Heroism in the Iliad

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  • Homeric Hero Values
    • Achilles
      • his prophecy
        • he knows he will die at Troy.
          • there is little point in receiving Ag's gifts in Book 9
        • given the opportunity to live a quiet life or die on the battlefield, winning eternal glory
      • being given treasure without winning it is not heroic
      • a highly skilled warrior, kills many people
      • I am the son of a great man, a goddess was my mother. Yet death and inexorable destiny are waiting for me
      • sacrificed 12 Trojans during Patroclus' funeral
      • Mutilating Hectors body and refusing to return it to the Trojans
    • Hector
      • More motivated to protect his country - duty
        • to not fight for Troy would be a worse honour
          • Book 22 - needs to face Achilles despite his parents begging him not to
          • Book 6 - Andromache begs him to not return to war - refuses
      • taking Patroclus' armour (Achilles)
      • a very skilful warrior, kills many people
      • running away from Achilles Book 22
    • Book 10
      • Diomedes and Odysseus are motivated by time and kleos
      • killing the Thracians as they slept is unheroic
    • Book 23
      • expensive prizes are handed out to the victors
        • eg Agamemnon given a long-shadowed spear and an unused cauldron in the spear contest
    • Paris
      • is rebuked by Hector for starting the war, but not properly participating in it
    • Agamemnon
      • motivated by the glory of defeating Troy
    • Diomedes
      • Diomedes, after being rebuked for not being as great as his father, goes on an aristeia (book 5)
  • Jenkyns: Disastrous error
  • Haubold: Impending doom becomes tangible
    • Hector is utterly isolated and for the first time he panics and runs for his life
  • Graziosi: wants to win glory for himself and his own father
  • Donlon: constantly forced to subordinate his own desire to the common good... he is not good enough to war off Troy's destruction but he hopes
  • Taplin: Hector loses, and yet still wins immortal fame

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