Free Essays on The Illiad

The Iliad The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem that has several heroes. Heroism is the most important aspect of the characters’ lives, giving definition to their actions and their raison d’à ªtre. A hero is always of noble birth, strong, intelligent, and a great leader. Another way the reader can differentiate a hero from a mere mortal is by the help that he receives from the gods. The gods intervene on the side of a hero and give him whatever aid is necessary to achieve victory. One may believe that there is only one hero in the Iliad, Achilles. However, Hector is the true hero. By examining Hector, Odysseus, Diomedes, and Nestor, one can see that these characters surpass all others. A hero is usually of noble birth with one parent being of divine descent. However, Hector is an exception to this rule. It is believed that Hector is the 1st born son of King Priam and Queen Hecabe of Troy. Since Priam is a descendant of Zeus, this divine lineage is passed down to all his sons. Therefore, Prince Hector is considered to be of divine decent which allows him to be regarded as a hero. In Hector’s speech about his son Astynax, the reader gains invaluable insight into what it means to be a hero: Zeus, and you other gods, grant that this boy of mine may be, like me, pre-eminent in Troy; as strong and brave as I; a mighty king of Ilium. May people say, when he comes back from battle, â€Å"Here is a better man than his father.† Let him bring home the bloodstained armour of the enemy he has killed, and make his mother happy. To Hector the ideals of strength, intelligence and being magnanimous are important. It is important for a hero to display his strength and prowess, and thus kill many in battle. One can see the truth to this statement through the epithet â€Å"man-killing Hector.† Men are said to fear Hector because he kills many, especially when he storms the Greek wall. When Hector fights Patrocl... Free Essays on The Illiad Free Essays on The Illiad The Iliad The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem that has several heroes. Heroism is the most important aspect of the characters’ lives, giving definition to their actions and their raison d’à ªtre. A hero is always of noble birth, strong, intelligent, and a great leader. Another way the reader can differentiate a hero from a mere mortal is by the help that he receives from the gods. The gods intervene on the side of a hero and give him whatever aid is necessary to achieve victory. One may believe that there is only one hero in the Iliad, Achilles. However, Hector is the true hero. By examining Hector, Odysseus, Diomedes, and Nestor, one can see that these characters surpass all others. A hero is usually of noble birth with one parent being of divine descent. However, Hector is an exception to this rule. It is believed that Hector is the 1st born son of King Priam and Queen Hecabe of Troy. Since Priam is a descendant of Zeus, this divine lineage is passed down to all his sons. Therefore, Prince Hector is considered to be of divine decent which allows him to be regarded as a hero. In Hector’s speech about his son Astynax, the reader gains invaluable insight into what it means to be a hero: Zeus, and you other gods, grant that this boy of mine may be, like me, pre-eminent in Troy; as strong and brave as I; a mighty king of Ilium. May people say, when he comes back from battle, â€Å"Here is a better man than his father.† Let him bring home the bloodstained armour of the enemy he has killed, and make his mother happy. To Hector the ideals of strength, intelligence and being magnanimous are important. It is important for a hero to display his strength and prowess, and thus kill many in battle. One can see the truth to this statement through the epithet â€Å"man-killing Hector.† Men are said to fear Hector because he kills many, especially when he storms the Greek wall. When Hector fights Patrocl... Free Essays on The Illiad Homer’s The Iliad, Aristophanes Lysistrata, and Aeschylus The Seven Against Thebes, all dealt with issues concerning manhood in the Greek and Roman days, war also came but it was only because of the attitudes of these men. These three writers have different views when it came down to the topics of war and manhood, but they all view certain situations and issues similarly. The men in those days wouldn’t back down from any fight, they stood and fought, I would say they were barbaric; and because of this attitude war came naturally to them. These authors felt the same way about manhood; the men followed the principle of arete. Arete means that if a man were dealt a challenge he wouldn’t back down, he would fight, even to the death. The Iliad speaks about a few characters that were so overwhelmed with rage that nothing else mattered to them. Achilles has all the marks of a great warrior, and proves the mightiest man in the Achaean army. He is brave and is ready to accept any challenge, â€Å"Achilles put on his armor; he gashed his teeth, his eyes gleamed like fire, for his grief was greater than he could bear. Thus, then, full of fury against the Trojans, did he don the gift of the god.† (Pg 236) Hector was another such man who had followed this arete code, he says, â€Å"Three times have I fled round the mighty city of Priam, without daring to withstand you, but now let me either slay or be slain.† (Pg 265) This statement is an example of arete that all of the men had. It was a manly attit ude; they would rather be killed than to back away from a fight. Agamemnon is the king of Mycenae and commander-in-chief of the Achaean army. He’s not nearly as strong as Achilles but he has a similarly hot temper and prideful streak. He says, â€Å"Achilles, valiant though you be, you shall not thus outwit me. You shall not overreach and you shall not persuade me.† (Pg 3) He is so set in his ways and so prideful that even though...