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Achilles Vs Hector Research Paper

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Achilles vs Hector The epic poem The Iliad written by Homer reveals the battle of two epic heroes, Achilles and Hector. Achilles is a demi-god who ultimately faces his enemy Hector a prince of Troy during The Trojan War. These two soldiers were great leaders of the armies and both achieved admiration from their men. However, these two warriors fought on opposing sides, but they were both considered to be the greatest. One major difference between these two epic warriors is that Achilles fights for the Greeks, while Hector fights for the Trojans. While arguing with Agamemnon, Achilles states, “-we all followed you, to please you, to fight for you, to win your honor back from the Trojans, -Menelaus and you.” (Book 1, ln 186-188) In this text, Achilles reminds Agamemnon that he, like the other Greeks, sailed to Troy to defeat the Trojans and stand united for their cause. On the other hand, Hector will “… stand up bravely, always to fight …show more content…

After Achilles withdraws from battle, “The demoralized Achaean army feels handicapped by Achilles’ absence.” (Book 6, pg 379) Without the fighting of the Greek’s greatest warrior, the Trojans have been able to push their enemy back to their ships proving Achilles is the best of the Achaeans. Similarly, Hector was known as the greatest Trojan even to Achilles when he declares to Agamemnon, “…. Nothing you can do will save you- not when your hordes of fighters drop and die, cut down at the hand s of man-killing Hector.” (Book 1, ln 283-285) 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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Hector knows that if he doesn't fight he will be a ‘shame’ and a ‘coward’ to the Trojan people, even though he knows that he can not win against Achilles he will have honor and pride looked upon him if he dies fighting. Hector knows that he can win both ways (stay with his family or die with pride and honor) but it still challenges him in a way because he has human-like emotions and that stops him from going and fighting Achilles. Trying to live a fulfilling life when you are torn into so many directions is hard. It's like trying to make a decision but always having that voice in the back of your head telling you to change it. It would be hard way of living life.

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Throughout the Trojan War, Hector of Troy was excessively smart and that helped him become such a good leader. Now you understand just who Hector, the Prince of Troy, and Hector, the one who got away, were.

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But Achilles kills Hector in front of his people. In these stories taking a risk was part of the characters lives they wanted to live up to a challenge in their life. Where there was no boundaries, They want to prove to themselves that they were not afraid to taking a risk, to get what they

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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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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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Certainly the heroes, from Achilles to Hector, are portrayed so credibly that it is easy to believe the story. But is it truly an account based on real events, and were the main characters actually real people?” Cline brings up a good point because we are not well-informed of this characters existing in real life. Certainly, they do exist in Homers story, the Iliad, but there is no independent corroboration of this characters actually fighting in the battle or being named the way they are in the Iliad. Additionally, it is also impossible to know if all the events that Homer talks about in his book happened the way they did.

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If I stay here and fight before the city of Troy, there will be no home- coming for me but my fame shall never die; if I go home to my native land, there will be no great fame for me, but I shall live long and not die an early death.” (Homer 110) This shows that he is selfishness and fearful at the same time of losing and dying in the war. In the very beginning of the Iliad, King Agamemnon and Achilles have an argument for a couple of different reasons. After, the Achians won a battle against a city that was allied with the Trojans each of them received a prize consisted of a young woman from the war.

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In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.

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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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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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