Hektor In The Odyssey

The Iliad by Homer is perhaps one of the greatest literary works ever crafted. Having remained culturally relevant for thousands of years, the epic poem depicts life and death in the midst of war. However, Homer’s tale isn’t really about physical war. Instead, Homer expertly crafts a tale about the war each human fights when they determine his or her values. On one side of the war is Achilleus, self-centered and emotional, doing only what pleases him. Opposing him is Hektor, a man made of commitment to his community and rationality. Homer uses these two characters to depict these contrasting value systems and argues that it is only those who find balance between the two types of values lives a long, productive life.

From almost the very beginning,

When Homer first introduces Hektor in book two, he is gathered in an assembly of “the elders and young men” at the “front doors of Priam” (2.788-789). Hektor is the one who breaks up the assembly and gathers the Trojan army together after receiving a message from Iris that the Achains are gathering their forces. Throughout the most of the epic, Hektor fights with the Trojan army. Even when he returns to the city from the fighting in book six, Hektor is still surrounded by other people. When he first enters the gates, he encounters “all the wives of the Trojans and their daughters” who asking “after their sons, after their brothers and neighbors,/their husbands” (6.238-240). From there he spends time with various members of his family. He spends time talking with his mother, sister, brother (Alexandros), sister in law (Helen), his wife, Andromache and his son, Skamandrios. This contrast is important because unlike Achilles, who focuses on himself, Hektor is constantly being reminded of the people to whom he has a responsibility to by their mere presence in his life. By placing Hektor in a community, Homer sets him up to concerned with his responsibilities to those around

Achilles refuses to fight because king Agamemnon has dishonored him. Achilles states to Agamemnon that he came not to fight “for the sake of Trojan / spearmen to fight against them, since to me they have done nothing…but for your sake, / O great shamelessness…to do your favor” but now that he has taken away Briseis, Achilles war prize, he will not fight for him any longer (1.152-153, 1.157-158). It is apparent that Achilles is motivated to fight to gain personal honor, not out of concern for the cause and feels no sense of responsibility to anyone if he does not receive what he believes he deserves. In book nine, Agamemnon sends a delegation with multitudinous gifts to Achilles tent to beg him to return to the fight since the Achians are suffering. Odysseus begs Achilles to be “minded, late though it be, to rescue / the afflicted sons of the Achaians from the Trojan onslaught…for consideration is better” (9.247-248, 9.256). However, Achilles refuses, stating “without consideration for you I must make my answer…I will speak to you the way it seems best to me” (9.309, 9.314). Achilles response shows that he is still concerned only with his personal feelings, not for the others around