Barrera 1 Jay Barrera Dr.

Coleman Fannin GTX 2301 September 30, 2013 Heroism in The Iliad In Homers epic, The Iliad, the concept of heroism seems to be the central theme, which directs the entire story from beginning to end. The definition of heroism in Homeric society seemed to be a fine line between what is honorable and what is glorified. Throughout this tale, warriors such as Achilles, Hector, and Patroclus, (to name a few) engage in the battle to become heroic and justify their actions to either being honorable or glorified. The hero must be glorified at all times, and was often seen as the face of the community. Glory was obtained through actions, and these actions took place mostly on the battlefield. The position of the hero is not self-imposed, but elected by the people, being that what they see is a great leader who is unlike the rest. Achilles is one name that stands out from the rest being that he is the greatest warrior out on the battlefields. Being that he is a half-descendant from a god, he possesses abilities that are far greater than your average man. However, this does not make him improbably to making mistakes that are made from mere mortals that fight alongside him. It all begins with the very first sentence of the epic, which states, Rage-Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost of the Achaeans countless losses (Homer. 1.1-2). This quote is specific to the feud between Achilles and Agamemnon, which seems to last the better part of the play. As recalled, Agamemnon had confiscated Briseis from Achilles and refused to give her back. He then goes on a lengthy tirade explaining how much greater he is than Achilles, although Agamemnons advisors advised him not to do so. As Achilles honor is inflicted at this point, he withdraws from battle in which he wants to maintain some glory and respect after being insulted

Barrera 2 by his own man. As we progress, Achilles hits a crossroad where he must decide whether or not he will continue living behind shelter to maintain his short term glory, or if he should go out give it all he has. Why cringing here? Gazing out on the passageways of battle! That was never Tydeus way, shy behind the lines, (4.432-433) Achilles knows that it is his destiny that is already predetermined, and that his next action will be in the right path toward his destiny. And with that, he will have acted with honor and glory to how his fellow comrades will view him. Hector is another character who seems to connect well with the heroism theme. He is unmistakably the greatest warrior on the Trojan side, and displays many great character traits that show honor and glory. Hector sounds off with a passion stating, Ive learned it all too well. To stand up bravely, always fight in the front ranks of Trojan soldiers, winning my father great glory, glory for myself (Homer. 210). This type of soldier is one whom ignites the flame for the Trojan army, whom inspires in times of despair and then fights side by side in the trenches until the battle is won. Hector also challenges the honor and glory of his brother, Paris. When Paris refused to fight for himself and flee, Hector criticizes him, curse to your father your city and all your people, a joy to our enemies, rank disgrace to yourself! (3.58-59). It is interesting to say here that Hector is regarded on such a level that he is able to question the honor of another mortal. The respect shown for Hector even goes as far as the gods, when they protected his body after the battle with Achilles. Alas, his pursuit of honor and glory takes a negative turn when he fails to heed Polydamas advice in fighting Achilles, Polydamas will be first to heap disgrace on meNow my armys ruined, thanks to my own reckless pride (22.119-124). Hector became too full of himself at this point with his most recent success in battle, especially with the win over Patroclus, and now he has found himself in a deep hole in regards to his fate. As mentioned earlier, the pursuit of pride and honor far exceeds any physical value, and the only way to attain

Barrera 3 respect is to gain it. There is, however, a fine line between fighting for honor and pride versus fighting to boost the ego which others have sketched out for you. Hector was one of the morally sound characters in this poem who displayed great amounts of heroism, but in the end took a turn for the worse when it seemed to have overcome him. Pride seems to have one of the highest standings in The Iliad when it comes to defining heroism in Homeric society. It is the common ground to what stirs up confidence in a battle versus what can cause others to flee from such encounters. There has been both an upside and a downside to this term of pride and it being a catalyst for what takes place in the story. The main disagreement between Agamemnon and Achilles is centralized on both parties having too much pride to give into one another to find common ground. What seems to be the issue here is that pride seems to be the motivating factor to these characters, but solely developed through deeds which build up. With that being said, any sign of disrespect towards ones prideful being would leave the other in a very enraged and bitter state. Both Agamemnon and Achilles have their legacies set in stone for what they have accomplished in their lives, and furthermore for the battles they have won. As leaders of their respective peoples, they almost carry as much weight as the gods in how they are treated. Each individual can inspire or depress their respective regimes into battle, and thus cause the soldiers to fight in their names. Sometimes this makes the soldiers fight harder, and eventually can save some of their lives. In book 5, Agamemnon is shown inspiring the masses to fight back and stand up to the Trojan attack, Now be men, my friends! Courage, come, take heart! Dread what comrades say of you here in bloody combat! When me dread that more men come through alive- when soldiers break and run, good-bye glory, good-bye all defenses! (5.610-614). Pride is displayed as a positive trait influence here, and can dictate the momentum of the war in an instance. Agamemnon acted here because he did

Barrera 4 not want to lose respect as a hero to the Achaeans, and had to act in a manner to where he could inspire the masses. If he acted incorrectly, he would then lose more support from his already hampered soldiers. Pride seems to be the single most important factor that drives these heroes to act accordingly and make the decisions that are based off of judgment from their peers and not what they believe is correct to their own discretion. Another important aspect of heroism and the respect and glory sought after is the significance of a proper burial. This hold true for both characters Patroclus and Hector after their timely deaths. Patroclus body was protected the entire time in the heat of the battle field by Odysseus and Ajax until Achilles returned to retrieve the body. They had a proper burial and ceremony at the camp where they celebrate his heroism by reflecting on his actions being that of honor and glory. Priam goes to great lengths to retrieve his sons body, even begging to Achilles, I have endured what no one on earth has ever done before-I put to my lips the hands of the man who killed my son, (24.590-591). Priam elaborates that this is the least Achilles could do for Hector for the honor and glory he had received in his life. Heroism is one of the main driving components to The Iliad as many of the decisions and outcomes are a product of what seems to be honorable and glorified. However, what constitutes to being honorable and glorified is not based on the individual themselves, but to those who surround them and follow their directions. Heroes in this epic are constantly making decisions based on fear of disapproval from these peers. Although these classic heroes appeared to be almost god-like, they have all succumb to human flaws that show that they, too, are not perfect. The pursuit of honor and glory does have positive outcomes, but it can also lead to downfalls if the individual seems to let their pride get the best of them.