It was one of the greatest battles in Greek history, the battle of Achilles with Hector (Homer. Iliad. 22) and Cycnus (Ovid. Metamorphoses. 14); these two different versions of the Trojan War had both similarities and differences. As we can notice from these two books, there are similarities of character in Homer’s version of Achilles and Ovid’s version Achilles. Furthermore, the similarity of both Trojan heroes having the same enemy in both versions of The Trojan War. On the other hand, the difference between these two battles of Achilles is the character and how both Trojan heroes performed during the battle with Achilles. In addition, the main reason initiates battle of Achilles is different when he fights with Hector and Cycnus; additionally, how Achilles treats their corpse after he kills them, were not the same in both battles. Furthermore, the setting and timing of the battle between Achilles and the two Trojan heroes are distinct from one to another.
According to Homer, Hector was the greatest and most famous mortal heroes in the history of Troy, who has protected Troy from many wars and have been treated as the guardian of his father, Priam kingdom. On the other hand, in Ovid version of The Trojan War, there are two great Trojan warriors, Hector and Cycnus, son of Poseidon, the latter is invulnerable warrior and have killed 1000 Greeks troop at the Trojan beach easily when the Greeks first landed on the beach.
The character of Achilles, son of Peleus, in both battles has some similarities which are the violent, arrogant and uncontrollable like a beast. Achilles trusted his skill to fight and shows his arrogant character can be found in Iliad,
“Achilles shook his head at his soldiers:
He would not allow anyone to shoot
A...
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... year of the war.
In general, the battle of Achilles with Hector and Cycnus had some similarities and differences. Both of the Trojan heroes are loyal to their country and both are Troy greatest warriors. Other than that, both versions of Achilles poses the arrogant and beast characteristic. However, the characters and attitudes of Hector and Cycnus in the battle with Achilles are completely different, where Hector fears and hesitate to battle with Achilles while Cycnus confidently faces the battle with Achilles. In addition, the main reason of battles is different which lead to different treatment of Achilles to their corpse, where Hector corpse was badly treated by Achilles rage for the revenge of Patroclus death. Last but not least, the setting of both battles Trojan heroes is completely different, even-thought they were fighting with the same enemy, Achilles.
The valor and courage of Greek warriors is discussed frequently enough that the similarities of these would be redundant. These characters are not entirely lacking of depth, and so a comparison of temperament is possible. Odysseus is not only a hero of strength, but also of cunning and wit. He outsmarts the cyclops, whereas Achilles simply runs to attack it in his fierceness and glory. The similarities in their behavior remain, but their thinking and battle-strategy leave much to be
Hector was the best warrior in all of Troy. He was the Trojans best hope of winning the war against the Greeks. Achilles was the Greeks best warrior, and their best chance of winning the war. This automatically made the two characters adversaries,
The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.
Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.
The Iliad is the complete cycle and story of Achilles’ rage during the Trojan War. Homer wrote this famous story in 800 BC. This epic is important because it shows the nature of humans: peaceful, wrathful, compassionate, and forgiving. The archetypes in the story are Achilles and Hector. Representing the archetype for the soldier that fights for glory and is irrational at times is Achilles. Hector, on the other hand, is the archetype of the rational protector who also is a loving family man. In 2004, the movie “Troy” (based off the Iliad) came along. The two stars of the movie were Brad Pitt and Eric Bana, who played Achilles and Hector respectively. Though both versions, the book and the movie, follow the same events and timeline, the
Agamemnon captured a priest’s daughter, Briseis who was Achilles’ prize, which may have led to heartache and a plague among the war, but that meant nothing to Agamemnon for he had a woman of beauty. Agamemnon stopped at nothing to keep his women, even if that meant the life of another warrior. As for the comparison of Achilles to Hector, they had as many similarities as they did differences, but it is the overall outlook during these hard times that pushes Hector to be seen as more admirable. Achilles was the best warrior, the Greeks needed him to fight, and overall was considered honorable by this people as Agamemnon had dishonored him. Achilles downfall was in his pride and anger.
