The Fall Of Hektor in The Illiad
Uploaded by bdogg on Apr 25, 2007
The Fall Of Hektor in The Illiad
A big question that on everyone’s mind while reading the Iliad is: “Who is the real hero of the epic?” There are so many possibilities and yet each of those characters has one sort of fault or another. I believe that Hektor is the real hero of the Iliad. He is the one character that stands out, to me, and shows qualities of being noble, wise and a true friend. Unfortunately heroes have their mistakes and downfall. I am here to explain why Hektor is one of the hero’s but not the main hero. He cannot be the main hero because of his errors, his downfall that lead to his death.
Hektor is the prince of Troy and son of Priam and Hekuba. He is the unquestionable commander of all the Trojan and allied forces. He is the greatest of the Trojan warriors and one of the noblest persons in the story. He is also viewed as the future king of Troy, and, as such, he already shows his responsibility to the community. This is a good example of the kleos he has; he already has a reputation and some sort of fame. He is always conscious of his duty and his responsibilities to his people and will not let his personal interests interfere, even with this he is still a dedicated and loving husband and father.
I think that Hektor is a great example of a hero in the Iliad in the beginning of the story. He is viewed as the future king of Troy and even now, as a prince, he already shows his responsibility in the community. Therefore, he is already loved and his reputation will last forever when he is crowned king. Hektor’s acceptance of social responsibilities marks him as the ideal Homeric man. When Homer tests the ideal norm, he finds that man is mortal and he has weaknesses despite his desire to follow the ideal.
When placed in an uncomfortable and untenable position Hektor stands fast to his virtue and morals. An example of Hektor’s concern for virtue is clear when he rebukes Paris for kidnapping Helen. Paris’s behavior places Hektor in a dilemma: it is socially necessary to protect Paris, but it is morally and socially correct to rebuke him. The heroic code binds Hektor into a very uncomfortable...