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Achilles's Honor In The Iliad

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A hero is someone who molds compassion into heroic action. In doing so, they give their heart and soul in service to humanity. A hero is as an individual or a network of people that take action on behalf of others in need, or in defense of integrity or a moral cause. In the Iliad, to be a hero, his honor would have to be supreme. The duty of the hero would be to have bravado on the battlefield. This would be a virtuous way of gaining glory. Part of the code of conduct was to stand together in battle and refrain from barbarism and injustice. In Book XXII of The Iliad, Achilles does the exact opposite with Hector’s body. By the following the code, a worthy individual would gain an excellent reputation while securing a place in …show more content…

Honor is associated with one’s meaning of life. For example, Achilles loses Briseis to Agamemnon. As Achilles dabbles in his thoughts of rejection, Agamemnon offers him gifts. Achilles realizes that if he accepts those gifts, he will lose more of his honor. Social responsibility was important was important to the hero’s status. Showing respect and responding ethically to critical situations was essential on the battlefield. Respecting your elders and exhibiting loyalty to friends, family and the community were important things for maintaining status. In the Iliad, although Patroclus showed absolute loyalty to Achilles, he made an irrational decision. Patroclus disobeyed Achilles’s order and was slain by Hector. Recognizing one’s anger is also considerable way of becoming the best hero. It seems Achilles and Agamemnon had some anger issues in The Iliad. Neither Achilles nor Agamemnon recognizes their responsibility for their emotional and physical responses. One negative outcome will lead to more negative outcomes. It is up to the hero to decide whether to harbor animosity towards that negative …show more content…

Hector is characterized as the best hero in The Iliad. He displays amazing combative aptitude by being the head of the Trojan army. Hector show serious attention to his family, and is seen as a man who can be a first-rate leader and father. He's very devoted to his wife and loves his children. In one scene, his son was scared of him because of his great helmet. Odysseus is another hero who showed consistent devotion to his people. Throughout The Iliad, he shows that he will never abandon his nation; he even did a wonderful job in building up moral for his men. Priam was also portrayed as a hero in the epic. He was a leader who also took responsibility for his men. He even forgave his son Paris, the individual who was basically the reason the war had commenced. They gave away 10 years of their life to represent their

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