Hector and Achilles

The Iliad and Hector’s Motivation

The Iliad is an ancient and epic poem written by Homer who was a Greek poet. He wrote the poem around the 8th century about the Trojan War specifically the significant events surrounding the Greek overpowering the city of Troy. Book VI of the poem majorly talks about Hector providing even more details on him. This essay discusses some of the factors that motivated Hector to keep fighting and a comparison between him and Achilles.

Hector’s Determination and Motivation

Hector is one of the main warriors in the poem who has a very high determination in taking part in the war. His commitment is evident in the poem when Homer points out that even though Hector loved and cared for his family, he still went out to battle. He did so knowing that there were chances he could die in the war. Hector is motivated to keep fighting because he believes that it his fate to do so. He also understands that there is honor in fighting the war. Homer points out that fighting for honor is among the few things that Hector has in common with Achilles (Fagles and Knox 210). He compares and contrasts the two characters to bring out the differences in each. While Hector reunites with his family and shows them love, Achilles leads an alienated life in his tent away from people. Homer also adds that Hector is more humanly as compared to Achilles (Fagles and Knox 209). He uses the two characters to illustrate their different perspectives of the war.

The Return of Hector and Character Reflection

Book VI mainly focuses on the return of Hector to the war. Through the book, Homer gets the chance to reflect on the personal lives of the characters. He develops a tendency of giving a background to most of the slain soldiers to show the reader that even the soldiers have their own lives apart from the war. In so doing, he also dwells into much details on Hector’s family and compares him to Achilles, a fellow warrior as discussed above.

Works Cited

Fagles, Robert, and Knox, Bernard, eds. The Iliad. Vol. 20. Penguin, 1991.