Achilles vs. Hector Essay

In Homer's epic, The Iliad, there are many great characters, both mortal and immortal. However, no characters seem to match the greatness and importance of Achilles, the mightiest of the Greeks and Hector, Trojan prince and mightiest of the Trojans. Although they are the mightiest of their forces, their attitudes and motives for the Greek-Trojan war are completely different.

Although Achilles and Hector are both leaders of men, Hector leads with a mature sense that gives his men reason to respect him. In turn, Hector respects his men which gives fulfillment to both parties. Hector is not a man to sit around and mull over strategies and ideas - Hector is a man of action.

In book 22, Hector becomes an instrument of fate and is shown no mercy by Achilles. Hector was consistently tricked by Apollo into fighting the battle even though there was no hope of winning. At the end of the book, as Achilles is bounding towards the city of Troy with Hector standing out front. Despite all of the encouragement to come back inside the city walls, Hector remains outfront and faces his death. Ultimately his pride gets the best of him and he would rather stay out and accept his fate of death, then to come inside and receive shame for leading his people into a losing battle in the first place. Hector chooses to leave his city to fend for itself without its greatest warrior to save himself from shame. The parallel between Hector and Achilles leads to a greater understanding of the theme of freedom vs. fate. Hector gives into his pride and accepts the “fate that awaits us all” and Achilles is motivated by freedom and seeks the revenge of his friend ultimately escaping death. Homer makes an excellent statement of this connection between the two men when he writes: “They ran by these springs, pursuer and pursued, a great man out front, a far greater behind” (book

In The Iliad, Homer offers incredible insights into the themes of human interactions. While the epic narrative moves forward, these dynamics are kept intertwined with the devastating battlefield. One of the prominent themes is the father-son relationship and this Iliadic father-son dynamic is focused mostly between Priam and Hector. Looking at scenes featuring both characters, their interactions feature mutual feelings of love, concern, and, most importantly, interdependency. Priam cares for Hector, imparts values tied to the heroic code, and carries expectations for his son. On the other hand, Hector aims to meet Priam’s expectations and repay his father for all that he has done for him. In the background of this relationship, Homer

Achilles is also angry at having to fight another man's battle. The Trojan War is being fought because Paris stole Helen, Agamemnon's sister-in-law. In his argument with Agamemnon, Achilles points out "It wasn't Trojan spearmen who brought me here to fight. The Trojans never did me damage, not in the least" (107). Achilles' rage heightens in the argument and he declares "No, you colossal, shameless--we all followed you, to please you, to fight for you, to win your honor back from the Trojans---Menelaus and you, you dog-face!" (108). Achilles is also angry because even though he and many other soldiers are there risking their lives for Agamemnon and Menelaus, Agamemnon is sly enough to avoid personal injury. Achilles says to Agamemnon, "Never once did you arm with the troops and go to battle or risk an ambush packed with Achaea's picked men--you lack the courage, you can see death

Achilles' great anger towards Hector outweighed that towards Agamemnon, and he decided to fight on the behalf of his best friend. When Achilles did so, the tide of the war completely changed. Achilles butchered masses upon masses of Trojans, with a multitude of others fleeing the battle out of pure fear. He would also slay the great Hector, avenging his friend's death. Patroclos' death served as an impetus to bring Achilles into the war; if Patroclos didn't fight and was never killed, Achilles wouldn't have joined the war and the Achaians would have most likely fallen to the

In the Iliad, Homer sees Achilles as a better man than those around him, even though his pride and anger cause a great deal of damage. Achilles puts up with Agamemnon who does not have the same level of skill or integrity. Therefore, the story of Achilles is a story of someone who is working within a society where his integrity and belief systems are above those of the King. At the same time, Achilles also represents the weakness of anger because of the death of Patroclus and the way in which he then goes and kills Hector. However, Holway writes that in the Iliad Homer was depicting honor culture in which having the most strength was considered to be the greatest achievement and virtue. Holway describes Achilles in that he “embodies the dominant paradigm”, suggesting that it is in his skill and strength that righteousness is found.

