Hector's Family In The Iliad

Throughout the poem of the Iliad, Homer does an excellent job portraying the various sacrifices that the gods requested at the expense of the heroes. In Greek mythology, there are many instances where heroes had to sacrifice their beloved things to gods and goddesses because it was respectful and appeased them. In most cases, it is almost mandatory because they are usually punished by the god until they sacrifice something. On the other hand, Homer shows many representations of heroes sacrificing everything to gain immortal glory and be favored by other gods. In the Iliad, the motif of sacrifice permeates the epic poem as Achilles and Apollo exemplify different variations of respect to show their humanity and glory.

“Foundation of Family” Family is the fundamental building block of all societies. It is all inclusive across generations and cultures. Based on the epic poem The Odyssey and current families today, we see that family is where we learn to love ourselves and each other, to bear one another’s burdens, to find meaning in our life and to give purpose to other’s lives, and to feel the value of being part of something greater than ourselves. Family is where we experience our biggest triumphs, deepest vulnerabilities, and where we have the greatest potential to do good.

The Pursuit of Happiness Who I am today has primarily been dictated by the environment in which I have been raised. I will continue to be molded throughout my life, but now I am entering a period of my life where I will be the one deciding who I am. Today, I am not the person I want to be and not the person who many perceive me to be, but am striving to become the man I want to be. In my life, I constantly find myself trying to balance friends, family, school, and sports.

After defeating Hector, pride within Achilles resulted in him killing more enemies and actually losing his own life. Homer’s story of The Iliad illustrates the damage anger causes when allowed to take root in any life. Anger often lead to other complications such as pride, suffering, and even fear. Achilles downfall teaches readers that the anger often controls emotions. To communicate an important message on anger, Homer illustrates the consequences of Achilles anger in The Iliad to show that controlling anger results in a more peaceful and positive

In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.

The actions inspired by vengeance and justice in Homer’s Iliad shows how detrimental the effects can be on others. The Justice seeked by warlike Menelaus causes pain and suffering to many on all sides of the war. Paris by abducting Helen hurt Menelaus’s pride, “Menelaus had in mind taking revenge on the man who’d injured him” (Homer, Iliad 3. 26-27). Seeking this revenge Menelaus

(R 23-35). The Greeks hearing Achilles return, gain strength, will and perseverance to carry on the war. The responsibility that Achilles takes plays massive role, affecting the men 's actions throughout the

Honor is one of the major themes in The Iliad. However the concept of honor in The Iliad is not the same as our current understanding of honor. Honor plays a key role in how the characters in the Iliad act, why they make certain decisions, and why the events in the Iliad occur the way they do. Nowadays, we refer to honor as an idea or concept which is closely related to fame, respect, reputation etc.

Hector is shown to be devoted to this war between the Trojans and Greeks, and shows this when he refuses wine from his mother Hecuba when he first returns to Priam’s palace, telling her that it will only make him weak, and that instead she should go to the temple of Athena and pray that she pity Troy and its people (Book VI, 11. 275-88, pg. 249). Returning back home and making his way to his brother Paris’ house, Hector is completely ready to chastise him, showing his anger towards him as needed for not being out there and fighting in the war he himself caused (VI, 11. 342-47, pg. 251) but rather sitting in his house with his armor and weapons surrounding him. Hector is also given the opportunity to lay with Helen and relax, but instead says “my heart is out there with our fighting men” (VI, 11. 380, pg. 252). This makes it evident that he is a noble man and that his only purpose now is to fight with the Trojans, seeing himself as “One of the best, to fight in Troy’s ranks” (VI, 11.

A man 's duty in the Iliad is on the battlefield, this plays into E.R. Dodd 's ' theory of the "shame culture"17 which he considers to be an integral part of the society of the Iliad. Hector, for example, "like a good soldier"18 has been trained to "take his place on the front line."19 However, when Andromache begs Hector to retreat and not fight she, again, is herself "going against the grain"20 as Hector told her because she is not playing into this culture of shame where "shame is a motivating force." 21 Helen, though, in this instance, arguably is not acting transgressive. We can understand this through Paris, who, is saved by Aphrodite during his duel where he is taken back to safety in his palace.

One of the major consequences of war is the horrific tragedies that occur. In the Iliad, in book eighteen, when Achilles hears that Hector killed Patroclus he is filled with rage and enters the war seeking vengeance. His rage causes him to kill hundreds of trojans and seek

Homer’s depiction of the nature and character of war itself seem to be unmerciful in its raw form. Throughout the course of book seven of the epic, The Iliad, many events and actions of the characters are in the motive of war and winning a battle. A war in its raw form is where characters are pitted against other characters for the sake of a battle and defeating their enemy, whether they want to annihilate them or to win the spoils of war. The characters in this book when fighting in battles appear to be almost patriotic for their army and are unmerciful. They are passionate in the art of fighting and are eager for it.

The Iliad also spotlights the individual qualities of a Greek hero or non-hero. Numerous characters in the Iliad demonstrated exceptional qualities of a Greek person that was valued, such as bravery and helpfulness and that was disproved of like selfishness. One trait that is highly appreciated by the greeks in the Iliad is bravery. In battle Hector killed Achilles´s best friend Pactorlos in battle.

If I stay here and fight before the city of Troy, there will be no home- coming for me but my fame shall never die; if I go home to my native land, there will be no great fame for me, but I shall live long and not die an early death.” (Homer 110) This shows that he is selfishness and fearful at the same time of losing and dying in the war. In the very beginning of the Iliad, King Agamemnon and Achilles have an argument for a couple of different reasons. After, the Achians won a battle against a city that was allied with the Trojans each of them received a prize consisted of a young woman from the war.

Iliad is recognized as one of the most famous ancient monuments of literature. The full understanding of this epic poem is hardly possible without thorough analysis of its main characters. Among all the episodes of the Trojan War, Homer chooses the moment of Achilles’ wrath and thus creates a poem in which he becomes the central figure. From the Ancient Greeks’ point of view, Achilles represents the ideal of manliness and pure heroism, for he is brave and fights for heroics, not profits. Today, one can agree with this interpretation, yet Achilles is probably the most controversial character because he combines various personality traits and acts in accordance with his ambiguous nature.