Homeric Heorism
The Iliad is essentially the epic of Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors and, at the same time, the most complex and unlikable of the many personalities of the Trojan War. Homer redefines the essence of heroism in delineating the character of Achilles, a demi-god that quarrels with his commander-in-chief over the division of spoils who sulks and pouts in his tent when he does not get his way. In the end, of course, Achilles triumphs over his arch-rival Hector and redeems the honor of the Achaians, but in this conclusion Hector emerges as the greatest tragic hero of the story, while Achilles remains a deeply flawed figure whose imperfections cannot be masked by his victory. In this essay, we will examine the Homeric conception of the epic hero, in order to show how Hector reaffirms to traditional model of the soldier-hero, while Achilles points the way toward a new, more complex model of the champion in battle. In the traditional model of Greek heroism, great prowess in battle is combined with arete, the almost mystical conception of honor which includes among its necessary qualities chivalry, inner strength, personal courage, and nobility of bearing and speech. this ancient model, strangel
Hector's devout wish to be immortal and ageless is ironic in its contrast with Achilles, who is in fact almost immortal, being half-god and half-man, but whose sense of honor and loyalty seem notably deficient throughout the major battles which ensue (Books 11 through 18). It is only when his friend Patroclus, after borrowing Achilles' armor and striking terror in the Trojans with the illusion of invincibility, is killed by Hector, that Achilles returns to battle. The return of Achilles is a decisive event for the battle, for he is the supreme warrior, but his change of heart is only for the sake of Patroclus, his lost armor, and the shame of his friend's death; he cares little for the honor of the Greek cause and scorns a reconciliation with Agamemnon. Hector, we have seen, is noble and pure of motive, while Achilles' is, in many ways, ignoble, his heart "bent upon evil actions" and destruction for its own sake. The fate of these two great warriors has already been decided by the gods, but even in death Hector would redeem the honor of his mourning parents, wife and children. For their part, even Hector's family appear to have accepted the inevitability of his death, and they hope only that they might be able to keep his body, so as to honor him and administer the burial rites, rather than see his corpse torn apart on the battlefield and fed to the dogs. This privilege, unfortunately, is to be denied them by Achilles, who is to mean-spirited to grant them this small comfort. y enough, developed partly out of the traditional rivalries of the Greek herdsmen, who gloried in raiding cattle from each other and who satisfied their honor by the exchange of tributes or the theft of prizes. Achilles, however, explains indignantly to Agamemnon that he will not exchange his girl for Chryseis, since he is not at Troy on a matter of honor: Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1967. By the end of the first book of the epic, Achilles has retired to his tent to sulk, leaving the dispirited and war-weary Achaians to struggle against the Trojans, now aided by the favor of Apollo and Zeus. Rather than join in this struggle, he "continued to waste his heart ou
Some common words found in the essay are:
Achilles Hector, War Homer, Apollo Zeus, Hector Achilles, Iliad Achilles, Trojans Lattimore, Homer's Achilles, Argives Lattimore, Trojan Spearmen, Hephaistos Achilles, hector achilles, heroes achilles, immortal ageless, trojans lattimore, hero hector, traditional model, epic achilles,
Approximate Word count = 1471
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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