The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem separated in different books or chapters that shows a fictionalized account of the Trojan War. Book 6: Hector Returns to Troy is the specific portion of the poem that is being covered in this essay. Hector from the Iliad shows a very clear aspect of his personality, a strong sense of loyalty and tenderness for his loved ones and also his people by being on the front lines during the war and showing his people he is willing to fight with them and essentially sacrificing himself for his family. Hector even knows his forgiveness towards his brother, Paris even though Paris is the main reason the Trojan War is in existence.
Throughout the text, major characters seem to be at constant battle with their different emotions. This inner conflict is mirrored by the everyday conflicts between the gods. Just as Zeus and Hera are constantly at odds with one another, so are the different sides of Achilles: his cultural responsibility, pride, honor, and revenge. No one is completely at peace with his or her conflicting emotions in The Iliad – and therefore, neither are the gods, who represent these emotions. Hector is a prime example of a human who finds himself torn between two forces: his love for his growing family, and his duty as a prince of Troy. He admits to Andromache that he worries about his own mortality, but emphasizes that “I would die of shame to face the men of Troy…if I would shrink from battle now, a coward.” (Homer 6: 523, 525). Hector’s deeply ingrained sense of honor and loyalty to home is clearly established in the beginning of the text. Therefore, when Zeus later grants Hector “power to kill and kill till you cut your way to the benched ships” (Homer 11: 241-242), it is not too much of a stretch to attribute Hector’s dodged perseverance to his upbringing and rigid sense of duty, rather than to the
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. Hector fights for belief and respect while Achilles fights out of rage and rashness. Achilles is not respected by his men, rather he is feared. Nobody wants to receive the blunt of the attack when Achilles randomly flies into a rage, therefore his men are terrified of him and allow him to do as he pleases.
Achilles is introduced into The Iliad getting into a debacle with the leader of the Greek army, Agamemnon, during the last year of the Trojan War. Achilles starts a quarrel with Agamemnon because he has demanded possession of Achilles’ woman, Briseis, in consolation for having to give up his woman, Chryseis, so that the gods will end their plague upon the Greek soldiers. Achilles does all he can to get his loved one back, but he knows that nothing will waver Agamemnon’s decision. This is when Achil...
The Iliad may be seen as an account of the circumstances that irrevocably alter the life of one man: Achilles, one of the greatest warriors. Throughout the course of the poem Achilles goes through many ordeals that change his character immensely. Starting with his quarrel with Agamemnon and withdrawal from battle, to the death of Patroklos, and with the slaying of Hektor. Achilles emotions and actions decide the fate of many warriors on both sides. Achilles struggles with anger, honor, pride, loyalty and love make the poem more that just a gruesome war story.
According the Iliad by Homer, Hector and Achilles are the main characters that have many different, but also they have some similarity.They both have the different in personalities and life. Also, they have the different about leadership and relationship with their family. Both are the two strong warriors and heroes. Achilles is in Greek side, Hector is in the Trojans side , and they both want to win the battle . Both characteristics believed that their fate is to die on the battle as the warrior, but approach war differently. However, they all have the advantage and disadvantage. Also, They have the different reasons to fight the battle that hector fight for his homeland and his family's honor and Achilles fight for Helen , also because he is the best warrior that he want people to respected him.
The Iliad is not a story about the Trojan War at all, the war is just to set the stage for Homer to bring together the swift footed Achilles and Hector, the Prince of Troy, so they can be compared. The Iliad starts with how Achilles is dishonored by Agamemnon and withdraws from the war and ends with his return to the fight and eventually falling at the end. Hector is brought into the story and displays through his character what a real hero should be like.
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.
Hector and Achilles, two outstanding warriors on opposing sides in a conflict, show that there is more to people than what meets the eye. Although they are seen as ultimately heroic and powerful, their weaknesses and inner conflicts are unmistakable. Their differences are larger and more significant than their similarities, and to think of them as interchangeable warriors diminishes their significance. Achilles is portrayed as a fierce fighter who is harsh on the battlefield, but cares about the ones he loves very deeply, whereas Achilles is shown as a strong fighter with a more sensitive heart and compassion for all people.