Hector And Achilles Research Paper
Hector and Achilles
Arthur Schopenhaur, the German philosopher, once said, “Fame is something that must be won. Honor is something that must not be lost.” Greek mythology heroes strived for fame and honor; one way is through achieving success on the battlefield. Two characters, in particular, that won fame and kept their honor is Achilles and Hector. In Rouse’s translated version of Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles and Hector may appear extremely different, but actually have numerous similarities. The Achaean hero, Achilles, had favor with the gods, acted as a leader in battle, and let his pride surpass his better judgment towards the Achaean army. First, Achilles impressed the gods with his fighting skills, which earned him their help. As Hephaestus …show more content…
Just like Achilles, the gods assisted Hector often. For example, Hector gave the final blow to Patroclus and “ma[de] a final boast, for [he] [was] the victor by the help of Zeus Cronidȇs and Apollo” (Homer 202). Purposely, the gods guided Hector through many battles and allowed him to win plenty of glory. Moreover, Hector compared to Achilles through his heartening actions on the battlefield. Assertively, Hector did not cower from anyone especially Achilles and admirably declared, “I at least will never turn my back on battle! I will stand up to meet him, to win or to lose it all” (Homer 221). Undoubtedly, the Trojans depended on Hector for courage, leadership, and support. Without Hector, the war would not have taken ten years to fight. Similar to Achilles, furthermore, Hector allowed his superciliousness to decide his decisions. When Polydamas advised Hector to return the army back into the city for the night, Hector rejected the proposal and told Polydamas to “no longer publish those notions of [his] any longer” because “the great god has granted [Hector] to win success before the enemy camp” (Homer 221). If Hector had listened to the idea, he could have averted the coming battle where Achilles killed an abundance of Hector’s men and pushed the remaining Trojans back behind
Arthur Schopenhaur, the German philosopher, once said, “Fame is something that must be won. Honor is something that must not be lost.” Greek mythology heroes strived for fame and honor; one way is through achieving success on the battlefield. Two characters, in particular, that won fame and kept their honor is Achilles and Hector. In Rouse’s translated version of Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles and Hector may appear extremely different, but actually have numerous similarities. The Achaean hero, Achilles, had favor with the gods, acted as a leader in battle, and let his pride surpass his better judgment towards the Achaean army. First, Achilles impressed the gods with his fighting skills, which earned him their help. As Hephaestus …show more content…
Just like Achilles, the gods assisted Hector often. For example, Hector gave the final blow to Patroclus and “ma[de] a final boast, for [he] [was] the victor by the help of Zeus Cronidȇs and Apollo” (Homer 202). Purposely, the gods guided Hector through many battles and allowed him to win plenty of glory. Moreover, Hector compared to Achilles through his heartening actions on the battlefield. Assertively, Hector did not cower from anyone especially Achilles and admirably declared, “I at least will never turn my back on battle! I will stand up to meet him, to win or to lose it all” (Homer 221). Undoubtedly, the Trojans depended on Hector for courage, leadership, and support. Without Hector, the war would not have taken ten years to fight. Similar to Achilles, furthermore, Hector allowed his superciliousness to decide his decisions. When Polydamas advised Hector to return the army back into the city for the night, Hector rejected the proposal and told Polydamas to “no longer publish those notions of [his] any longer” because “the great god has granted [Hector] to win success before the enemy camp” (Homer 221). If Hector had listened to the idea, he could have averted the coming battle where Achilles killed an abundance of Hector’s men and pushed the remaining Trojans back behind