Preview

Honor And Glory In The Iliad

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
346 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Honor And Glory In The Iliad
“Let me not die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter (Homer, Iliad 22.304-305)”, words spoken by Hector is one of many of examples that can be found in The Iliad that illustrate the importance of arête, honor and glory to the Greeks. The Iliad is an awe-inspiring epic poem written by the ancient blind Greek poet, Homer, filled with art, drama, love and war. The epic poem recounts several of events during the final few months of the tenth year of the Trojan War. Through the bloody battle, the wrath of Achilles, and constant intervening of the gods, we can find themes of Honor and glory and its effects on Hector and Achilles’ actions, their arête, as well as the importance

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Hektor, a Trojan soldier, must fight Akhilleus, an Achaean, during the Trojan War. Both men are regarded as powerful warriors by both Trojan and Achaean forces. Homer, author of the epic poem, also held great respect for both warriors, but respected them in different ways. Homer demonstrates this respect greatly in lines 97 to 184 of The Iliad.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    David Malouf’s revision of Homer’s famous Iliad, Ransom, explores the conventional stereotype of the hero and questions the traditional idea of courage. Malouf challenges the ancient Greek understanding of heroism, which was primarily centered on prowess, power and confidence. He questions this characterization and suggests that celebrating a hero who is dehumanized by the rage and violence of war is unwise. Malouf shows that there are greater acts of courage than those achieved in battle. He argues that it takes great courage to break free of convention and expectation.…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Literary heroes have been important to stories and poems throughout history. Each author develops his hero through a unique writing style, combining conscious use of detail, diction, tone and other narrative techniques to outline a hero's personality. Homer, in his epic poem The Iliad, develops two classic heroes who are distinctly different at first glance, but upon closer inspection are very similar in terms of their basic characteristics. Hector and Achilles both are courageous soldiers, relatively honorable men, and respected leaders, but they also both have human failings that eventually lead to tragedy. In Homer's lyrical verses and in his use of detail, diction, meter and imagery, he paints his own portrait of a classic hero through the brave deeds as well as the human flaws of Hector and Achilles that eventually lead to the downfall of proud and powerful Hector.…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through all of these relationships Homer continues to show loyalty. Readers are able to visualize a tortuous murder of Hector by Achilles. In this battle of cat and mouse, Homer continuously expresses Achilles hate towards Hector because Hector, son of Priam and prince of Troy, killed Achilles best friend Patroclus. In loyalty and revenge of his friends death Achilles finds it necessary to kill Hector In the most painful way possible. “ Achilles now exulted: “ Hector, had you thought that you could kill Patroclus and be safe?...The dogs and kites will rip your body. His (Patroclus) will lie in honor.”(Iliad 22:390-399) Although this might not be the best way to show loyalty and more like revenge, in Achilles mind set he is doing this to stay true to his friend. Priam, a father of 12 sons, tried to stay in respect of his son Hector.He wanted to him to have a proper burial , but Achilles seizes the body to feed to the wild dogs. Hector promises lord Achilles anything he wanted for the body, however Achilles stayed ruthless. Hector Furiously states, ‘Peace be with you even in the dark where death commands, Patroklos. Everything has been finished as I promised…Hector should not be eaten by wild dogs. (Iliad 206-210) This shows the high morals and loyalty Praim had towards his son. he is showing that he would do anything in return for his…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Honor and glory are central to the Greek character. Since heroes are the essence of the society from which they come from, Greek heroes live their lives according to honor and glory, in all kinds of varied forms. Both traits trigger a magnificent war that takes the lives of numerous men, and shapes its development at every stage. The fall of Troy is “a thing… whose glory shall perish never (Homer, Iliad 2.324)”. The goal of the Greeks is fame that is never ending and lastly even after death, and they let nothing bar their way. The honor of the individual, family, and community guide every action…

    • 1890 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.” In The Iliad, the audience is told of the brutal Trojan War and how the Trojans were destroyed in the tenth year. Nonchalantly, the Greeks celebrated and won prizes, while Troy was burned to the ground, leaving the remaining stragglers to run away under the leadership of Aeneas. Focused on the Trojans’ journey to the founding of Rome, The Aeneid portrays the good aspects of the Trojan life compared to the battling Greeks as shown in The Iliad. Although, in The Iliad, the Greeks uphold their morals with pride, the Trojans write their abysmal opinion about the Greeks in…

