The epic poem, The Iliad by Homer depicts the Trojan War and its Heroic Heroes. Heroism is the qualities of a character of a person that makes them great. Two Characters seen as heroic are Achilles and Hector, however; Hector is more heroic because he is decisive, his perseverance and personality.
In the course of the Trojan War, Paris, who initiated the war by stealing Helen from her husband, Menelaus, challenged the Achaeans to single combat with any warrior. Paris is a Trojan warrior and a prince while Menelaus is an Achaean or Greek warrior and a king. When Paris saw Menelaus stepped forward he retreated to Trojan ranks, however; Hector scolded him for being a coward and Paris agreed to duel Menelaus. The terms of the combat were riches and the return of Helen which would end the war. As the two dueled, Menelaus in fury was set on killing Paris but the god, Aphrodite whisked Paris away back to the palace and summoned Helen to lie down with Paris. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and also the reason why the war took place. Menelaus established that he won the duel and demanded Helen back; they would not return her, so the efforts toward a truce failed.
While Paris and Helen were at the Palace, war raged on with Hector in the midst of the battle. Then Hector returned to the palace and told Paris to either fight or return Helen instead of hiding because they were being slaughtered. Further into the war, the Trojans began to advance and started winning, during that time Hector decided to visit his family. Hector’s wife told him not to engage in the war because he might not return. Despite his wife’s’ effort to restrain him from re-entering the war he still fought. Even though Hector is a mere mortal, his personality does not allow him to interlude, he is embedded on fighting although he knows the Trojans are losing.
Hector is decisive by giving Paris different ways of settling the issue between him and Menelaus, whereas Achilles who retain to his rage against Agamemnon causing the death many Achaeans and his friend. After the duel took place, Zeus said that the war should be over but Athena wanted the total destruction of the Trojans because they did not return Helen. Using her god-like powers, she tricked a Trojan warrior to shoot his arrow at Menelaus and the fitting commenced.
The Iliad is an epic written by Homer around 750 BC. It tells the story of the struggles of the 10th year of the Trojan War. Hector, prince of Troy, is one of the main characters in this book and was killed by Achilles. The hero of The Iliad is Hector because although he isn't the most courageous soldier, his respect for others and dedication in battle makes him the hero of The Iliad.
...nger,/ he left the gates behind and away he fled in fear-…”(p 180). The picture of Hector we are left with is that of one fooled by the gods to face his fears and then gruesomely defeated by his nemesis.
He fought just on instinct and his own rage and personal fury he had, and fought primarily for the sake of fighting. However, on the opposite spectrum was Athena the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare. Her warfare was the tactical warfare that calculated each move carefully with strategic strikes in order to get the job done. (the god and goddess 1) I his personal life, he was associated with Aphrodite at a young age. According to Homer, the two were married but Aphrodite was already married to Hepheastus. To show affection with Aphrodite, he fought on the side of the Trojans against the Greeks. This choice did not work out for Ares and lost the Trojan War.
“When Hector killed Patroclus, Achilles was filled with grief and rage and returned to the battle, routed the Trojans, and killed Hector, viciously dragging his body back to the Greek camp” (“Achilles” 1), Achilles was so sad and mad at the same time, but, he had a reason for it all. Hector had killed his lover, whom he let borrow his armor and aid the retreating Greeks after, “In the last year of the siege, when Agamemnon stole the captive princess Briseis from him, Achilles angrily withdrew and took his troops from the war” (“ Achilles” 1). Later, Paris killed Achilles by inflicting a wound on his heel. The heel had been the part of Achilles that his mother, Thetis, attempted making him immortal, which was successful by that heel that she was holding remained mortal, and resulted in Achilles’s death.
When people think of a hero, they picture someone flawless, someone who does no wrong. A hero is humble and is recognized for constantly saving people in dangerous situations. But that is not realistic. Heroes have flaws, and they do not always make the right choices, but they are still heroes because their courageous actions outweigh their rather dishonorable ones. This topic is discussed in the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus does not always fit his image as god-like, but he is still very much a hero because he has respectable morals and he protects those in need of protection.
Hector answered, “Wife, I too have thought upon all this, but with what face should I look upon the Trojans, men or women, if I shirked battle like a coward? I cannot do so: I know nothing save to fight bravely in the forefront of the Trojan host and win renown alike for my father and myself. (142)
The Iliad is an epic tale of war and hero’s within the Greek way of life. A
Throughout time people have looked up to heroes. Hero can be mighty fictional people who save a damsel in distress to just your everyday person who helps out another. Hector, killer of men, led the Trojan army as their greatest warrior. Pat Tillman was a man who left a successful football career behind in order to join the army. However he was later killed in combat with an official story saying that he was shot by an enemy, but it was later revealed that he was killed by friendly fire. In the epic poem The Iliad, Hector is seen as a brave and selfless hero and shares these traits with the modern-day hero Pat Tillman.
Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta. The Spartans refused to return Helen to Sparta so Menelaus persuaded his brother Agamemnon to lead an army against Troy. They fought for nine years but never were able to defeat he main city. The Greeks then built a large wooden horse in which warriors were hidden inside. The Greeks appeared to leave and the horse was left at the front gates of the city. The Trojans brought the horse inside the gates and the other Greeks returned at night. The people hidden inside the horse opened the gates for these Greeks and they destroyed Troy. This war could also have another motive as to who controlled trade through the Dardanelles.
It does not seem to be rooted in his own belief that his brother Paris' actions are worthy of defense, or that Helen is a prize absolutely worth fighting for. In fact, although he feels fraternal affection for his brother, he reviles Paris several times for his selfishness and womanizing that has brought such grief to Troy. To Hecuba, he says "A great curse Olympian Zeus let live and grow in him [Paris], for Troy and high-hearted Priam and all his sons." (VI.334-5) He is angry at Paris, not only for the taking of Helen, but for his hiding from battle, allowing the other men of Troy to die for the trophy that Paris keeps in his bed. "You'd be the first to lash out at another -- anywhere -- you saw hanging back from this, this hateful war. Up with you -- before all Troy is torched to a cinder here and now!" he berates Paris (VI.389-90). And later, in the heat of battle, he cries again: "Paris, appalling Paris! Our prince of beauty -- mad for women, you lure them all to ruin!" (XIII.888-9)
Since Agamemnon refused to return the daughter of a priest of Apollo, Agamemnon agrees to release Helen only if Achilles gives him his prize of honor. This is when Achilles found it unfair and withdraws from the battle including all his soldiers. Achilles then asks the gods to grant him revenge. Agamemnon the had attacked because a dream had encouraged him to. Paris flees the battle with the help of a divinity and Menelaus rages on with his brother demanding the release of Helen.
Hector is the true hero of Homer's Iliad. Although Achilles and Hector are both leaders of men, Hector leads with a mature sense that gives his men reason to respect him. In turn, Hector respects his men which gives fulfillment to both parties. Hector is not a man to sit around and mull over strategies and ideas - Hector is a man of action. His men are inspired to fight because they see their captain fighting as well.
The Iliad, the Greek epic documented by Homer that describes the battles and events of the ten year siege on Troy by the Greek army. Both Trojans and Greeks had their fair share of heroes and warriors, but none could match the skill and strength of the swift runner, Achilles. Achilles had the attributes of a perfect warrior with his god-like speed and combat abilities. However, even though he was Greek’s greatest warrior, he still possessed several flaws that made him fit the role of the Tragic Hero impeccably. Defined by Aristotle, a Tragic Hero is someone who possesses a high status of nobility and greatness, but must have imperfections so that mere mortals cannot relate to the hero. Lastly, the Tragic Hero’s downfall must be partially their own fault through personal choice rather than by an evil act, while also appearing to be not entirely deserved of their unfortunate fate. Achilles is a true Tragic Hero because he withholds all of these traits. Achilles proves to be a good man that puts his loved ones first, reveals his tragic flaws of pride and anger, shows dynamic qualities as a character when his flaws are challenged, and has a moment of clarity at the end of his rage. Achilles truly exemplifies the qualities of a Tragic Hero.
In Homer’s The Iliad he tells of the battles and events during the time of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. This was just a small portion of the Trojan War that had lasted ten years. The Iliad shares the ideas of the glory of war, military values over family life, and the impermanence of human life and its creation. One thing that Homer does is characterize the two different warriors Achilles and Hector. These two great warriors both show different kinds of traits that shape the character they become throughout the The Iliad. Achilles is the main hero in The Iliad, but Homer subliminally tries to persuade the reader that Hector is the true hero in this story.
In the poem, Iliad, Achilles and Hector both show relative heroism in their own different ways. Achilles may have been the more popular hero, but Hector had great heroism as well. Each of these characters possess their own different strengths and weaknesses. These two characters both have pride as being one of their main weaknesses. Hector seems as if he would suit best in the modern world, but there are a few different reasons as to why the ancients may have chose Achilles. Hector and Achilles both lost a lot by letting their pride get in the way of their heroism. Both of these characters were their country’s best warrior. Achilles and Hector have very different personalities, and very different ways of approaching situations.