Heroic Code in the Iliad and the Odyssey :: essays research papers

In Websters Dictionary, a hero is defined as a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose, in particular if this individual has risked or sacrificed his life. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, the reckon which administers the conduct of the Homeric heroes is a straightforward idea. The aim of every hero is to achieve honor. Throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey, disparate characters take on the role of a hero. Honor is essential to the Homeric heroes, so much that life would be meaningless without it. Thus, honor is more than important than life itself.Throughout the Iliad, lofty characters make decisions based on a specific set of principles, which are referred to as the code of honor. The heroic code that Homer presents to readers is easy to recognize be perk up the heroic code is the cause for many of the events that take place, but many of the characters have different perceptions of how passing the code should be regarded. Hector, the greatest of the Trojan warrio rs, begins the poem as a model for a hero. His dedication and firm belief in the code of honor is described many times throughout the course of the Iliad. As a reward for heroic traits in battle, prizes were sometimes awarded to victors of war. In defend 1 Achilles receives Chryseis as a prize and a symbol of honor. courage had its rewards and its setbacks which ultimately was the backbone of the Illiad in the case of Achilles prize. Hector, arguably the greatest Trojan warrior or even the bravest of the Homeric heroes is very fierce and dates for what he believes is his destiny. In book VI Hector expresses his bravery when Andromache pleads with Hector not to fight when Hector says, But I would die of shame to face the hands of Troy and the Trojan woman trailing their long robes if I would cut down from battle now, a coward. Nor does the sprit urge me on that way. Ive learned it only too well. To stand up bravely, al shipway to fight in the earlier ranks of Trojan soldiers, winning my father great glory, glory for myself (VI, 387). Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, is portrayed as a hero in some ways but, on the other hand, performs some controversial acts in the Iliad. Throughout the broad(a) Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent subsequently Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis.