The Heroes Of A Hero

The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in

In Homer’s book the “Iliad” lays an epic conflict between a man and his inner self that ultimately leads to great loss on a wider scale and not just to himself. Achilles is a man with a superpower but has a severe problem when his ego is insulted. Achilles is driven by rage and anger and will do everything in his power to seek vengeance on anyone whom gets in the way of his pride whether it is friend or foe. One might argue whether Achilles is an epic hero but this answer lies within the reader. Achilles is one man who has the greatest fighting abilities as well as the greatest military prowess of any of the Achaean ranks. The only downfall for Achilles is that his inner force is driven by rage and

The epic The Iliad by Homer argues that Achilles reaction in many situations is rage. Achilles choice to respond in such a way is very significant. It shows that this emotion is very influential in his day-to-day life. However, there has been much discussion as to whether Achilles’s rage is a virtue or a vice. Other characters throughout The Iliad have commented on his rage, such as Athena, who says, “I came to see if I could check this temper of yours,” (Homer, 235) in a discussion she has with Achilles about his quarrel with Agamemnon. Athena’s comment suggests that it takes a lot of effort to put Achilles’s rage into check. Achilles seemingly uncontrollable rages creates a man throughout The Iliad who “like[s] fighting and war” (234). Most men in this epic longed to end the war; Achilles on the other hand yearned for more battle. Achilles drive for battle makes it evident that his rage and the manifestation of it in other characters as seen throughout The Iliad is not a virtue, but a vice.

In ancient Greece, it was crucial that men proved their masculinity in order to uphold their worth and earn them a place in social establishments. An important aspect of human life is a man’s masculine identity and how it plays a role in society. However with this idea of masculinity came limitations that were not to be crossed. Ancient Greek epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, both function to provide their own view on masculinity in society through the reverse sex similes. In the Iliad the crucial role of Achilles as a warrior and his association with maternal protection, as represented through it’s reverse sex maternal similes, ultimately proves problematic. This intrinsic part of man to fight on the battlefield to win timê and kleos is ultimately

The Iliad, by Homer, is an epic poem set in the era of the Trojan War, accounting the battle logs during the time of conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles, the text’s tragic protagonist. The heroic outlook on life, in Iliadic terms, is exemplified through the construction of one’s honor through hard work. Being an aspect of the heroic outlook of life, this value is demonstrated through his contribution and dedication to the Trojan War, his experience with neglect from the deities, Achilles’ overall disdain towards Agamemnon, and, lastly, his longingness towards Briseis, his dear lover.

Warriors of ancient Greece were considered heroes by following the Heroic Code of excellence. They achieved this by acquiring a kleos; establishing fame, glory and a positive reputation. It was not an easy task to become a Grecian hero. Building and maintaining kleos meant that a warrior must be brave and strong, be “a speaker of words and a doer of deeds.” The solider had to protect his friends and harm his enemies, respect the gods and his elders, and most of all value his honor over his life. To die in battle, and be spoken of after death was the most important act of honor for a hero. The Greek tragedy, Iliad, attributed to Homer, portrays Achilles as the most gallant hero of the Athenian army. The story tells of Achilles, who develops into the greatest hero of the Trojan War. While the end of the end of the poem does portray Achilles as the solider that the story foretells throughout the poem he does not act like that. Many times in the story Achilles actions are perceived as unheroic but ultimately they shape the course of the few weeks of the Trojan Wars described in the Iliad, the Achaean’s final victory at Troy and his emergence as a hero.

