Achilles Vs. Hector In The Iliad By Homer

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In the “Iliad”, written by Homer, there are two soldiers named Achilles and Hector that have an epic battle. Achilles is the youngest Greek soldier to fight the Trojans, and Hector is the prince and the youngest Trojan fighter. The two soldiers have many different characteristics and similarities. To begin with, the two soldiers are different because Achilles is a selfish leader and Hector is selfless. For example, Achilles prays to Zeus “Grant the Trojans victory after victory”. (Book I, ln 314-316) This example proves his selfishness because Achilles wants the gods to allow the Trojans victory because he has been dishonored by Agamemnon because Agamemnon wanted to take Achilles’ prize. However, Hector would rather stand up bravely …show more content…

A good example would be when Achilles said “Grant the Trojans victory after victory”. (Book I, ln 314) This is an example of Achilles turning against his people wanting the Trojans to win so he would be needed. However Hector stood up for the people of Troy and would die as a coward if needed. (Book 6, ln 83-91) This proves Hector puts the people of Troy before himself making him the more loyal of the two. It is obvious the two men are different by their loyalty to their people. Though the two do have some differences, they are very similar in that Achilles and Hector are both powerful soldiers. For example, Achilles states that a “yearning for Achilles will strike”. (Book 1, 1n 281) This is an example of Achilles saying that the people would yearn for Achilles because of his great power and bravery as a soldier. For example, Hector is also known as “man-killing Hector”. (Book 16) Hector is a brave soldier who has killed many in his battles. Furthermore, the two soldiers are similar by their bravery as a soldier to their people. Looking back at the two soldiers, they do have differences and similarities. Achilles is a selfish and disloyal leader to the Greeks, while Hector is selfless and loyal to the Trojans. Achilles and Hector are both good soldiers by their bravery to fight. As the reader can see, the two soldiers are different

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