Achilles slaughtered the great Trojan hero, Hector and single-handedly changed the tide of the battle. He was a marvelous Greek hero, but his accomplishments paled in comparison to his friend Odysseus. In addition to accruing glory and fame in the Trojan War, Odysseus went on to write history in an epic journey all across the Mediterranean to return to his family. Odysseus acquired more kleos than any other Greek hero in Homer’s epics.

Hector knew what his brother had done and he had to take action fast. He had to defend Troy when the Greeks arrived to avenge the seduction of Helen. Hector fought against the Greek non-stop to protect his people. He was the Trojan's greatest champion. Shortly after 9 years at war neither the Greeks or the Trojans gained a clear advantage. On the tenth year the greatest of the Greek warriors Achilles arose. At first Achilles left the fighting field and let the Trojans to the opportunity to leave Troy and attack the

King Agamemnon said that “Now I give [Achilles] fair warning: since Apollo robs me of Chryseis,I will send her home with my own ship and crew; but I will take [Achilles’] beautiful Briseis, and I will come for her myself to [Achilles’] quarters-for [Achilles’] prize”(Homer 7). Achilles was deeply offended by King Agamemnon taking Briseis, for she was his prize. This severely hurt Achilles ego, and he would hold a grudge toward Agamemnon throughout the entire story. With Achilles self-centeredness also came much wrath and hatred for others. Achilles said, “No man living shall keep the dogs from your head-not if they bring ransom ten times and twenty times innumerable, and weigh it out, and promise me more, not if Priamos Dardanides pay your weight in gold- not for that ransom shall your mother lay you out on the bier and mourn for the son of her womb, but carrion dogs and carrion birds shall devour you up” (Homer 320). After slaying Hector in front of the walls of Troy, Achilles then begins to mutilate his body. He feels no remorse for Hector because Hector brought down one of Achilles best friends, and Achilles felt that he needed his revenge on Hector. All of the hatred that Achilles has built up

The ease with which he could dispatch his enemy seemed to give Achilles pleasure, not the wealth and power which came with ruling his small kingdom. His war-brides would have undoubtedly given him the pleasurable attention he needed, but unfortunately even this luxury was denied him. The circumstances surrounding Chryseis and Briseis (two war-brides captured in an attack on a town allied with Troy) led to the unsteady relationship between Achilles and Agamemnon. When Agamemnon took Achilles' war-bride Briseis for himself, Achilles withdrew himself from battle. The result of Achilles' withdrawal was that Patroclus went into battle posing as Achilles in order to bolster the spirit of the Achaean army. This unfortunately led the death of Patroclus. This only helped to

Achilles and Hector were different in many ways. Achilles fought for Greece and Hector fought to protect Troy. They were different in that Hector was a prince and Achilles was not. Hector was raised in order to rule over Troy, to be the king of the land. Achilles was raised in order to become a strong warrior. Although Achilles was raised to become a strong soldier, he was offered royalty as king of Greece. Unfortunately he declined the offer because he did not want that much fame, he would rather be in command on the battlefield than on the throne. Hector was purely mortal and son of royalty. Achilles had divinity in him because his mother was Thetis, a nymph which was a daughter of a

Few Trojan warriors display characteristics of a Homeric hero in several different ways. By definition, a Homeric hero is a human of the remote past endowed with superhuman abilities and descended from the gods themselves. They are warriors with great personal honor, a paradigm of the social and cultural values of ancient Greece, and possess the characteristics admired by society. A Homeric hero is both rare and common in Trojan society. Many characters in The Iliad display characteristics of a Homeric hero, but are not a physical representation of the description, except for one.

Achilles and Hector have the similarity of both being great and skilled warriors. Achilles is a warrior who fights for the Greeks, while Hector is the leader and a warrior of the Trojan Army. Achilles and Hector are both at the same level of warrior greatness but Achilles is more skilled than Hector. The Greeks see him as a great skilled fighter.

While reading “The Iliad” Achilles shows us that a person can be very cruel but also have a heart. There is no doubt that Achilles is a cruel person but the admirable thing about him and his passion and courage for fighting. Hector may have had many more things than Achilles but Achilles has bigger and a more passionate heart than Hector