In Homer's Iliad , war is depicted as horrible, bloody, and fruitless. There are no clear winners in The Iliad.
Many people die in vain because of arrogant and emotional decisions made by men.
Achilles directly causes the death of his friend by first refusing to fight, leaving the Greeks at a disadvantage, and then poorly advising his friend Patroclus to join the other fighters. Even the initial cause of the war, Paris' kidnapping of Helen, a Greek woman, is a rash and selfish act. The will of Zeus plays an important part in the events of The Iliad . Zeus' will is infallible, and so, in a way, the events that occur are all destined to happen. However, there is a small amount of flexibility as to when the events will happen.