Achilles And Hector's Ritique On The Iliad

The first line of the Iliad describes a human emotion that leads to doom and destruction in Homer's poetic tale of the Trojan War. Achilles' rage is a major catalyst in the action in the Iliad. It is his rage that makes him both withdraw from and, later, rejoin the war with a fury. Why is Achilles enraged? Is his rage ignited solely by his human adversaries or do the gods destine him to the experience? Achilles' rage has many facets. His rage is a personal choice and, at times, is created by the gods.

The Iliad was an epic poem written in the 8th century BCE by the Greek poet Homer. The Iliad is considered to be the earliest work in Western literature, and is one of the most well-known and respected stories ever written. The Iliad covers the events of the last couple weeks of the ten years that the Trojan War took place. The Iliad is an epic that has many underline themes such as love, war, hate and forgiveness. The poem greatly covers Achilles roll in the Trojan War and how the gods and goddess were constantly intervening with the outcome of the war. The Iliad also vastly covers Achilles and Hectors relationship thought the last weeks of the Trojan War.

Hector was considered the greatest warrior of Troy, but he did not approve of the war that had started between the Greeks and the Trojans. During the Trojan War, he was the leader of the Trojan army. Ever body seems to like Hector for being kind towards his people and fighting for what's right unlike Achilles. Hector always puts his family first before anything even when he disagreed with his wife Andromache when she told him not to go to war. It was said to be that however touched the Trojan sand would die immediately.

In Homer's The Iliad, we find the greatest, bravest, and most revered warrior of ancient times. Achilles was the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidones in Phtia, and Thetis, a sea-nymph. As the legend goes, Achilles got his strength and battle skills when his mother dipped him in the river Styx. Achilles was thereby made invincible. However, Thetis forgot to wet the heel by which she held him and because of this grievous error, Thetis destined her son to defeat. It was prophesied that he would be defeated in battle by being pierced in his only vulnerable spot: Achilles' heel (thus the expression). This single weakness would inevitably be Achilles' downfall, but in the end he would still be defined as a true hero. The prophecy that

As with most Greek epics, both men also exhibit human flaws. Hector, despite being the strongest of warrior of Troy, could sometimes be impetuous at times and sometimes cowardly at others. Hector's pride was also a flaw which one that eventually led to his death. Achilles was a stubborn person from the beginning of the story. Anger and thirst for revenge carried Achilles through to the end of the epic, as evidenced by his mutilation of Hector's body.Achilles refusal to return to the safety of Troy’s walls after witnessing the deaths brought about by his foolish orders to cam outside the city demonstrates his mature willingness to suffer the consequences of his actions. His rejection of a desperate attempt of negotiation in favor of the honorable

Most of the time, movies present heroes that realize extraordinary things; they come from the ordinary world, conquer the word by their super action, or realize things that ordinary people seem cannot do. Troy (2004) is one of these movies that create fascination to the viewers and make them to be a hero. The movie is an adaptation of the poem Iliad written by the blind poet Homer. Achilles, the principal actor even if he finally dies in the movie, is a perfect example of the hero myth since despite his special power, he needed the help of his fighters, and must face big challenge before doing action.

The Iliad is a story of Greek and Roman literature which tells the audience the story of Troy. The story is full of many characters, mortal and immortal, that are fighting for their culture and pride. These times had great war hero’s that are remembered in literature for their courage and loyalty. In order to be remembered as a hero, these characters must have very specific traits. To start they must have divine ancestry, show loyalty, courage and strength. They must struggle, fear death, and die a mortal death. One character in general, Achilles, is known as a hero.

Throughout human history, mankind has venerated heroes because they possess the ideals that people strive to achieve themselves. The appearance and importance of heroes in The Iliad form a major part of what makes it such a celebrated tale. The concept of heroism, however, for the ancient Greeks and modern society is quite different. The Greeks viewed heroes as humans usually descended from the gods and in possession of superhuman strength and an aptitude for battle . Achilles clearly fits the above definition and therefore it comes as no surprise that he has historically been viewed as the main hero of the epic. However, the modern day definition of heroism, more than just strength and prowess in battle, encompasses the idea of a moral responsibility: defending one’s people from harm and sacrificing one’s own desires or life for the sake of others. Hector proves to be a great warrior, referred to as ‘man-killing Hector’ by the Achaeans, and therefore can be seen as a hero by the Greek perspective. However that is not the defining characteristic of the Trojan Prince. His character revolves around a sense of moral responsibility towards his people, his culture and his family, and using his power to defend them, sacrificing his own life in the process. The goal of this paper is to prove that Hector, not Achilles, is the true hero of The Iliad.

