Achilles vs. Hector in the Iliad
In the Iliad, many of the male characters display heroic
characteristics, consistent with the heroic warrior code of ancient Greece.
They try to win glory in battle, yet are often characterized as having a distinctly
human side. They each have certain strengths and weaknesses, which are
evident at many times throughout the conflicts described in the Iliad. Prime
examples of such characters are Achilles and Hector. These two characters
have obvious differences in their approaches to fitting the heroic mold to
which they both try to conform. However, despite their differences and the fact
that they are fighting for opposing armies and meet each other with hatred in
battle, they also have numerous similar traits which logically lend themselves
to a comparison between the two men. They both display behavior that could
be described as heroism. The first way in which Achilles, who fights for the
Greeks, and Hector, who fights for the Trojans, act differently is how they
approach war and the inevitable violence and death which accompany it.
Although Achilles knows that he is fated to be killed in battle, when his faithful
and devoted friend Patroclus is mercilessly and dishonorably cut down in
combat, he puts aside his pride and chooses to temporarily forget about his
previous feuds with Agamemnon that have up until now prevented him from
participating in the war. He joins the fighting with a deadly and vengeful
mindset that will likely play a major factor in the outcome of the war.
Today,
this lust for revenge might be considered a glaring character flaw. However,
this passion for retribution undoubtedly conforms to the heroic code of Greek
society. Meanwhile, Hector is full of indecision and reluctance about whether
to take part in the war. He too believes that fate has dictated that he will be
killed in battle. He spends much time with his pleading wife Andromache, who
begs him not to go to war, both for his sake and for his familyÕs. He does not
want to die and thus widow Andromache, leaving her "at the loom of another
man." Indeed, when he bids farewell to his young son Astyanax, clothed in his
shining war gear with gleaming helmet complete with plume crest (the
quintessential picture of a bold Greek soldier going off to battle, which today is
a symbol of courage, bravery, and true heroism), Astyanax cries with fright,
showing that bravery and heroism in war cannot coexist with the care and love
that a father shows to his son. Thus, while Hector is indeed heroic is his
departure for the war, his human side is overshadowed by this. Another
situation in which Hector and Achilles use different approaches to behave as
heroes is in Book Twenty-Two, the main section in which Hector and Achilles
and their separate personalities and character traits interact. Hector, now
courageous as ever and boldly confronting his fate, decides to remain outside
the ramparts of the fortified city, within which the rest of his supporters that
might defend him are safely secure. Priam, HectorÕs father, upon seeing the
advancing Achilles, implores Hector to retreat behind the safety of the walls,
but to no avail. Pride and honor play a role in preventing Hector from backing
down. HectorÕs fearless confrontation of his destiny is an extremely heroic
action. However, then Hector flees from Achilles, behavior quite unlike that of
a hero. One might infer that now HectorÕs human instinct of survival is playing
a role. This illustrates a seemingly-common conflict among characters who
might be considered heroes: the internal contest between the heroic code
within the character and the human emotions and instincts that sometimes
present contradictory impulses to the heroic code. Each hero responds in a
different manner to this conflict. Hector, in this case, decides to react upon his
human impulses and flees from Achilles, who instantly gives chase. After a
cunning trick by Athena which causes Hector to decide to stand his ground
and fight, perhaps the most conspicuous contradiction between a warriorÕs
heroic code and the warriorÕs human side is evident. Achilles, vengeful and
bloodthirsty, kills Hector in a manner which, by todayÕs standards, would be
unnecessarily cruel and barbaric. He allows Hector to die a slow and agonizing
death, after which he shamelessly desecrates the body, without caring in the
least about the feelings of HectorÕs family and supporters. These actions are
undeniably consistent with the heroic warrior code of the Greeks, which puts
tremendous value on valiance in battle and merciless retribution.
Nevertheless, even the most valiant and stonehearted soldier must have a
human side, which definitely must object to the savage and brutal killing that is
ubiquitous in war. On the other hand, when Achilles and his soldiers get some
type of obscene pleasure and glee from repeatedly and grotesquely stabbing
HectorÕs lifeless and bloody corpse, another kind of human emotion is being
displayed. This is the pent-up anger and hostility that builds up during oneÕs
quest for revenge or simply battle, being directed towards the most apparent
figure or symbol that represents the source of this hatred. So, it might be
concluded that the heroic code and the human emotions might not conflict with
each other after all. The final major decision taken by a pivotal character in
the Iliad is also in need of a careful analysis. When Achilles decides to return
HectorÕs body to his father Priam that it might be honorably buried, he is
violating the unfeeling and uncompassionate heroic code to which he earlier
tried so hard to conform. He has decided to act upon the nobler human quality
of pity and sympathy and anotherÕs loss, even when the loss is that of a hated
enemy. Truly, in this scenario, Priam had to simply draw on the common bond
through which all humans feel linked, for no amount of rational thought would
have swayed Achilles to make this compromise of principle. Ultimately, this is
an excellent way to end the narrative of the Iliad, for it shows that Achilles, the
character with which the reader most often identifies, has exhibited his
independence from the heroic code and that he is capable of making
decisions that have no basis in precedence, and that he is able to choose his
own destiny and live his own philosophy, and one who accomplishes this is
truly a hero by anyoneÕs standards. In conclusion, a careful comparison of the
actions and thoughts of the two characters provides the reader with a perhaps
unexpected insight. It seems that while Hector is indeed possessive of a
human side, in that he is afraid of dying in war, he loves his wife and family,
and does not at first want to accept his fate, Achilles is in fact the more human
one. He uses both his human emotions and the warrior code that he learned
since childhood appropriately and in proportion, so that there is the least
friction between the two and so that the resulting actions are indeed admirable
and praiseworthy. He is able to construct a perfect formula containing both the
heroic code and the human mind that presents the most ideal result. Achilles
seems to have successfully navigated his way through the heroic progression
in this manner. Thus both Hector and Achilles behave as heroes throughout
the Iliad. While they both try to win glory in war for their families, their country,
and themselves, they both have certain strengths and weaknesses in their
character which dictate their very different courses of action and their
thoughts. They are both presented with conflicts and dilemmas throughout the
story, the resolutions of which must be made using both their intuitive human
side and their aggressive heroic side, and it appears as if Achilles meets with
the most success in this difficult task. Therefore, the heroic warrior code and
the human conscience present certain contradictions to which the characters
must respond in order to survive and in order to achieve their goals.Partner sites: Spanish school Costa Rica, Skin Cancer, and Free Essays and Term Papers