In The Iliad, the cultural ethos in Ancient Troy and Greece when it comes to being a warrior can be defined by looking at Hector. A humble, moral, and loyal individual, Hector always puts society's needs over his, which is the polar opposite of his brother, Paris. While in battle, Hector wards off many aggressors, fighting valiantly for the country that he holds dear to his heart. He doesn't see this as a way to get praise from his fellow countrymen, seeing it as a foolish way to defend his home. Hector rather fights simply for the fact that his home is in danger, and he must protect the ones he loves. When defending his country, Hector finds himself to be abandoned without his brother Paris by his side. Paris, the narcissistic counterpart of Hector, spends more time admiring himself in his battle garb rather than putting it to use. Hector seizes the opportunity to bombard Paris with insults, trying to motivate him to go out and fight with true honor, instead of just admiring himself and rely on others to do his will. The Homerian Hero is one of courage and moral fortitude, and Hector responds to this high expectation by making a commitment to be the best soldier he can be. Knowing that he has a lackadaisacal, unmotivated brother, Hector does not waste any time trying to bring Paris out of this pompous state and bring him down to a more grounded level. Out of love, Hector uses any means necessary to drive Paris into what is the right and just thing to do. By calling him an idiot, Hector doesn't intend to demean Paris' spirits, but to rather call Paris back to a reasonable level of conscience and realize what Troy really needs; an army that will not back down from the Greek elite, not a fair faced boy that did not do anything to try and save his country. Not only does Hector seem a like a strong leader in the battlefield, his constant presence in his homeland makes the reader believe that his is also a big family man. Not only does the Homerian Hero show bravery and morality, he also shows love to the ones who he holds dear to his heart; his family and his country is what he really cares about and stays loyal to; nothing can coerce him to leave his family and friends, making him another embodiment of what being a true hero is, and will be till the end of time. Many soldiers who go off to battle are men who do not think of their families back home; they like to revel in the fact that they are away from their wives, and that whatever actions they commit happen without negative
consequences. Hector, however, does not see this as an excuse to do whatever his heart desires; his decision to make the commitment of marriage makes Hector see it as a challenge; although fighting mostly in the City of Troy, Hector never makes any excuse for the consequences of wrongdoings. Although most people praise him for the things that he has done and will do, everyone knows that no one is perfect. Hector makes his fair share of mistakes, but never lets them define who he is as an individual; he learns from those slip ups, and continues on the path to be a better man for his wife and his country. Many people find Hector's commitment to what he does as overwhelming and obsessive. Hector does not use this fiery spirit as a way to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, but to rather set a standard for others to follow, making Hector a character in theiliad who is one to respond dutifully to the desires of the city of Troy; to find a man who is of valor and courage, who will do anything it takes to make his city prosper. ---------------------------------------------------- Hellen of Troy is the most pitiful character in the entire story because her situation is so inescapable. Unlike say Achilles or Paris, who oppose the will of the majority on purpose so as to further their own vanity, ego, and glorified self-mythos, Hellen was forced into her opposition. Unlike in abrahamic religious narratives, hellenistic religious stories don't really care if the will of the gods is for good reason. More often than not, the gods are selfish and do things just to hurt people at a whim and Hellen is the ultimate example of this sad trope. Hellen is opposed against her will and she's attracted to a man that is not her 'love' nor her husband. Because of her pitiful state, large-scale death and violence will reside on her mantle for eternity simply because she exists. It's never a formal 'force' that makes her leave Sparta; she was not raped (in tradition of greeks patriarchal hierarchy) and she wasn't exactly kidnapped either, yet she doesn't want to be were she ends up when she's sitting behind Trojan walls while a battle wages outside. Her abandoning of her husband and her people, the aforementioned 'opposition' to the majority in
the posed, is not what she wants. While we are not allowed an intimate portrait of Hellen, we know enough of her feelings on the subject from the scene in Book VI were she speaks to Hector. The first time she's allowed to speak her peace on the matter, her tone is shockingly unhappy for her position. Clearly for her, there is no flattering peace in being 'the faced that launched a thousand ships.' She is one of the rare few instances were someone was truly 'stolen' in the colloquial sense we use it today. Her role in the entire affair is thrust upon her by Venus's dark dealings with Paris. Because of this, her hand is forced and her existence is objectified further as she becomes a treasure that the Greeks demand to take back. Stolen as she is -- not against her will but not as she pleases either -- she's forced into a touch position when looking at the war. She has friends on no sides. Her new lover is insipid, both of her 'peoples' see her as a curse, and she still has no choices. When describing her as 'woe-was-me' people are right... her woe is entirely justified. Maybe she's a self-pitying character, but she deserves to be as she has had no choice in any step of this process even though the blame is being planted squarely on her back. Further, she might be one of the few character's who actually contains