The Iliad of Homer :: essays research papers

The Iliad Outline &explain the qualities of a Homeric Hero. Who best fits the bill? Why?The Homeric hero strives to be the best among his peers. His goal is to achieve the superior glory in raise to earn the highest honor from his peers, his commander, and finally from his warrior society. He strives for excellence in especial(a) areas of human behavior, such behaviors are strength, skill, and determination. These are necessary on the both(prenominal) the athletic and battlefields, it is known as the idea of arete.The Homeric hero resolve his own arete by what his warrior society thinks of him. How well the Homeric hero willing be remembered and honored is determined upon how well he fights, how his heroic rigourousness is, and how well he faces death. He feels that societys attitude towards him is much important than is own attitude. He chooses to act in a stylus that will make him acquire public approval that he involve in station to have self-esteem.The greatest insult to a Homeric hero is to with hold the honor that he has earned. He is completely burst when honor is denied him. The honor that he would not have get togetherd would be from a battle, not receiving an appropriate impressive prize, or being judged a loser in a competition he should have won. The highest and more or less honored prize is called the prize of honor. In the Iliad this prize is the most attractive, intelligent, and delicate female captive. The most absolute honor is everlasting fame. It is the only for of immortality that a mortal can acquire. This places the Homeric hero lower than the gods, but high than the ordinary man.Achilles, Hector, Agamemnon, and Patroclus are considered Homeric heroes. Achilles acted childish when he did not receive the appropriate prize. He said, you threaten to take away my prize of honor, which I earned and which the Greeks gave to me. Whenever I sack a town, my prize is never as great as yours, even though I am the greatest Greek fight er. Even so, my small prize is my own. So now I will return to my homeland. I refuse to stay here, dishonored, in order to win greater wealth for you He is upset that he did not receive a great prize as Agamemnon did. Achilles had worked so demanding to earn a prize and Agamemnon had taken the credit for it and gotten the better