Hector's Archetypes In The Iliad

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

Iliad, especially Book 22, does a better job of portraying the archetypes of Hector and Achilles.
In the movie, Hector’s parents did not beg him to stay away from the fight with Achilles.

Rather, his father basically tells him that he is a great son and wishes him the favor of the gods. He also does not speak with his mother in the movie. But in the book, Hector’s father rips out some of his hair in distress and his mother shows him her breast to coax him into pitying them and staying. “So the old man groaned/ and seizing his gray hair tore it out by the roots/ but he could not shake the fixed resolve of Hector./ And his mother wailed now, standing beside Priam,/ weeping freely, losing her robes with one hand/ and holding out her bare breast with the other” (90-95) … Also different in the movie, Andromache is on the city walls, with the rest of Hector’s family. In the book, Andromache is at home, away from Hector and even taking measures to welcome Hector back home after the battle. “Neither I not your wife, that warm, generous woman…/ Now far beyond our reach” (105-106). Furthermore, the deceitful goddess, Athena, does not make an appearance in the movie “Troy,” at least not in the battle scene. In the book, however, Hector gets scared and runs from Achilles. Athena, posing as Hector’s brother Deiphobus, gives him the courage to fight since he will have aid. However, when he turns to his brother for assistance, he is alone and realizes the truth. “I thought he was at my side, the hero Deiphobus-/ he’s safe inside the walls, Athena’s tricked me blind”

(352-353).
Once the battle begins, the action really picks up.

In the movie, Achilles kills Hector with two blows, robbing Hector of any remaining words he might have had. But in the book, when Achilles makes the fatal blow, he did not cut Hector’s windpipe, and they have another discussion. “As Hector charged in fury brilliant Achilles drove his spear/ and the point went stabbing clean through the tender neck/ but the heavy bronze weapon failed to slash the windpipe-/ Hector could still gasp out some words, some last reply…/ he crashed in the dust” (385-389). Another important aspect of the book is the conversation between Achilles and Hector as Hector is dying. Hector begs for his family and friends to receive his body which is a rational request and would be a respectable action if taken by Achilles. Achilles, though, refuses and said he would eat his body raw before he would return his body, even for a ransom. This shows how Achilles’ irrational rage controls his actions and he is not the noble hero. Omitting these from the movie took away from the characterization for Achilles and Hector and, therefore, the portrayal of the two

heroes.
The movie, by taking out a lot of the action, lessens the impact of the encounter between Achilles and Hector. Between people’s reaction to Achilles leaving for battle to Achilles’ and Hector’s last conversation, the book does a far better job of portraying the heroes. Watching the battle was interesting and all, but the characterization was far better in the book. In all, the book does exceedingly better regarding the final fight between Achilles and Hector. I would prefer the book any day over the movie.