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Achilles In The Iliad

1275 Words6 Pages

Nestor, noble charioteer, captures best the essence of Achilles when he says, “Achilles, brave as he is, he has no care, / no pity for our Achaeans” (Homer 11.787-788). Most readers of the Iliad, consider Achilles the greatest warrior of The Trojan War, however, he lacks an important characteristic; care for others. Achilles’ best friend Patroclus, has described him as a great warrior, but a terrible person (11.774). A great warrior is said to belong to greater cause and is willing to give their all to this cause, expecting nothing in return (PTPT). In Homer's Iliad, Hector the great warrior of the Trojans, exhibits this selfless leadership approach, which contrasts to Achilles’ selfish actions as a leader, it’s through Achilles’ self-centered …show more content…

Risking one’s own life for that of another, is the ultimate demonstration of selflessness. Hector’s selfless dedication contrasts to Achilles’ lack of dedication to his army, while also highlighting Achilles’ total dedication to himself. Hector demonstrates his selfless dedication to his army when he visits his wife Andromache, who begs him not leave her and their son, as she feels he is going to die if he returns to battle. Hector acknowledges her concerns, but ultimately responds by saying, “All this weighs on my mind too, dear woman. / But I would die of shame to face the men of Troy/ and the Trojan women trailing their long robes / if I would shrink from battle now, a coward” (6.522-5). Hector demonstrates through this line, how he is serious about his role as a warrior and is willing to risk his life in order to help advance his army. Achilles by contrast, shows that his loyalty and devotion is to himself. An example of this is when Achilles is not participating in the war and asks his mother Thetis …show more content…

Another example of Achilles’ dedication to himself is when his best friend Patroclus is preparing to depart for battle in Achilles’ place. Before Patroclus leaves, Achilles advises him, “You must not burn for war against these Trojans, / madmen lusting for battle-not without me- you will only make my glory that much less” (16.104-6). Achilles’ advice here, is the epitome of his selfishness and lack of dedication to others, as in this moment he shows no concern for the safety of his closest friend, only for his reputation. Through the comparison of Hector’s selfless dedication to the Trojans and Achilles’ complete disregard for the Achaeans, it’s clear that Hector is the stronger leader, as he is loyal to the people he leads, making him the greater

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Achilles explains the reason for his distinguishing attitude as led by Patroclus’ death. The speech highlights the importance of Patroclus’ death as the turning point of the Iliad that not only impels the Trojan war but also changes Achilles’ attitude toward destiny. Achilles’ death is significant for it marks both Achilles’ change in his treatment of enemies and his return to the battlefield. In the first six lines, Achilles talks about the different ways he treats Trojans. These lines stand out in illustrating the influence of Patroclus’ death on Achilles as Achilles returns to the battlefield and kills Trojans to avenge Patroclus.

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When Achilles heard this, he cast away the chains of honor and pride that he had constantly blamed for his inaction and armed himself with wrath. And when he joined the battle-mass, he was not a lion, but a demon. When he slew Hector, he cut Hector’s ankles and dragged him behind his chariot, dishonoring both himself and the corpse of Troy’s greatest general. Achilles was never a hero.

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Throughout Book 22, Achilles tries again and again to chase down and kill Hector, and is finally able to do so. Before he actually kills Hector, he tells him “I wish my stomach would let me cut off you flesh in strips and eat it raw for what you’ve done to me” (Iliad, Book 22, 384-86). Shortly after Achilles allows the Greeks to stand around and continually stab the corpse of Hector. However, not even this brutality satisfied Achilles. Eventually, he ended up completely disgracing Hector’s dead body in front of all of Troy, tying him up to a chariot and dragging him around, being “defiled in his own native land” (Iliad, Book 22, 449).

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Hector is shown to be devoted to this war between the Trojans and Greeks, and shows this when he refuses wine from his mother Hecuba when he first returns to Priam’s palace, telling her that it will only make him weak, and that instead she should go to the temple of Athena and pray that she pity Troy and its people (Book VI, 11. 275-88, pg. 249). Returning back home and making his way to his brother Paris’ house, Hector is completely ready to chastise him, showing his anger towards him as needed for not being out there and fighting in the war he himself caused (VI, 11. 342-47, pg. 251) but rather sitting in his house with his armor and weapons surrounding him. Hector is also given the opportunity to lay with Helen and relax, but instead says “my heart is out there with our fighting men” (VI, 11. 380, pg. 252). This makes it evident that he is a noble man and that his only purpose now is to fight with the Trojans, seeing himself as “One of the best, to fight in Troy’s ranks” (VI, 11.

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Hector’s great fighting ability was known not only to his fellow men of Troy, but to Achilles and other great Greek warriors as well, making him well-known to be the greatest of the Trojan soldiers. In summation, these two very different men are both known throughout many lands that they are the two greatest fighters on their side during the Trojan

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The only thing on his mind is killing Hector. Achilles is so angry at Hector that he constantly thinks about killing him and getting revenge. His anger takes over his body and nothing can stop him from getting to Hector, not even the gods. Achilles gets to Hector and desecrated his body. Achilles does not give Hector a proper burial instead he parades Hectors body on the back of his chariot.

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This is apparent in book 6 when he responds to his wife, Andromache, begging him to stay within the safety of the city walls. “Let the earth come piling over my dead body before I hear your cries, I hear you dragged away” (93). Clearly, the main reason why Hector fights is not for glory, it is simply just to protect his loved

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Homer’s The Iliad proves that Hector and Achilles have vast differences but, their few similarities are some of what we see a lot throughout the epic poem. Both Achilles and Hector have their certain strengths and weaknesses, which are noticeable countless times throughout the conflicts that come up in the Iliad. These two characters have distinct differences in their approaches to fitting the noble form to which they both attempt to achieve. Nevertheless, regardless of their differences and the fact that their armies are rivals and are brought to each other with execration in battle, they also have numerous identical traits which reasonably show the comparison between the two men, Hector and Achilles.

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Hector and Achilles both strive for arete and honor, but they have very different intentions and motivations behind this. Hector fights for honor for all Trojans, and to protect his family from falling with Troy. He expresses his feelings of a need to fulfill his duties in Book 6 Extract J ADD QUOTE NEAR LINE 155 OF EXTRACT J. Achilles, on the other hand, fights more for personal honor and glory. He could not bare to think of his name being forgotten. This is what drove him to become courageous and fight in the war, abandoning his other potential fate, where he could have lived a long happy life.

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995 Words | 4 Pages

When Patraclous is killed Achilles returns to the battle after he said we will not be fighting for the Achaeans because of the insult that it was made to his honor. He decided to go back and kill Hector for killing his best friend and most loved person, and to get the body which illustrate the idea of the glory after life. The idea of family honor adds a new level of understanding how important is pride is in ancient Greek literature. Another Example of this can be shown when Achilles kills hector, The reaction of Priam Hector’s father. Priam says “I have gone through what no other mortal on earth has gone through; I put my lips to the hands of the man who has killed my children (Homer, Iliad 24.505)”

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508 Words | 3 Pages

When reading Homer’s the Iliad, two distinct characters emerge as the center of the action, Achilles, and Hector. Their battle represents a crucial part of the human condition - Achilles is hot-tempered and easily forms grudges, while Hector is reasoning and thoughtful. Their parts opposing one another in the Trojan War represents an adage as old as time, “head or heart”? To compare the differences between the characters, one must first look at their similarities.

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1699 Words | 7 Pages

Achilles did not worry about the war until right at the very end before Hector 's death. He worried about the war until after Patroclus died and he only killed Hector as an obstacle. It is clear that Achilles was ravaged in anger in his best friends death when he says, “Hector, had you thought that you could kill Patroclus and be safe? Nothing to dread from me; I was not there. All childishness.

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1785 Words | 8 Pages

These abilities are important as a warrior because both his men and the hero reflect and are influenced by them. Some of the abilities are excellence in war, courage, leadership and fighting qualities. These qualities are seen through the heroic characters Hector and Achilles. When Achilles is not present with his men, the Greeks are well defeated by the Trojans with no motivation or support. Achilles is also described by his men as a power figure when the poem says “These were his words,/ and all Achaeans gave a roar of joy/ to hear the Prince abjure his rage.”

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1395 Words | 6 Pages

In grief Achilles wants to fight Hector for what he did. Hector has two choices, either to fight Achilles or hide behind the walls of Troy. Hector exclainms doubtedly “What shall I do? If I retreat behind these walls, … And now that I have ruined them all by my rashness, I am ashamed to face the men and women of Troy, or some base fellows may say-Hector thought too much of his own strength, and ruined us all!”

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Iliad is recognized as one of the most famous ancient monuments of literature. The full understanding of this epic poem is hardly possible without thorough analysis of its main characters. Among all the episodes of the Trojan War, Homer chooses the moment of Achilles’ wrath and thus creates a poem in which he becomes the central figure. From the Ancient Greeks’ point of view, Achilles represents the ideal of manliness and pure heroism, for he is brave and fights for heroics, not profits. Today, one can agree with this interpretation, yet Achilles is probably the most controversial character because he combines various personality traits and acts in accordance with his ambiguous nature.

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