Heroism is bravery, something every epic hero has. An epic hero is a greater than life figure whose actions are meaningful to an epic poem. Epic heroes take dangerous adventures and accomplish great deeds requiring courage and superhuman strength. In The Iliad, both Achilles and Hector are considered epic heroes. Achilles and Hector are both great warriors, courageous, have Battlefield honor, and bold.

In the Iliad by Homer, Achilles portrays his unique character and perspective through two of his internally justified decisions to the embassies of King Priam and King Agamemnon. Achilles makes his first imperative decision when he sternly refuses the Greek King Agamemnon’s grand proposal of numerous and worthy gifts as his apology and asks Achilles to rejoin the Greek forces to help them conquer Troy. Towards the end of the Iliad, Achilles makes his second decision when King Priam of Troy sets out to ask Achilles for the body of his dead son Hector, in which Achilles agrees. The irony of his decision’s lie in the fact that Agamemnon is both allies with Achilles as well as his king, while Priam is king of the Trojan enemies as well as the father of Hector, who killed Achilles dear friend Patroclus. This leads to the very intriguing yet complex question of what Priam did differently to appeal to the good natured side of Achilles to

Achilles can be described as a Tragic Hero in many ways. He was brave and had great strength but, he was also prideful and lacked control with his emotions, and in all the label of a tragic hero fits him. A Tragic hero is “a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy” (“Tragic Hero”). To many men Achilles was god-like, and immortal, the epitome of a hero to the Greeks, he was strong, brave in the face of war, and of noble birth because he was the son of a goddess. In the Iliad, Achilles, driven by anger seeks revenge on Hector for killing his “dearest comrade” (“The Heroic Age”), Patroclus, whom he claims to have valued more than his own life. He

Homer’s The Iliad describes majority of the war that went on between the Greek and Trojan, which included the warriors Achilles and Hector. Throughout the poem the similarities and the differences became evident between the main characters, Achilles and Hector. Although Achilles and Hector are considered two different types of heroes, they had their similarities as much as they had their differences. Both Achilles and Hector were the greatest warriors of their armies, and both are very stubborn when it comes to their honor. The differences between the two of them is that Hector is a family man, while Achilles never married nor had children, and the two are fighting for purely two different reasons, Achilles is fighting for his blood thirst and glory, while Hector fights to defend his people and family.

In the Greek epic, The Iliad, Homer describes the siege and capture of the ancient city of Troy by Achilles and the Achaean warriors. Achilles, being a fearless fighter, defeated many throughout his battles against the Trojan army, including the brave-hearted Hector during the invasion of Troy. Though Achilles has been given the title of the hero of the Trojan War, many historians believe that Hector was a greater hero than Achilles. When comparing the characteristics of an epic hero such as being a national hero and having supernatural abilities, Hector clearly surpasses Achilles. In this essay, the argument will be supported through the context of the heroic personas revealed by the warriors and the non-heroic qualities that dishonored

     In today's society, a man's mind is his most important tool. In the past, however, a man's courage and strength is all that he had to keep him alive. In Homer's Iliad, courage is valued over honesty and even faithfulness to one's wife. If a hero is the most courageous man in the bunch, then Hector is more heroic than Achilles and King of the Myrmidons. Hector is the true hero of Homer's Iliad.

In the Iliad is a very interesting epic with features two main central characters that are similar in some ways but totally different in other ways. In this epic you will be introduced to Hector and Achilles. Two men from each side in the great Trojan-Greek war. They were both heroes to their people despite their clearly different contrast in their personalities. In this paper I will highlight the life of both of these two leaders of the Greek and Trojans in this epic the Iliad. Also a little will be shed of how Homer portrays the characters deeper then an average thought. I will attempt to show the complexity of his thought process in forming the climax of these two characters coming to battle.