some form of self-awareness. This all leads back to her very important conversation with Hector. Their exchange is short, but truly revealing, as it begins with coy flirtation when she invites Hector to "sit on her chair." While not really an innuendo, it has undertones to it that are taken further when Hellen later refers to 'her and Hector's glory,' while casting Paris and Troy off as some form of tragedy. When looking at this light seduction, one must take into consideration what Hellen is used to as a spartan woman. She is raised to be attracted to strong, warrior men and she herself is raised to be a strong, self-serving woman. Yet the gods doing has forced her to accept a weak, vain, immature boy, former prince, who is entirely not what her values want. On the other hand, Hector fits quite well the spartan standard she knows as Hector is the best warrior among the Trojans. He has valor and honor and he's a rightful Prince; if
anyone should have been able to 'steal' Hellen's heart, it is Hector. Only the supernatural (or divine rather) that would somehow cast her off to be Paris's newest, problematic accessory. Another telling part though, one that is far more central to her status as lone, is that she seems to indicate to Hector that she knows good and well that the situation they've been forced into is hopeless. Trojan tragedy is on the Horizon and no one knows this as well as Hellen as she was once part of the Greek Tribe in the first place. The Trojans have no concept of the politics behind this spectacle, but Hellen does, as the men sending off so many soldiers to die are her proper in-laws. She understands their ruthlessness and she knows their secret weapons... she is fully aware that the Trojan doomsday has arrived. Strangely, we discover, so does Hector. Their is a certain restrained empathy they show one another in this short exchange, but both knows the hopelessness of it all. They're dealing with the will of the gods, no matter what they try, human actions cannot stop what has been predestined. Then Hector leaves, because he has his own family and responsibilities to deal with and so does our honest moment with Hellen, the catalyst to these terrible events. Left with the stark reality of a loser husband competing against her vicious and vengeful former husband, she most likely slips back into her own sort of sadness that she's resigned in for some time. It must be difficult for her to not have the one she wants, especially considering her supreme beauty that is often highlighted. Hector is a highly moralistic man and a driven one, so he'd never given in to her wiles. But Hellen is not a temptress. Hellen is just a woman trying to make it out alive. And as any survivor, she will have to claw her way to the top of the heap no matter the implications. It gives her a pass to not worry about the soulful fears of men. She is her own warrior-ess. Beyond that point -- her absolution due to her status as soldier championing her very own right to existence -- she also can ignore moral/ethical implications because that implies that what she's been forced into is of the work of man and clearly it isn't. The gods have no concepts of these philosophical ideals because they face no backlash for crossing them. They do as they please in the same way the men of this play do as they please with the body and
identity of Hellen of Troy. She is a rag-doll to the kings, an easy scape-goat, that cannot defend herself. She has no one. Her opposition is everyone. Unlike any other character in this play, she is most heroic due to the fact that she must stand entirely on her own. Achilles has his men to back him up and Paris has Priam, but what of Hellen? Truly, she stands alone. It is Hellen against the world and she must do everything in her power to keep herself alive. Her plight is unique; her rejection of the majority isn't ever by choice. Detested by Greek and Trojan alike, she is a pawn in a greater game, but unlike all the other pawns of that war that we celebrate, she actually stays alive to rule another day. -------------------------- Achilles exists in a world where he is the epitome of manliness, perfection. He is as close as a human can be to godliness. His invincibility and incredible strength are almost unreal in their awesomeness. Achilles' condition makes him think he is greater and better than any other man. His confidence in himself also negatively affects his friends, instilling in them the same false confidence. For a long time, Achilles is relatively unchallenged, but his pride is ultimately his downfall. Achilles' pride in his god-like abilities and physical superiority create in his mind an unrealistic view of the world. Achilles sees most other men as lesser beings. His unmatched strength defines his personality, making him feel self-righteous and more entitled than others. Achilles is not quiet or humble about the place which he believes he deserves in society. As a virtual demigod, Achilles asserts his authority often throughout the epic. He takes a position of authority in many situations with his comrades. Many other characters, while sometimes annoyed by Achilles' commanding attitude, have no choice but to comply with his demands because of his elevated status. Achilles, usually unchallenged by friends or enemies, is egotistical and prideful.
Achilles' belief and overzealous pride in his invincibility cause his friends and comrades to share in his confidence that he can never be harmed. This confidence causes incredulity and disbelief among Achilles' comrades when Achilles dies. His literal weakness is his heel, but his character flaw is his overbearing pride. The effect of this pride on Achilles and his friends is a false sense of confidence, making his death a much greater loss than that of anyone else. Achilles, emboldened with an overbearing false confidence, never considers the possibility of failure. His divine image of himself defines his personality and negatively affects the people around him. Achilles' character flaw ultimately makes his death more devastating for his comrades.