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pride In The Iliad

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The history of wars and battles can be dated back almost to the beginning of time and has since been a prominent motif in stories from various cultures and religions. Centuries later, descriptions of fighting styles to warriors to weapons, has greatly evolved. Despite the constant evolution of the ways fighting is portrayed, one thing has remained consistent over the years: the reason for initiating war. When a man’s pride is wounded, the idea that he will stop at nothing to restore it, can be seen throughout literature in many different cultures. Through the malicious and extravagant battles exhibited in The Iliad, the idea that vengeance is sought once an individual's pride has been harmed and can only be resolved by combat, is developed.…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    David Denby’s statement, “the Greeks and Trojan aristocrats of the Iliad experience the world not as pleasant or unpleasant, nor as good and evil, but as glorious or shameful” is in accordance with the way Achilles and Hector interact with each other. People, heroes in particular, in this time are thinking of the glory or the shame they would receive after a battle, not whether or not the battle itself and the acts one commits are good or evil or pleasant or unpleasant. Achilles and Hector exemplify the truthfulness of the quote in the way they act throughout their battle, in the way Achilles gives his glory speech as Hector is dying and how Hector reacts, and in the way how Achilles treats Hector’s body after he kills him.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Honor In The Iliad

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages

    themes promoted in the Iliad and the works of Homer has to do with the concept of honor. It has…

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thematic Essay

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Achilles and Hector’s Outlook on: • War • Duty • Heroism (#3 on page 380)…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Achilles Pursuit Of Honor

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hector and Achilles both view the ethical code in contrasting ways. Hector believes and upholds the importance of honor, while Achilles doubts its relevance in life. The two warriors’ different motivation changed how they fought. Hector’s motivation for obtaining honor, his friends and family, show the duty he has to defend Troy. Duty, according to Homer, gives Hector purpose to life. Priam’s son has a stronger mind-set than Achilles when it comes to insecurities. While Hector acknowledges his fate by focusing on his obligation in obtaining the honor for his people, Achilles lets his fear of death and rage towards Agamemnon consume his actions. However, later in the poem, Achilles returns to battle after the death of Patroclus. Vengeance becomes the main focus of Achilles due to the guilt he feels about his dear friend’s death. He feels that he needs to defend Patroclus’ honor. As a result, Achilles refers back to the ethics and honor once he recognizes the guilt he feels. His return to believing in ethics provides Achilles with a purpose. Even though the two men’s opinion and motivation concerning honor vary, Homer emphasizes the differences to show its importance on the characters’ purpose in…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Honor In The Iliad Essay

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Homer illustrates the theme of honor throughout many instances in “The Iliad”. “The Iliad” is about the characters and events surrounding the Trojan War. In the war the Greek soldiers fought against the Trojan soldiers. The Greeks were retaliating against the Trojan prince Paris who stole the Greek king Menelaus’ wife Helen. Agamemnon the brave and supercilious brother of Menelaus is a prominent Greek leader in the war. Agamemnon demonstrates the theme of honor through his desire for most booty and the finest spoils gained in the war. Hektor is also a brave warrior, however; he is a Trojan Prince, the son of King Priam. Unlike Agamemnon, Hektor’s ambitions are not to seek honor through war plunder, but to remain an honorable and noble warrior and husband. Lastly, there is Achilles, a Greek warrior who also seeks to achieve honor from attaining booty and leadership. Each of these characters depicts the theme of honor in “the Iliad” in a distinct way.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some of the most important components of ancient Greek life and literature are the cultural values and beliefs that were both cherished in 8th century BCE and admired by many people today. The Iliad has greatly impacted this transmission of ancient cultural ideals, helping shape our understanding of our ancient ancestors. The Iliad is an intriguing and thought-provoking story that captivates the reader and teaches morals of ancient Greek culture through an adventure tale of the Trojan War. The values of personal honor, respect for the gods and restoration of balance, important to Greeks living in 8th century BCE are demonstrated in the Iliad through what the characters say, do and the events of the plot.…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arête can be viewed as a captivating quality that can light a fire of patriotism under the hearts of many, while hubris can destroy the reputation of a person and destroy the determination of a rising power. As seen in the Iliad, arête is the main social value of Greek life and is the first spark of patriotism for a civilization that is only beginning. In the Iliad, the rage of Achilles is a perfect example of hubris in early Greek civilization. When Achilles says, “I will not return until Trojans set fire to the ships” (Homer 9.667-78), Achilles is making an attempt to take what he has not yet earned. His aristos has gone to his head and he is no longer thinking of the excellence he might be earning in battle, but the power he could gain over another person or group.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Deeds are a lot more important than words. The little saying ‘easier said than done’ proves that point. A lot of the characters in The Iliad say a lot of things, just to say them. Only a few actually go about their words. They usually are bluffing throughout their speeches that they give or conversations they have with other humans or gods.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays