The Iliad celebrates the exploits of some of the most famous Greek heroes, but perhaps the most memorable character appearing in the epic poem is the warrior Trojan Hector. Throughout the poem, one gets the impression that Homer treats Hector as a unique character who should be looked at differently from the Greek heroes. While Achilles and Diomedes fight thousands of miles from their homeland to achieve glory and make a name for themselves, Hector fights to protect and defend his family and the Trojan homeland which lies just a heartbeat away from battle. . In book 6, he tells his wife Andromache that he is fighting to prevent her from being forced into slavery by the Achaean armies. No other character in the poem gives us such touching insight into his personal life or his innermost feelings. In this scene as in many others, we see Hector as something different from the other heroes of the poem; he appears to us both as a powerful and formidable warrior and as a loving and compassionate “human” who inevitably rushes towards his own tragic destiny. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The first time we really learn about Hector's character is in book 3 when he berates his brother Paris for fleeing Menelaus. In this scene, we see Hector as a brother, which introduces a recurring theme: Hector appearing in many types of relationships with people; we will later consider him a husband, a father, a son and a leader of men. As Paris' brother, Hector does not hold back his frequent disgust at Paris's far less than heroic actions. In this particular scene, Hector is visibly unhappy with Paris's cowardice and he is not afraid to show it. In his relationship with Paris, Hector clearly despises his younger brother and treats him with disdain, but we also sense a kind of brotherly love and human care. Hector constantly criticizes Paris's actions, but he does it because he wants Paris to act more like a man. In this particular case, Hector's display of disgust shames Paris enough that he musters up the courage to confront Menelaus. Hector has managed to get what he wants from Paris; that is, taking more responsibility for his actions and acting more heroically as his position as a Trojan prince requires. Hector once again rebukes Paris's actions in Book 6 when Hector returns to Troy for a brief break in the fighting. In this scene, Paris makes love to Helen when he should be helping the Trojan cause, considering that it was his kidnapping of Helen that sparked the fury of the Greek armies in the first place. This scene is another characterization of Hector's attitude towards Paris; however, Book 6 also contains many other events that further flesh out Hector's character and his relationship with others. Hecuba, Hector's mother, is the first person to greet him upon his return to Troy. Their relationship is one of love and family bonds, and they both treat each other with mutual care and compassion. Although their interaction is perhaps not as fleshed out as Hector's relationship with Paris, Hecuba's greeting to Hector is extremely important in the poem as she is the first person he sees after he leaves the field of battle. Homer immediately contrasts the brutality of war with the loving bonds of family by having Hector interact with his mother so soon after leaving the battlefield. This reminder of the humanity of the warriors is crucial to the emotional undercurrent of the poem.In Book 6 we also find Hector meeting Helen for the first time. Their relationship is interesting; Hector could easily feel resentment and contempt for the woman who is the cause of so much grief, but he does not seem to target or blame her. He may also be resisting a sort of pass made by Helen, who asks him to come and sit with her because she pities him to the extent that he is the hardest hit by the struggles she has provoked. But Hector proves to be above the pettiness of self-pity or any other distraction that would cause him to lose focus. The strength of Hector's determination is clearly shown here, as he wants to see his wife and infant son and will not be bothered by trivial things. This stands in stark contrast to Paris, who is easily swayed and seduced by her own desires and constantly tries to take the easy way out. The scene between Hector, his wife, and his son is one of the most powerful and moving passages in The Iliad. . Here we clearly see Hector as a family man capable of the same love that all husbands and fathers usually display. Perhaps Homer uses Hector as an example for all the warriors in the poem because they all have families themselves and personal stories behind their battlefield exploits. Homer reminds us of the humanity of the soldiers by showing Hector here with his family; however, because he is the only character we are actually given this personal insight to, Hector seems to stand out from the other major characters in the poem. Andromache begs Hector to refrain from fighting because she lost her father and brother in battle. hands of mighty Achilles, and Hector is now all that remains. But Hector knows that she is in greater danger if he stays away from the fighting, and he admits to her that the desire to prevent her from being kidnapped as a slave is the main driving force of his fighting spirit. This seems rather unusual to us for such a great fighter, because deep down he seems not to be a warrior but a loving husband. Although we never get specific insight into the inner psyche of most of the other great fighters in The Iliad, we are generally led to believe that their quest for glory and honor is what drives them to excel in war. . Homer separates Hector in this way because he shows him to fight for what he loves and wants to protect, and perhaps this creates a deeper connection between us and Hector because his reasons for fighting have more qualities of simple humanity than of heroism. his son Astyanax also helps separate him as a character. In an absolutely unforgettable scene, Hector lifts his son to the sky and proclaims that he wants his son to grow up to be greater than him. In a poem filled with characters possessing incredible egos and stubborn pride, here is a humiliating statement made by one of its mightiest warriors. This is perhaps the most humane and compassionate of all Hector's actions; he doesn't care as much about satisfying his own ego as a soldier as much as wanting the best for his son. The theme of a loving father wanting more for his son than he has himself is a universal human feeling that runs through the course of human history. Homer created a lot of empathy for Hector because he appears to us not just as a great warrior but as someone who shares the same values ​​as most ordinary men. Although there are many examples in The Iliad showing Hector as an ordinary human being, most of his time in the poem is spent on him as the great and fearsome warrior for which he is most traditionally known. InBook 7, he challenges the Achaean troops to send their best warrior to confront him in a duel to the death. Hector's defiance partly illustrates his brazen and courageous attitude when it comes to fighting, and also shows that he desires fame and glory as much as the other warriors. Here we also discover how much the Greeks respect and fear his skills, as Homer writes: "A hushed silence ran through all the Achaean ranks, ashamed to refuse, afraid to take up his challenge..." (Iliad 7, 106-107 ). In the end, the Achaeans agree to draw lots among their best warriors to choose who will fight the mighty Hector, and Great Ajax is chosen and fights the man to a standstill. One of the functions of this scene is for Homer to establish Hector's prowess and fame on the battlefield, establishing him as equal to or better than all the great Greek warriors except Achilles. While there are many other Trojan warriors that Homer describes as brilliant, there are none that he truly places on the same level as the Greek heroes, with the exception of Hector. Of all the heroes of the poem, there is perhaps none who is as beloved by the king of Gods Zeus as Hector. It is Zeus who helps Hector rout the Achaeans in book 8 and lead them back to their ships. It is also Zeus' love for Hector that partly allows him, in book 14, to burn one of the Greek ships and threaten to end the war there. In all of these passages, Hector carries all before him, clearly towering over all other soldiers on the battlefield and striking the fear of death deep into the hearts and minds of the Greeks. But the real reason Zeus allows this is because it is the will of fate; he will let Hector and the Trojans push the Achaeans back to their ships only because it would force Achilles back into battle. From then on, the Trojans will be pushed back into the walls of Troy by Achilles, and their city will eventually fall. Hector knows that this is the fate of his city, but he has been too deceived by his own greatness and his own pride to accept it. The tragic elements of Hector's story begin to emerge with all their force; he fails to realize that he is merely an instrument of the gods and destiny, and this is what will ultimately lead to his downfall. This is understandable because Hector is too important a character to just lie down and accept the will of the gods. In this way, Homer perhaps shows Hector's humanity even more; we are all subject to forces beyond our control, but it is how we live our lives in the face of these forces that shapes our character and determines what kind of people we are. The Fall of Hector begins around the events of Book 16, in which Patroclus dons the armor of Achilles and sends the Myrmidons back into battle. Hector's pride and delusion begin to get the better of him in this book, as he kills Patroclus, strips him of his armor, and threatens to take his body back to Troy. Hector is unable to understand that it was the work of the gods that caused Patroclus' death, and his defiance is further manifested in the wearing of Achilles' armor and his threat to mutilate Patroclus' body. Homer foreshadows Hector's tragic fate; Hector has donned the armor of Achilles, a much greater fighter, and intends to bring Patroclus' body back to Troy to warn the Greek armies. In book 22, Hector will be slain by Achilles, who will then take his body back to the Achaean camps in retaliation for Patroclus' death. If Hector is a tragic hero, his tragic flaw would be his stubbornness in accepting the force of fate and his own delusional belief in a Trojan victory. But behind these flaws lie the works of human feelingsunderstandable; Hector does all of this because of his desire to protect Troy, his people, and his family. In Book 18, Hector makes a blatant error of judgment for which he and the Trojans will pay dearly. Instead of listening to Polydamas, who says that with the return of Achilles the Trojan army should return to its city where it is less dangerous, Hector stubbornly refuses to leave and keeps his army encamped on the ground, close to the forces Achaeans. Hector does not see that Achilles' fury will soon be unleashed and that this man's anger, previously directed against Agamemnon, will now be concentrated and carried on Hector's shoulders. Thousands of Trojan soldiers would soon perish because of Hector's mistake, which was partly caused by Hector's isolation from his comrades and reality. Hector cutting himself off from his peers, in a way, parallels Achilles' isolation from society. However, Achilles was fueled by his divine anger and by the offense to his pride; Hector has been blinded by the success Zeus has given him, and he is unwilling to give up hope that Troy can be saved from ruin. Hector's death in book 22 of The Iliad can be seen as the climax of the epic poem, further. illustrating the incredible importance that Hector's story has on the work. Hector alone, ready to meet Achilles before the gates of Troy, is one of the most symbolically significant events in the poem. Here, these two foils who serve as the main characters of the poem meet in an arena and battlefield distinct from simple war. Together, their encounter seems to take place beyond the simple physical world and exists on an artistic plane where two polar forces clash to determine the literary outcome of the poem. Before we meet Achilles, Homer gives us one last glimpse of Hector as a character. a son, while his two parents Priam and Hecuba beg him to take refuge behind the walls of Troy. But Hector cannot listen to their cries, as far greater forces compel him to stand and face Achilles2E. In one of the most brutally honest insights into his inner self, Hector debates what course of action he should take. He realizes that he alone is responsible for what happened, saying, "Now my army is ruined, because of my own reckless pride" (Iliad 22.124). The realization of this reinforces the tragic nature of Hector's fall. For one last time, Hector attempts to delay his own destiny by fleeing from Achilles when he first appears to him, allowing himself to be chased around the walls of Troy three times. It is only through Athena's trickery that Hector turns to his tormentor; perhaps proving that ultimately Hector is still reluctant to accept the course of life that fate has ordained for him2E. Although he does not want to accept his death, he faces it valiantly and heroically, and perhaps finally embraces it when he says: "My time has come! At last the gods have called me to death." (Iliad 22.350-351). But even in this acceptance, there are still hints of the strength of Hector's determination and his rebellion in the face of fate. Just before rushing to confront Achilles, Hector proudly proclaims: “Well, let me die, but not without struggle, not without glory…” (Iliad 22.359-360). Even in the face of his own demise, Hector stubbornly clings to the hope that he is stronger than the forces that control men's lives and that he may be able to kill Achilles and save Troy. Thus, his death at the hands of Achilles is the most moving and tragic of all the many deaths that occur in The Iliad. Hector's death effectively symbolizes the fate of Troy itself. Even if the war continues, Troy will soon be sacked and.