Greeks And Trojans: Their Emotional Downfalls In The Iliad '

Greeks and Trojans: Their Emotional Downfalls

The Iliad portrays a gruesome battle between the Greeks and Trojans that has been ongoing for over nine years. The Greeks ultimately triumph in the war, but not without bloody conflict with the Trojans. The Greeks and Trojans each have positive characteristics, such as being strategic and noble, that leads to a tense fight between the two sides. Unfortunately, their emotions overpower each side and hinder their positive traits. The emotional struggle that both sides confront throughout the story creates moments where each side loses judgment and makes critical errors. The Greeks and Trojans each display positive characteristics such as the Greeks being strategic, and the Trojans being noble; however,

For example, Achilles is furious with Agamemnon in Book One when Agamemnon steals his wife Briseis. He insists throughout the story that he will not fight in the war and even prays that Zeus should aid in the destruction of the Greeks: “Persuade him, somehow, to help the Trojan cause, to pin the Achaeans back against their ships, trap them round the bay and mow them down” (1.486-488). This prayer is answered by his mother, Thetis, and contributes to Zeus’ decision to turn the tide of the war in favor of the Trojans. Achilles’ emotion leads to the slaughter of countless Greeks throughout the war. Achilles emotional anger cannot be controlled and compels him to lose sight in helping the Greeks lay claim to the city of Troy. It is this emotional flaw that hampers the Greeks’ capacity to be strategic.

The Trojans also retain a positive trait like the Greeks, which is nobility. Hector displays this trait in Book Six when he returns to Troy to see his wife and child. His wife attempts to convince Hector to stay, but he decides against it.

All this weighs on my mind too, dear

Rather than stand and fight against Menelaus, he runs and buries himself in the Trojan army. The nobility that he has is overcome by his fear of death from Menelaus and his emotional response to run overtakes him. Hector similarly faces a similar moment of cowardliness. In Book Twenty-Two, Hector faces off with Achilles and sees him approaching closer: “Hector looked up, saw him, started to tremble, nerve gone, he could hold his ground no longer, he left the gates behind and away he fled in fear” (22.162-165). This is in stark contrast to his earlier remarks in Book Eighteen when he said, “I for one, I’ll never run from his grim assault, I’ll stand up to the man” (18.357-358). Hector’s cowardliness overwhelms him in his paramount battle with Achilles. He attempts to take a stand against Achilles, but envisions that he is no match, and is overcome by his emotions and retreats from battle. Throughout the Trojan army, moments of cowardliness take over the Trojans when they are going to engage in a fight. This demonstrates how the Trojans, while noble, may lose that nobility in battle as their emotion of fear overcomes