Homeric Hero
The heroic code that Homeric heroes follow is that of honour. Every hero endeavours to win the respect of his peers. In fact, achieving honour in life is more important than life itself. Hence, it is not surprising when heroes such as Achilles and Hector, give up their lives to gain the admiration of their peers. In Homeric society, the person who shows highest usefulness enjoys greatest honour. In a war situation, as the one presented in the Iliad, this would translate to ones fighting abilities. Hence, courage and physical strength are the two most important characteristics desired from a Homeric hero. With this notion of heroism, it is easy to conclude Achilles as the better hero. Thus, the purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, to ascertain Achilles as the greatest Homeric hero. Second, to point out the absurdity of Homeric values and prove Hector as the better hero. Achilles was pre-destined to be powerful. His mother Thetis was wed to a mortal by Zeus only so that her child would not become a danger to Zeus~{!/~} throne. Thus, Achilles is the strongest mortal alive. No mortal can compare to him in physical prowess. Since, strength is one the most desirable characteristics of a Homeric hero; it makes Achilles the greates
A person~{!/~}s heroism is also determined to a lesser extent by his status and material possessions. Briseis was the woman awarded to Achilles as his share of the spoils of war when they sacked Thebes. Achilles is also the better of the two fighters. It is just as necessary to analyze his short-comings and take care of any criticism of his character that may arise. To gain the admiration of his peers it is also essential that a Homeric hero show great courage. This offends the sensibility of a modern reader. The two are related; the most powerful warrior gets the highest share in the loot. His exploits in war are much greater than that of Hector. Hence, the number and beauty of women awarded to a successful warrior is an important measure of ones heroism. We associate heroism with selflessness. Achilles fits this description perfectly. Hector, cannot compare to Achilles in strength. Nowhere in the Iliad has Achilles been carried away by a god to safety. The most important difference between Achilles and Hector is that Achilles fights to achieve glory, whereas Hector fights to prevent shame that may befall upon him.
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