The epic Iliad focuses primarily on heroes seeking glory within the Trojan and Akhaian ranks, depicting their various attempts to immortalize themselves by achieving honor. Interestingly, although all heroes possess the same aspiration for glory, there are quite obvious differences in the way they behave, as well as their motivations for seeking acclaim. While one is driven by his own interest, another throws himself into battle to protect his family; Homer makes it clear to the reader that each hero seeks honor differently for unique reasons. The great variance among heroes ultimately begs the question: Does Homer believe there are objectively superior ways of being a hero? This article argues, based on the discussion of the actions of Hector and Agamemnon, that Homer demonstrates that there are indeed specific heroic traits, such as selflessness, that heroes should aspire to possess in order to receive the greatest possible glory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To start, a hero's life is all about one thing: achieving and maintaining glory. Homer's heroes constantly live under the shadow of the threat of disgrace, meaning that heroes must always be ready to avoid being dishonored, even through a painful death in battle. To avoid being scorned by those around them, heroes are expected to put aside their personal feelings on matters, following the wishes of those around them rather than their own to safeguard their fragile reputations. For example, Hector respects this principle when he visits his beloved wife and son in book 6, remaining adamant about returning to battle for honor. While Hector's wife, Andromache, tearfully laments her husband's imminent ruin if he enters battle again, Hector "...caresses..." (Iliad, VI, 564) and orders her to "... do not be too distressed by the thought of Hector" (Iliad, VI, 566-567), since "...no mortal... can escape his fate, vile or courageous, once he becomes" (Iliad, VI, 568-569 ) Hektor evidently loves his wife and son very much, but regardless of the fact that he would probably prefer to live a long life with the two in peace, Hektor understands that his duty as a hero calls him to put himself in danger on the battlefield. Regardless of his personal feelings about separating from his family, Hector must follow his community's demand to stand alongside the other men of Troy to defend their walled city with their lives. Hector once again leaves his fate in the hands of the Gods when he agrees to fight the "greatest of the Achaeans" to the death (Iliad, VII, 57), potentially endangering himself to obtain "an honor... which will never pass ”. (Iliad, VII, 104-105). While it is true that Hector was told that he would not die in combat, Hector nevertheless put himself in harm's way for honor, ignoring any personal fears of harm or death for the sake of glory. Aganon also demonstrates the idea of ​​making one's personal feelings secondary when confronted by Nestor in book 9, who clearly tells Agamemnon of his mistake in "...dishonoring Achilles" (Iliad, IX, 130), advising Agamemnon to "make peace with him with friendly gifts and affectionate words" (Iliad, IX, 134-135). Agamemnon, despite probably harboring feelings of anger towards Achilles, agrees to Nestor's wise idea, thus putting the will of the community before his own. In another case, after hearing that the battle was going badly for the Akkadians, Agamemnonhe suggests retreating, which would have led the Trojans to achieve victory (Iliad, XIV, 73-91). Odysseus is disgusted by Agamemenon's weakness, rebuking the cowardly idea, provoking Agamemon to retract it (Iliad, XIV, 101-119). Agamemon absolutely does not want to stay for what could be a massacre for him and his men, but he does so, submitting to the commands of the other Akki leaders. Within these four examples, Homer states the idea that a hero's personal desires and emotions must submit to the desires of the community, as disobedience leads to dishonor. A hero does not have to live for himself; it's at the center of a much bigger cause than that. Contrary to Agamemenon and Odysseus, it could be argued that Achilles does not conform to this aforementioned heroic quality, as Achilles is emotionally driven without regard for others throughout the story. It is true that his anger greatly influences his actions; however, the outcome of his actions is still in line with his peers' common goal of defeating the Trojans. Not a single warrior opposes Achilles' return to battle, even though the return is motivated by revenge for the death of Patrocus. Furthermore, Achilles presents a certain degree of altruism with his reappearance, as he knows that in avenging Patrocus' death and fighting the Trojans, he will be doomed. However, as God-like as the heroes are portrayed, they are ultimately only human, and therefore susceptible to error. Mistakes arise when a hero chooses to make his feelings and opinions the primary arbiter of his actions, directly disobeying the characteristic discussed in the first paragraph: the idea that heroes are expected to put the desires of their community over above their own. From this disorderly action chaos always arises, and Homer clearly demonstrates that glory cannot be achieved until the error is corrected. An example of this is when Agamemnon, blinded by pride, insults Achilles by stealing Achilles' war booty, Breisis, which Achilles takes care of. He is advised against this decision twice, once by Nestor and once by Achilles: "Let the girl go." , in the name of God, now; we will make it up to you... (Iliad, I, 150-151), but Agamemnon, in his pride, refuses to retract his claim on Achilles' girlfriend. Achilles even threatens to leave, which only leads Aganon to taunt him "Desert, if the wind blows like this... others will honor me" (Iliad, 1, 201-203), despite knowing that Achilles is essential to the success of the Akkesi . Trampling on Achilles' honor, Agamemnon subjects the akkhao army to more deaths than was ever necessary, seemingly nearly losing the war in the final books of the epic. Hector acts similarly to Agamemnon later in the story, allowing his pride to get the better of him. him when he orders the Trojans to camp outside the walls, directly ignoring the request of the wiser Poulydamas to cancel that plan. In this case Hector acts exclusively on the basis of his own desires, demonstrated when he harshly tells Polydamas that "what you propose is no longer useful for my turn" (Iliad, XVIII, 330-331). Hector's ignorance is what leads him to almost lose his honor, dishonored by his community for having led the Trojans to a bloody defeat. With these examples, Homer exemplifies the idea that heroes cannot act on their own initiative, because the hero's honor will be threatened and lives will be lost needlessly. When heroes make mistakes, Homer makes it clear that glory can be achieved again. restored on one condition: the acceptance of guilt and the awareness that the hero must make amends by correcting the mistake. Prolonging repentance only leads to continued failure for the hero; heroes must take on the.