For the ancient Greeks, culture is of the utmost importance. Greek family values are so strong that elements of tradition and culture transcend many generations. One particular tradition, literature, is a custom that has been passed down from generation to generation. Thousands of families, from their parents to their children, are told the stories of men and women who grew up and became great warriors that saved the world. These children later grew up with the goal of becoming those same heroes; they grew up wanting to save the world just like the characters in the stories. In this particular epic, we encounter the characters of Achilles and Hector, both ideal warriors; one uses his physical aptitude, the other his intellect and desire to

In the novel The Iliad, written by Homer, a variety of themes can be interpreted from the text. Book 15 of The Iliad contains a scene that involves Achilles risking his best friends life simply because he incapable of letting go. Earlier, in book 6, Prince Paris experiences a moment of courage and challenges King Menelaus over the hand of a woman named Helen. Again, Paris is caught in a violent scene fighting to protect his self-pride. In a period of cowardice Paris’ brother Hector discovers him hiding from battle, and attacks his ego, forcing him to fight once again. Some may say The Iliad is about honor, importance of war, or revenge, but one message that stands above the rest is the hunger for superiority.

The Iliad is a story about the war between the Trojans and the Greeks. They believe that if you fight in a war, this is how you prove ones honor and integrity, but to not fight would show cowardice or fear. During this time, the males were trained from a young age to assume a major role in the war efforts (Rosenberg, 1999, p. 119).

Homer’s epic The Iliad, is a great tale of war and glory. It takes place during the last year of the ten year Greek-Trojan war. The Greeks have been fighting with the Trojans for quite some time, and just when peace seemed like a possibility, the youngest prince of Troy, Paris, acts out selfishly and steals the beautiful wife of Menelaus, Helen. This instigates the fighting again. Throughout The Iliad, Homer tells of two heroes, both similar, but also very different in their character; the great and powerful Greek, Achilles, and the strong, loving father, Prince Hector of Troy. In Homer’s The Iliad, Hector and Achilles differ as heroes in regards to pride, duty, and family love, the latter being self-centered and prideful, while the

Homer’s Iliad is undoubtedly focused on its male characters: Achilles, primarily, but also Hector and Agamemnon. Nevertheless, it seems that the most crucial characters in the epic are female. Homer uses the characters of Thetis, Andromache, and Helen as a basis for comparison to the male characters. Homer wants his audience to see and understand the folly of his male characters in choosing war over peace, aggression over kindness, and honor over family. While the behavior of these characters clearly speaks for itself, the contrasting attitudes and behaviors of the female characters proffer an alternative; in comparison, the reader can hardly fail to concur with Homer’s message that war, aggression,

In the battle between Hector and Achilles, there was more on the line than winning the war. Until the end of the poem, it can be argued that both Achilles and Hector fit the role of an epic hero, but there can only be one. The battle represented who would ultimately be determined the epic hero. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is crafted into an epic hero throughout the poem by the illustration of the qualities of an epic hero: a great warrior, help from the supernatural, an epic flaw, and an epic journey.

A hero, illustrated through the majority of notable Greek works of literature, is established by a precise set of characteristics that allow them to be separated from the ordinary, and be remembered as exceptional champions. In the Homeric world of the Iliad, the essence of a true hero can be identified by their extraordinary strength, connection of divine ancestry, recognition of mortality, and a defining moment or test of strength which will either lead to their resolution or downfall. Although Achilles may not have been the most tolerant individual, in the Homeric sense of the word, he is most certainly a hero.

The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem that chronicles the ferocious Trojan war fought against the city of Troy and the Achaeans. Through the poem, Homer challenges the idea heroism as it is often perceived to expose its fallacious nature. This is done through the implementation of complex characters that possess both traits that exemplify both benevolence and malice, vulnerability and strength. The juxtaposition of this contradictory features work to enforce the idea that neither pure heroes or pure villains exist. Humans are a combination of actions that lie on all points of the moral spectrum, creating a multidimensional being. This idea is clearly outlined through the development of multifaceted characters such as Achilles and Hector. Through

Homer’s epic poem the Iliad is one of the significant pieces of ancient Greek literature. It is believed to have been developed in the period of Grecian history after the collapse of the Mycenaean society. Book 22 of the Iliad focuses primarily on the conflict between Hector and Achilles; it reinforces the importance of heroism, the glories of war and the God’s influence on man, in Greek culture. Hector falling at the hands of Achilles directly addresses these values of Grecian society.