Honor in Greek tradition is something that is won by fighting in battles or leading an army, but true honor is how a person uses that privilege to reveal their morals and virtue. In Greek times, honor was awarded when men won battles, and Agamemnon has earned honor and glory through his mighty fighting as a leader of the Achaean army. Some characters are portrayed as great warriors who are loyal to their country, and some are written as cowards who do not have enough courage to fight.
The Homeric heroes are meant to be skillful, courageous, mighty, determined, and intelligent on battlefields as well as when they are not fighting.
Homer, the author of this epic poem, expresses both positive and negative sides of heroism throughout his poem in the form of three warriors: Hector, Achilles, and Paris, who each fight for different purposes and beliefs.
Hector, the best warrior of Troy, represents aspects of heroism. He is the prince of Troy who is a dedicated warrior. Essays Essays FlashCards. Browse Essays. Sign in. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Show More. Read More. Words: - Pages: 5. Words: - Pages: 4. Words: - Pages: 3. The Values Of The Heroic Code In The Iliad You now no man dispatches me into thee under gloom against my fate; no mortal, either can escape his fate, coward of brave man, once he comes to be J In this speech Hector, is trying to comfort his wife Andromache, because of his upcoming fate of death.
Odysseus harshly criticizes Feeling pity for Hector , he curses Hera for her disobedience, promising to punish her. Hera, trying to escape blame, Hector says that he thought he was going to Apollo tears down the wall and fills up Great Ajax and Hector once again encounter each other in battle. Teucer kills several Trojans, but Zeus breaks his He rallies his Hector speeds away, but many Trojans are trapped in the Achaean trench. With Patroclus in the Apollo fills Glaucus with strength.
The great Trojan Sarpedon, or to let him gain more glory first. He decides on the latter, influencing Hector to call a full Trojan retreat.
As the Trojans flee, Patroclus pursues them across the Apollo appears beside Hector in mortal form, and convinces him to attack Patroclus. Hector charges Menelaus. Menelaus, knowing that he cannot defend against Hector Hector and Great Ajax clash once again. The Achaeans begin to drive the Trojans back to They take their driver Automedon back into the thick of battle. Revived, Menelaus kills a close friend of Hector. Apollo in turn gives strength to Hector.
Zeus lets forth a thunderbolt that turns the The Achaeans beat a retreat, with Hector and Aeneas in pursuit. The Aeantes keep defending and Hector keeps pressing them closely. Iris informs Achilles that Achilles again says he is doomed never to voyage home. Battle breaks out, and Achilles searches everywhere for Hector. Apollo, taking the form of the Trojan Lycaon, urges Aeneas to attack Achilles.
Aeneas is Achilles and Hector both marshal their men forward. Apollo speaks to Hector , instructing him not to fight Achilles Achilles curses Hector for escaping, and blames Apollo for intervening. They tell him that he must keep fighting until he kills Hector , and that afterward he must return to the ships.
Xanthus calls to the river Simois Priam sees Achilles coming and implores Hector to come inside the city walls. He asks Hector to pity him, with all the Hector waits for Achilles as he runs across the plain.
He is ashamed of his decision Zeus takes up his scales and tips the Hector and Achilles charge one another, and Achilles drives his spear into the weak spot at Priam and Hecuba grieve for Hector , and Priam calls his death the most heartbreaking loss of the war.
Achilles organizes an elaborate funeral for Patroclus, and the Myrmidons grieve for their losses. Hector is left desecrated in the dust. The men eat a funeral feast, but Achilles will Apollo, pitying Hector , protects his body from harm and decay.
The gods feel sorry for Hector and desire to rescue his body from Achilles. They ask the god Hermes to steal He tells them that Hector always respected the gods, and Achilles agrees, saying that he will not resist the will of the gods.
He is told that Achilles will not kill him. Priam orders that a wagon Achilles asks Priam Cite This Page. Home About Story Contact Help. Previous Achilles. Hector Character Analysis. Priam's plea to his son is similar to Hekuba's, but his plea is for family continuity and for Troy.
An important idea in the Iliad is how "the plan, or will of Zeus" affects Hektor. The god's promise to Thetis to give victory to the Trojans traps Hektor into a key role. Zeus has promised him divine help with victory that will last until the Trojans have reached the beaches and the Achaian ships.
Hektor assumes that final victory is his. Of course, though, it isn't. Therefore, Hektor can be seen as an instrument of Zeus. But although he is an instrument of Zeus, he is not a victim of Zeus. Hektor has sufficient flaws and errors to cause him to deserve his death. With this in mind, one must ask, "What is Hektor's error?
An "error" is a misdeed consciously committed, and as such, a character must live with the shame of having committed the deed. Error sometimes occurs when the hero seeks only honor. If a warrior is reliable, he is admired, and if others admire the warrior, then he admires himself. According to the heroic code, the warrior should gain his honor by combat; consequently, he often over-reaches himself in his attempt to win honor.
In the case of Hektor, it is sometimes difficult to determine what Hektor does in full knowledge, which constitutes an error, and what he does when he is acting as an instrument of the gods. Hektor's first error is his promise to his fellow Trojans of a Trojan victory after the Achaians have been driven back to their ships.
In his speech, he announces his plan for the Trojan troops to remain on the plain, ready for an early attack. The Trojan victory, however, is a result of his misunderstanding Zeus' plan which is simply to give the Trojans success until they reach the Greek ships so that the Achaians, specifically Agamemnon, will be punished for the mistreatment of Achilles. Hektor's success in battle, then, leads to a presumptuous wish for immortality and, consequently, to the beginning of Hektor's deterioration.
Hektor's second error is his refusal to withdraw his troops back to the city, as Poulydamas advises. Hektor is fired with victory and with Zeus' promise of aid. As soon as his troops reach the ships, Hektor's re-enforcement from Zeus is at an end. Hektor's gravest error, of course, occurs when he refuses to take refuge within the Trojan walls. Homer shows us a portrait of Hektor as a leader concerned for Troy and its people and as a man who believes strongly in the cultural code of his community.
Within Troy itself, Hektor reacts to social conditions in accordance with a heroic sense of order. Leaving the city, he becomes blinded by his military successes, by his own strength, and by the delusion that Zeus totally supports the Trojan cause. On the battlefield, Hektor is less responsive to individuals than he was within the walls of Troy; he does not seem to be the same Hektor portrayed earlier in the epic.
The process of isolation has begun, and it ends with Hektor's complete isolation, outside of the walls of Troy, battling with Achilles until one of them is dead.
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