This is the idea that Homer tries to expound in his epic poem, “The Iliad.” Throughout his poetry, Homer describes the degree to which honor plays a role in the lives of the Greeks and how they are willing to sacrifice themselves to achieve their goal. This theme manifests itself from the beginning of the work, as "The Iliad" is set during the Trojan War, a particularly long and bloody war, fought not over political differences, not over border disagreements and not to protect the nation . Rather, it was a war fought to defend and uphold the honor of an individual, Menelaus, whose wife had been kidnapped from him by the Trojan prince Paris. This is the value that pervades the narrative of the Iliad. According to the axioms of Greek society, one must defend one's status and prevent shame from being brought upon oneself, at all costs. "...[M]y father, sent me to Troy, and exhorted me with repeated injunctions, to always be among the bravest and to hold my head above others, without putting the generation of my fathers to shame..." (VI 206 -9) This is the Greek Bible, the guide to proper decorum. A man's honor, and the honor he brings to his father, is paramount. Hektor, bravest of the Troj...... middle of paper ......: Hackett Publishing Co., 1994. Richardson, Nicholas. 1993. The Iliad: a commentary. vol. VI: books 21-24. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.Silk, M. S. Homer: The Iliad. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Stanford, W.B. The Theme of Odysseus: A Study in the Adaptability of a Traditional Hero. Dallas, TX: Spring Publications, 1992. Steiner, George and Fagles, Robert, eds. Homer: a collection of critical essays. Views of the twentieth century, ed. Maynard Mack. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1962.Van Nortwick, Thomas. Somewhere I Traveled: The Hero's Journey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Whitman, Cedric H. Homer and the Heroic Tradition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1958.