It’s ancient times before the reign Napoleon or Romans. Before the Persian War and even before Athens built her Parthenon or Sparta held Thermopylae. It’s the era of the Greek city-states where numerous legends and tales born. One of which being the timeless Iliad told by Homer. The Iliad displays a tale of heroes that fight for the Greek or Trojan cause. One Trojan that stands above all of them is Hector. Known for his clear societal values or foundation, moments of superhuman feats or savage brutalities and even how the gods take a likening to help or oppose him. All these things solidify Hector as an epic hero. But what truly earns him the title of the defining hero the Iliad are the actions he did to resemble one.
Hector possesses the characteristic in an epic hero of being larger-than-life by representing core
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Achilles is a man filled with rage after hearing of his best friend Patroclus’ death and Hector is a true man to the end asking for both sides to agree to return the body and armor to the respective loser’s side after their duel. Achilles gives into his rage and refuses the offer and tells Hector he’d rather have his body fed to dogs and crows. Hector is the Trojan force in every sense as he lives and eventually dies for the cause even in acknowledgment of his family that will be left behind when he dies and the inevitable fate he has when he’s tricked by Athena. Hector’s story is a downward spiral of a tragedy while Achilles’ tale only goes up. However, in Hector’s last moments, he solidifies himself as the premiere hero of the Iliad by not falling into barbaric urges and vowing not to disrespect the opponent’s body after he dies. Epic heroes are to be remembered because of defining actions and as said by Bruce Lee, “The key to immortality is first living a life worth