Achilles' shield symbolism: "The Illiad"

Achilles' shield represents the strength and protection it offers him, and is also symbolic of the bigger picture outside war in the Iliad. Achilles receives motivation to return to war, and reason for new armor, following the death of his good friend Patroclus. His "terrible, wrenching cry" disturbs his mother, Thetis, and she comes quickly to see what the problem is. When she realizes her son's pain, and desire for revenge on Hector, she also …

…so special? The shield, and the man who carried it, gave us perspective on the history of the whole war. The shield includes a normal life beyond battle, such as children, dancing, feasting as well as everyday work in the fields and with animals. It is ironic in the end that Homer glorifies war throughout the whole of the Iliad, and yet it appears on the shield that everyday life can be just as fulfilling.