Essay on Differences in Heroes in The Iliad

The great talents that Achilles’ possesses cause him to become much admired and well known by both the Greeks and the Trojans. He begins to believe all the good things people are say and becomes an arrogant, child-like, selfish person which all mark Achilles’ hubris part of his behavior cycle. Achilles shows his arrogance when he gets angry with Agamemnon for him wanting take his prize of honor, which Achilles worked very hard to get. Because of this, Achilles begins to lose his capability to think straight and weigh all the factors in situations, and withdraws himself from the battle. Later on after Achilles overcomes the death of his best friend and regains back his courage and pride, Achilles kills Hector and thinks he is invincible for doing the great deed he did. Achilles fought Hector for honor over all else and performed the death of Hector almost as a duty and feels proud of himself for doing so. Before he kills Hector, Achilles declares, “I will go forth to slay Hector, who killed the man the I loved… Until then, may I win great fame and glory, and may every Trojan realize that the greatest of the Greeks no longer remains apart from battle”(145).

The Ancient Greeks idealized and worshiped their heroes, this is portrayed in Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad. To become a hero in ancient Greece, one would have to live and die in pursuit of glory and honor. Both Achilles and Hector seek victory in battle to become the “true hero.” Although both characters possess many hero-like qualities, Hector proved to be the genuine hero.

King Agamemnon has demanded Achilles give up his maiden to him after Apollo has forced him to give up his own prize (Homer 5). Achilles feels shamed that Agamemnon would demand such a thing but eventually does give up his prize (Homer 6). It makes him seem inferior. Because of this, he refuses to participate in battle because he is returning home (Homer 172). Refusing to fight is a shameful thing that brings honor to nobody. He can fight and seem inferior to Agamemnon or he can sit out and let his comrades die. There is no honor in this.

The Iliad begins with the clash between Achilles and Agamemnon. Agamemnon has little, if any, respect for the gods. This is displayed by his irreverent

Earlier, when Agamemnon and Achilles are arguing, the reader learns that Achilles has won a prize, or woman, for his success in a battle. Agamemnon is jealous and wants Achilles’ prize. He is willing to do anything for it. Achilles on the other hand refuses to fight him because it isn’t honorable or courageous to fight a man who has never had to do anything for himself. Even though Achilles is angry at Agamemnon for taking his prize he knows if waits to strike, people will look up to him because of his self-control.

When he claimed Achilles’ ‘prize,’ Briseis, he insulted Achilles’ pride. That caused Achilles to withdraw from the fighting and call Zeus’ rage down to the Achaeans. It is that same pride that prevented Achilles from joining the battle, resulting in the death of Patroclus, his life long friend. Another instance of pride’s

In the beginning of the epic, Achilles’ fury is seen when Agamemnon seizes his war prize, Chrysies, the child of Chryses. Achilles try’s to be reasonable and tells Agamemnon to return her (81). Agamemnon does not listen because he likes her presence and he wants to do what he wants. Achilles then goes to lament and cry to his mother, Thetis. Agamemnon’s action causes the shallow action of Achilles pledging to not fight in the Trojan

All Homeric heroes eventually reach their downfall because of their overbearing pride, and Patroclus is no exception. When Patroclus begs Achilles to enter the battle in Achilles’s place, Achilles refuses; he only obliges after receiving Patroclus’s promise to return after driving the Trojans away. Despite his promise to Achilles, however, Patroclus decides to pursue the Trojan army. As Patroclus’s series of kills increases, he gains more confidence in his ability to storm Troy. Patroclus becomes overconfident as he nearly invades, and meets his final fate when Apollo pushes him over and Hector finishes the kill.

