Homer's Iliad: Hector The Trojan Hero

Hector the Trojan Hero

Hero. A word used widely throughout Homer’s The Iliad, but interpreted differently in the eye of the beholder. Though there seems to be numerous definitions of a hero, one that can accurately define such a person is someone of distinguished courage and nobility that will put all others before themselves for the greater good of others while possessing the strength and cunningness to overcome obstacles they may be faced with. It can be seen throughout the poem that Hector possesses these qualities and therefore is portrayed as the true hero of this epic poem. Within The Iliad, Homer seems to categorize his heroes under the same characteristics and qualifications to fit a certain lifestyle and carry themselves in a particular manner. The aim of every hero is to achieve honor, an esteem received from one’s peers. Honor is essential to Homer’s heroes; so much that life would almost be meaningless without it. A hero’s honor is determined primarily by his courage and physical abilities and to a lesser degree, by his social status and personal possessions. The highest honor, to these heroes, can only be attained from battle. Hector, as his name indicates, heroically demonstrates himself as the holder of
And yet, also as someone who does not find his glory solely in the gruesome realities of war. Hector is willing to lay aside his own potential glory so that the war may come to an end. In the end, Hector’s fate is seen as he falls to the man who is most unlike himself—Achilles. From the beginning, Achilles is a man of complete rage and anger, as seen in his refusal to battle the Achaeans due to a disagreement with Agamemnon. Although Hector is one whose native element is not found in war, but in peace and not his own personal glory, Achilles identity is essentially found in his victory in