A marginally substantive film adaptation of a beloved stage musical set in King Arthur's court is probably not intended to provide deep insight into the state of the human condition. Born from an unmet demand for entertainment, above all else, and "Camelot" offers a touching retelling of a familiar legend with only slightly butchered musical numbers. Instead, a sprawling war epic centered on the role of gods and the influence of fate on human lives conveys a sense of gravitas that is missing from most movie musicals. Yet the Iliad also has the primary purpose of entertaining. Beyond the entertainment value of both works, however, the characterization of some perceived heroes exemplifies the concept of toxic masculinity. When controlled for cultural bias, Homer's Iliad and Lerner and Lowe's "Camelot" portray strikingly similar narratives about the harm inherent in the institution of masculinity as manifested through the arrogance of male heroes. In perhaps the most common classical depiction of arrogance, both works depict contempt for the gods: in the Iliad through direct defiance and in “Camelot” through presumption above the mortal position. Agamemnon is the most overt perpetrator, telling Chryses that "the crowns of god will never save him" in response to Chryses' plea for his daughter's return (78). In keeping with the contemporary Greek perspective that the gods are imperfect, tangible actors in human life, Apollo delivers punishment directly via a flaming arrow, dooming the Greeks to plague and pestilence. Agamemnon's impertinence leads to the curse in a clear chain of cause and effect. Likewise, Achilles directly punishes the Greeks because his "heart still rises in anger whenever [he] recalls [Agamemnon's] arrogance as he mortified [Achilles]" (273). In this case, then, love in the purest romantic sense is fundamentally incompatible with both men's internalized archetype of the ideal warrior. Sincere affection creates tension between the external display of glory and entitlement and the intrinsically humiliating tenderness they feel, leading them to self-immolation. Achilles, upon learning of Patroclus' death and his own impending demise, vows that he will "follow [Patroclus] under the earth... venting [his] anger upon them for [Patroclus's] destruction" (478). Achilles is collapsing under the pain, as pain is a predominantly introspective and non-combative emotion. Since genuine, non-militant emotion is incongruous with Achilles' perception of himself as a warrior, he continues to see no other recourse than that. violence, vowing revenge instead of seeking emotional closure. Subsequently, Achilles entrenches himself in a series of escalating atrocities that he feels he needs to work through to properly deal with his love for Patroclus and the consequences