To illustrate, “My honors never equal yours, my arms bear the brunt of the raw, savage fighting, but when it comes to dividing up the plunder the lion’s share is yours, and back I go to my ships, clutching some scrap, when I have fought to exhaustion” (1. 192-197). Achilles is highly disturbed by the “unfair” distribution of wealth after war as he believes since he fought the hardest during battle, he deserves the highest reward. Achilles is too immature to realize the ancient customs of war grant the King of the army the highest reward; Agamemnon is King and therefore is rightfully entitled to more power and riches, “no one can match the honors dealt a king, you know, a sceptered king to whom great Zeus gives glory… he has more power because he rules more men” (1. 326-329). Achilles insists throughout the epic that he battles only for eternal glory, yet if that was the case he would yield to Agamemnon and stop complaining about all the uneven distributions of wealth. Interestingly enough, his refusal to yield to Agamemnon and his greater power causes him to dispatch himself from the war and go home.

Her father, being a priest of Apollo, begs the god to help him, and Apollo sends a plague among the Greeks. Calchas identifies the source of the problem and Agamemnon reluctantly consents; however, he demands that Achilles hand over his own prize, another woman called Briseis.Achilles, furious that he was dishonoured in such a way, withdraws from battle and asks his mother to convince Zeus to help the Trojans, so that he may prove himself again in the battlefield. The Trojans manage to repel the Greeks back to the shore; Patroclus, Achilles’ friend, wearing Achilles’ armor, successfully leads the Myrmidons against the enemy, but is subsequently killed by Hector, the Trojan prince. Enraged by his friend’s death, Achilles joins the battle and tracks down Hector, whom he kills in a face to face duel. He then drags Hector’s lifeless body with his chariot during the funeral games he held for

One of literature's most recognized titles in all of history, The Iliad tells the story of Achilles and his lust for Troy’s end. The epic starts nine years after the Trojan war with the strife between god and man (Apollo and Agamemnon) about Chryseis, a priests’ daughter who has been taken captive by Achaeans fleets. Achilles soon hears of this and demands Agamemnon to return her, but he only does so Achilles gives compensation. Achilles refuses to fight any longer and the Achaeans begin to lose soldiers rapidly. Achilles has a small change of heart and agrees to send his closest friend Patroclus in his armor to the battlefield where he dies by the hands of Hector, the commander of the Trojan army. Achilles rage sends him into a sudden desire

He becomes upset with his brother Paris when he causes the war to endanger his family and all of Troy. In battle, he manages to kill Patroclus, Achilles’ best friend. When Achilles seeks to avenge his fallen friend, at first, Hector runs for his life. After running around the walls of Troy three whole times, he finally stops and faces Achilles. Yet after realizing that even the gods themselves are against him, he still stands up to fight.

The next day, although allies resist for a long time, they still can not stop the mighty Hector. Trojans push their enemy to the beach and burn allies’ boats. It is really a critical time for allies. Thus, Patroclus, the friend of Achilles, decides to wear Achilles’ armor and fight. Trojans see Achilles is coming back, they are all afraid of fighting against him. They fell back to the city and Hector comes out to stop “Achilles”.

Within the poem, it becomes evident that Achilles is not a man of kindness. He is quite the opposite; Achilles is ruthless, selfish, and vain. He rages on and wishes for the Achaean army to be severely weakened to the point that Agamemnon begs for his return to claim victory. In the end of the book, Achilles successfully kills Hector, the protector of Troy. While Achilles is glorified for his act, the praise dies down within the readers when he humiliates the body. He drags it around the corpse of Patroclus, refusing to give Hector the proper funeral rites. This act angers many of the deathless gods and goddesses. Even with these flaws, Achilles possesses good characteristics. His kindness towards Briseis and Patroclus cannot be ignored. While these moments are rare, it becomes clear that Achilles has a softer, more human side. Another reason to like him is

Book Four of The Iliad ends after Athena coaxed a Trojan archer to fire at the Achaeans. The transgression prompts a fervent battle following what could have been a truce between the two sides. Succeeding the outbreak of war, Athena bestows to her chosen hero, Diomedes, the “strength and courage that would make him shine among the Greeks and win him glory” (pg. 83). Diomedes goes forth to slaughter the Trojans in battle, instilling distress in their hearts. With this depiction of Diomedes, Homer introduces two of his core claims in this selection: one individual can turn the tides of battle and man is merciless in war.