Theme Of Honor In The Iliad

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Hon·or [/ˈänər/], noun: good quality or character as judged by other people; a high regard or respect; personal integrity; reputation or privilege. The notion of honor is prevalent in the epic poem The Iliad. In The Iliad, Homer (a famous Greek author) expresses the quintessence honor brings to the Greek and Trojan soldiers. He shows how honor is a requirement for one who wants to be a hero and describes the extent to which honor plays a role in the lives of the Greeks and the Trojans. The warriors ' goal of honor influences how they behave in the story and shows the impact honor has on each of their decisions. The way the warriors behave in battle emanates directly from their desire to attain honor. Honor is the overall theme that drives the actions of almost …show more content…

The warriors ' decision to enter battle, their wrath, and the sacrifices they must make throughout the story are all sparked by a desire to acquire honor. The warriors ' decision to enter battle is provoked by their goal of achieving honor.
The Trojan War, a long and bloody war waged by the Achaeans (the Greeks) and the Danaäns (Trojans) is not a war to protect their nation, or a war over social status, or a war over boundary disagreements, although it may appear so at first; the Trojan War is actually a war fought especially for honor. Each and every man who has entered the war desires honor, whether it be for themselves, their family, or someone else. The idea that one can attain honor and later become a hero, is what triggers the Trojan War in the first place; the men join the war so that they can have honor and be glorified by the Gods and the men around them only to, in the end, become heroes. Hektor exemplifies the men 's want for honor when he tells Achilles," Let me at least not die without a struggle, inglorious, but do some big thing first, that men to come shall know of it"(22.304-305). Not only does Hektor believe that, achieving something great in war

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