What is the nature of male friendship? The following three works explore what both healthy and unhealthy male friendships look like, giving us insight into male psychology and why it’s important for men to have strong relationships with other men. These works demonstrate the depth of connection possible between men and how friends of either sex shape men.
‘The Iliad’ by Homer
At the foundation of Western civilization stands an epic work that deals with war, peace, fate, free will, heroism, and friendship. In an age when waging war was an exclusively male occupation, it’s no surprise that a poem focused on the blistering uproar of combat would have much to say about the bonds between men, particularly the bonds hardened in the furnace of war.This story of the Trojan War revolves around the magnificent figure of Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors. The warriors have come to Troy to recover the Greek princess Helen. Opposite Achilles stands Hector, the greatest of the Trojan warriors, the “sole defense of his city,” and the poem drives inexorably toward the showdown between these two champions.
