Literary Terms

Character Foil: Ajax
The two Ajax's, Greater and Lesser, form a character foil. Greater Ajax possesses brute strength and power, capable of beating down many foes with great force and defending fallen comrades. Lesser Ajax however is swift, capable of quickly cutting through enemies. Their different skill sets compliment each other and allow them to fight better.

Motif: Flashing Helmets
Throughout the book, particularly powerful fighters are described as having a "helmet flashing." It is believed that it was a symbol of divine support: The fighters whom the gods loved were given radiant glory to illustrate their awe. It recurs throughout the book several times with several characters, namely Achilles and most often Hector.

Personification: the gods
It was common in Greek mythology that concepts such as emotion, activites, talents, etc. where personified by gods. One example is Sleep, personified by the god of the same name (14.280), and Ares' henchmen Rout and Terror (14.145)