Falling in love with the one he wanted to punish
The reason why Paris abducts Helen is revealed as being a deep desire for revenge. Pushed by this, Paris goes to great lengths to acquire the young girl, with the desire to punish her. Ironically thus, it is interesting to see how Paris quickly falls in love with Helen and turns his back against everything he knew and wanted.
The oracle is not so exact
The characters in the book all seek guidance and help from the famous Oracle in Delphi. Kings go there before embarking on wars and noblemen ask the oracle for advice in regards to business and personal life. The oracle is generally perceived as being infallible and incapable of making a wrong prediction. Thus, it is ironic to see how most of the prophecies mentioned in the book turned out to be false ones.
Cyrus’s death
The story of how Cyrus conquered Babylon is one of the most important stories in the first book. The narrator describes Cyprus as being obsessed with the idea of taking Babylon and making it his life mission. It is thus ironic to see how Cyprus died in the battle for Babylon, not knowing if his forces were going to win or lose.
Do not give then language
The second book opens with the description of an experiment. A large group of children were taken away from their parents and deprived completely of language. The people who came up with the experiment expected to see the children grow up to be savages. Ironically, the opposite happened and the children not only created for themselves their own method of communicating but also created a form of social order.
Religion of peace
The fourth book focuses entirely on the idea of religion and how it is important for society as a whole. Religion is described as bringing peace and helping people live better. Ironically, in the same book, the narrator goes to describe the practices of offering sacrifices. These practices are far from being peaceful and at times involve even human sacrifices.
