Heroic Heroes in Iliad by Homer

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The epic poem, The Iliad by Homer depicts the Trojan War and its Heroes. Heroism is the qualities of a character of a person that makes them great. Two characters seen as heroic are Achilles and Hector, however; Achilles is more heroic because of his audacity, allegiance, compassion.
Heroism can be defined as the pursuit of good through warfare. Achilles is more heroic than Hector because more action occurs by the time Achilles engages in battle. Achilles is audacious because his recklessness drives him to the point of seeing the destructions of every last Achaean. Hector is audacious because despite the difficulties he faces, he still fights. While Achilles is holding the story back, Hector moves it forward. Achilles’s allegiance to Patroclus makes him great because Achilles realizes the only way to avenge Patrocolus’s death was to join the battle. Hector’s allegiance is also as well important because even though he knows the Trojans are losing, he fights. Achilles becomes compassionate when the King of Troy kneels before Achilles begging for Hector’s defiled body. Hector shows compassion towards his family by telling Achilles before his combat to return his body to Troy.
Achilles’s audacity brings about the destruction of many Achaeans. The story begins with Agamemnon arguing with a priest because he wanted his daughter back. Achilles being as logical as possible tells Agamemnon to return the girl and that his warriors would find him an even greater war prize. Agamemnon short tempered as he is assumes Achilles is trying to hold on to his war prize while he had to give his away and they begin to biker. After the girl was returned Agamemnon sent his men to take Achilles war prize. Because Achilles was so bound to this principle...

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...ctor fighting with all his strength he loses because Achilles was half-divine. Not quite satisfied after ripping his armor off Hector’s body, he drags Hector’s body that hung out of his chariot three times around Troy’s palace and took the body with him. After six days past, the King of Troy, Priam, kneeled in front of Achilles begging for Hector’s body back so that he could do a proper burial. Achilles would not budge but then Priam mentioned Achilles father and Achilles returned the body. When Priam mentioned Achilles’s father, Achilles realized that one day the same might happen to his body where his father goes and beg and they would not return his body. He also realized that after all he went through he allowed his anger to get the best of him after he had already killed Hector but through Priam’s words he has become less self-absorbed and more compassionate.

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