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The Iliad
Comparison and Contrast of Achilles and Hector
When audiences read Homer’s Iliad, we find that this epic tale is centered around the Greek and the Trojan War. We notice in this tale, that Achilles of the Greeks and Hector of the Trojans carry the title of greatest warrior for their perspective armies, both men are an inspiration for their countrymen in this battle. Each man shows us their strengths and weaknesses, which we will use as points of comparison and contrast between the two heroic men.
When reviewing the two men, we find that there are actually very few comparison points. However the common points we do find are critical in describing the characters of both men. One major comparison is that both men are warriors and known as fierce fighters. Agamemnon describes Achilles as “the most violent man alive (pg. 123).” Achilles himself describes Hector as “man-killing Hector (pg. 126)”.
Another key similarity is that for both men, their fates are influenced by the Gods. Achilles was very angry with Agamemnon because of the situation with the priest’s daughter. Achilles vowed to Agamemnon that he would no longer follow him in battle, bringing home a pittance of the spoils while Agamemnon always brought home the lions share. Agamemnon answered back that he would give back the priests daughter but in return for his loss, he would take Achilles spoil, Briseis. Achilles is gripped with rage and strongly considers killing Agamemnon on the spot, “should he draw the long sharp sword slung at his hip, thrust through the ranks and kill Agamemnon now? – or check his rage and beat his fury down (pg. 124 – 125)?” Although still extremely angry, Achilles listens to the voice of Athena and pulls back his fury, “…a man submits though his heart breaks with fury. Better for him by far. If a man obeys the gods they’re quick to hear his prayers (pg. 125).”
For Hector, his godly influence is Zeus. He is even described as “dear to Zeus (pg. 141).” He constantly prays to Zeus and seeks his guidance. He curses his brother Paris to Zeus because he blames Paris for causing the war between Troy and the Achaeans, “let the earth gape and swallow him on the spot! A great curse Olympian Zeus let live and grow…that man – if I could see him bound for the House of Death, I could say my heart had forgot its wrenching grief (pg.
The subject of Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, is very clearly stated--it is “the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles.” The reader remains continually aware of the extent of Achilles’ rage, yet is never told the reason why Achilles remains angry and unreconciled. There is no definitive answer to this question. Achilles is not a static character. He is constantly changing; thus the question of why he remains angry solicits different answers at various stages throughout the poem. To find an answer, the reader must carefully examine Achilles’ ever-changing dilemma involving the concepts of mortality and honor. At its simplest, Achilles’ dilemma is that if he goes to war, he will die. But he will die with glory.
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,
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
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 them.
First, we can discuss the men themselves. Hector was a mortal. He was the son of a King and a queen. Hector had a family of his own which was his life. In addition to his family Hector loved the people of Troy and he had their best interest. Achilles on the other hand was “strong, swift, and godlike” (233). Achilles’ mother was the daughter of a god. Thetis was a sea goddess who did everything she could to protect her son, Achilles, and make him immortal. Also, Achilles was an only child. Since Achilles was an only child, it is clearly displayed how his mother baby’s her little boy. She turns to the God’s to assist him, she is always there to comfort him, and she has a new suit of armor built for him to go back to war and slay Hector. Second, they were different for the reasons why they fought. Achilles fought for military glory, recognition, and to become a legend. His mother says, “Now you are destine for both an early death and misery beyond compare” (240). Achilles chose a short life with a lot of glory over a long life with no glory. Achilles wanted to be a legend and a well respected warrior. Hector had a humanistic approach. He fought to protect his people and bring peace to his land. Achilles fought and lived for war, while Hector was really a family man. Achilles ran off of rage and passion, which is shown after the death of his friend Patroclus. “Over the sea and the dunes, he would hitch Horses to
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. Hector fights for belief and respect while Achilles fights out of rage and rashness. Achilles is not respected by his men, rather he is feared. Nobody wants to receive the blunt of the attack when Achilles randomly flies into a rage, therefore his men are terrified of him and allow him to do as he pleases.
Throughout history, humanity has always been fascinated with the idea of a hero. Examples include wild west rangers capturing bandits, superheroes defeating villains, and parents saving their children from nightmares. Today, common people who accomplish a great feat are often elevated to the status of a hero. They are worshiped and praised beyond the point most mortal human being experience. The Iliad is the archetype for this theme. It tells stories of Achilles, the Greek hero from the 7-8th century BCE and his heroism in the Trojan War. These stories caught particular interest from the Greek society and have dramatically influenced cultures and societies in art, music, and literature for thousands of years. The Iliad is the stigma for the
Achilles and Hector are similar in the sense of war and combat ability but not through their personalities. For instance, the way that they are looked at by their peers is very alike. In Homer’s eyes, they are both world-class warriors, heroes, and born leaders. The Trojan soldiers look up to Hector as do the Achaeans to Achilles. Also, Homer describes both Achilles and Hector as “god-like”. This suggests that their standards in the field of battle are very much the same and that they are superior to the other soldiers. Furthermore, Homer shows us that they both possess great pride. In Achilles’ case, Agamemnon dishonors him in the beginning of The Iliad: “But I, I will be there in person at your tents / to take Briseis in all her beauty, your own prize” (1.217- 8). Agamemnon angers Achilles by taking his prize Briseis so he refuses to participate in the Trojan War for a while. This sends a message to Agamemnon, stating that he doesn’t rule Achilles and Achilles will not stand for any disrespectful comments. Moreover, Hector refuses to back down from fighti...
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.
Hector and Achilles, two outstanding warriors on opposing sides in a conflict, show that there is more to people than what meets the eye. Although they are seen as ultimately heroic and powerful, their weaknesses and inner conflicts are unmistakable. Their differences are larger and more significant than their similarities, and to think of them as interchangeable warriors diminishes their significance. Achilles is portrayed as a fierce fighter who is harsh on the battlefield, but cares about the ones he loves very deeply, whereas Achilles is shown as a strong fighter with a more sensitive heart and compassion for all people.
The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability o...
The men of the Iliad are very emotional and prideful. Achilles and Agamemnon jealously feud over Briseis, a war prize that neither man particularly values. Even though Briseis is seen as a possession she plays a key part in the battle for Troy. Perhaps the war would have ended much sooner if Achilles and Agamemnon could have settled their differences instead of fighting. Not only is Briseis viewed as a prize of war, but the real issue dividing Agamemnon and Achilles is petty jealousy and pride. Achilles is willing to risk the lives of his compatriots and eventually f...
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.
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.
The two leader’s characteristics unfold where it seems as though Agamemnon cares more about power and wants something that was supposed to be given to him whereas Achilles is way more likely to choose honour over anything because at the end of the Iliad Achilles did not take the death of his dear friend Patroclus and he was not happy when his friend passed away and found out who did it. Agamemnon views his honour is greater than any army, but Achilles states “wrapped in shamelessness, with your mind forever on profit” (Homer, Iliad 1.149) proving how Agamemnon seems to always think about himself before others . The only aspect that these two leaders agree on is that honour can be received through women. They believe honour can be received through women because it is a sign of power and status. Agamemnon goes out of his way to ask for Brisesis because the lady that he received in war Chryseis was taken away. Honour was a very important factor for both of these men as they made sure that their one source of honour through a maiden was not