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Conclusion to hector and achilles comparison iliad
Conclusion to hector and achilles comparison iliad
Significance of family in homer iliad
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Homer's poem the "Iliad" describes a long and brutal war between the Greeks and the Trojans. The leaders of these two armies Achilles and Hector were two great warriors that fought for honor and their people, they were very respected amongst their people and were considered to be heroes. These two characters play a large role in Homer's poem "Iliad" as the whole story revolves around them and their actions. Even though Achilles and Hector are great warriors they differ in the way they treat their families, the way they lead their men into battle, the reasons they fight, and the way they view and act towards the gods.
Hector fights primarily because he feels that he has a responsibility to his city and his family. The city of Troy is particularly important to Hector because his parents are Troy's king and queen and it's his duty to protect them. Hectors devotion to his family is seen from the way he interacts with his wife, Andromache, and his son Skamandrios. Hector’s loving words toward his wife and son show that he is a caring and compassionate man. (Book VI 89-93) Achilles does care for his family, particularly his mother Thetis who he loves a lot, however when she warns him about is destiny to die in this war should he continue to fight, he disregards her warnings (Book IX 128). This is what separates Hector from Achilles, Hector explains to his wife his reasons for returning to battle which are for the greater good while Achilles says should he return home he would lose all of his honor. Achilles doesn't always show his feelings to his loved ones, however when he finds out about the death of his best friend Patroclus he breaks down. “A dark cloud of grief fell upon Achilles as he listened. He filled both hands with dust from...
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...e all the way to the shores, where the Greeks ships were located.
In Homer's poem the "Iliad" Hector and Achilles were two main characters that were considered great warriors in their own rights. They were seen as heroes amongst their people, they were loved and respected. However despite these similarities Hector and Achilles were two very different people. Hector was more of a family man that fought to keep his family and his people safe. He also had a great deal of respect for the gods which is why he was loved by Zeus. Achilles however was very stubborn and fought for glory and hoped to solidify his legacy. He did not respect the gods and was not afraid to confront them, though he did love his mother very much he disregarded her warnings in order to preserve his name and honor. Ultimately these characteristics would lead to the downfall of these great warriors.
In The Iliad, Hector isn't always shown as a courageous character. In book 18, Achilles discovers Patroclus is dead. Upon the realization that Hector is to blame, he is ready to rejoin the fight against Troy. The Trojans start to lose their courage until hearing Hector’s speech in which he says, “Tomorrow at daybreak armed to the hill for battle we slash to attack against their deep curved Hills!...I for one, I'll never run from his grim assault.(18.353-357)” In
...battle that Achilles’ ego needed. However, Hector tried to do the right thing by offering the deceased be returned to their respective camps after the battle was over. It is at this point that Achilles is beyond the common courtesies of war and flat out denied Hector’s request. This action by Achilles shows his arrogance and the bloodlust that was truly in his heart rather than the courage that so many people claim that he had.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 Greeks also had their share of icons and heroes. They admired Jason and his quest for the golden fleece, and Perseus, the killer of Medusa, but their finest heroes come from Homer’s Iliad: Hector and Achilles. Hector was the best warrior in Troy and the son of Priam, the king of Troy. Achilles was the great warrior of the Greek army and killed Hector. The Greek citizens, siding with their own nationality, declared the Greek warrior Achilles the hero of the Trojan War, but since ancient Greece no longer exists an unbiased view of the Ilia...
Achilles stand firm against Priam but Priam reminds Achilles of the love that he has for his own dead father. Achilles is moved to tears by the memories of home and of his parents. He accepts Priam 's ransom for Hector 's body, and the two men, each having his own sorrow, cry together. After the reconciliation, Achilles has a dinner prepared for Priam and they eat together as equals. Achilles even supervises the preparations of Hector 's body and grants the Trojans twelve days to conduct Hector 's funeral rites, during which the Greeks will not attack. Priam thanks Achilles and leaves with Hector’s body before the sun rises. Once again Achilles’ rage is ended by reconciliation and Achilles is show to be not just a violent warrior, but is also a noble
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 Homer’s epic, the Iliad, the legendary, has no two characters that are so similar yet so different as Greek warrior, Achilles, and the Prince of Troy, Hector. Achilles is the strongest fighter in the Greek side, and Hector is the strongest Trojan. They are both put into the mold of a hero that their respective societies have put them into; however; it is evident that they are both extremely complex characters with different roles within their society and with their families, and with the gods.
The Greeks know Achilles as a demigod. Legend states his mother had dipped him in the River Styx. The Greeks always admired Achilles. Then along came Agamemnon, starting the Trojan War. After much Greek suffering, Agamemnon agreed to the recommendation of Calchas the Seer, but only on the condition that he take possession of the war prize of Achilles -- Briseis -- as a replacement. Achilles then decided that when Agamemnon needed him most he still would not be there. This being said, he sat on the sidelines until the battle came to his ship. Everyone loved him so much they all tried to get him to come join them in the war against the Trojans, but he refused. Being prophesied to kill Hector, Achilles finally entered battle. Achilles also killed Hector as vengeance for killing Patroclus (Agamemnon). As for Hector, he became the Chief of the Trojan army. Hector represented as an ideal warrior and the mainstay of Troy. He had drawn in most favorable colors as a good son, a loving husband and father, and a trusty friend. His leave-taking and departure to meet Achilles for the last time are moving. He became a special favorite of the god Apollo (Hector). As for Beowulf, he became loved by many in his homeland, Scandinavia Denmark. Beowulf would be the only warrior to fight for his homeland and the people in it. Other warriors would go with him on his journeys, but would never help him. When Beowulf needed help only one
Achilles would have never been involved in such a hideous war to help the well being of society, the reason behind him fighting was for his name to be glorified. A great leader cares about those whom accompany him and wants the best for each individual teammate -- this is what Hector seeks for his city. He did not do this because he was the prince of Troy -- Hector took on the task as a strong and responsible leader with his tremendous courage and boldness, simply due to the fact that he knew that it would contribute to something bigger than himself, which is why he was a great prince and epic hero. These traits are what many other epic heroes embody. Another characteristic epic heroes are known for are their quests or journeys; in Hector's case it was a mission.
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.
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.