1. The Illiad
He is known as probably the fiercest warrior in the Trojan War. His notoriety on the battle field by itself makes him seem heroic by nature. The Greeks know with him on their side they have a better chance to win the war. Achilles being nearly invincible supplements the qualities of him being a hero because of the typical "larger than life " persona that goes along with being a hero. Courage is something all great heroes should have and Achilles has plenty. He never seems to back down from anything unless instructed to do so by the gods. He had the courage to stand up for his rights against Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek army. After Agamemnon decided to take his slave Bryseis, Instead of backing down from the king and submitting to the hierarchy, he argued for his rights and just about fought Agamemnon. Achilles even took his sword out, ready to fight Agamemnon, but wisdom granted by Athena prevented him from doing so. Instead, he played mind games with the king and fled to another Greek camp and refused to fight. This affected the Greek army deeply because Achilles was by far the best warrior to hit the battle field, and without him, they would surely struggle. This is where his connection to the gods comes in play as well. One, Athena is there to look after him, and two, he actually prays to his mother to have Zeus help the Trojans to get back at Agamemnon. This is not Achilles finest hour in being a hero for the Greeks. Being a hero, Achilles does tend to struggle with some flaws. He does not have control over his emotions and impulses. His rage and anger are what keep him from acting completely heroic. Yet, what this does do is provide a perfect set up to his grand reentrance into battle. He fights with great skill and eventually takes down Hector the prince of Troy, a step in the right direction in defeating the Trojans. The Greek people look on with great admiration to this man, he is their hero.
One of the more discerning features of the Aeneid is that unlike the Odyssey and the Illiad who focus primarily it's heroes (Achilles and Odysseus), the Aeneid focuses more on Rome rather than it's hero, Aeneas. ... In both of Homers epics, the Greek heroes receive some kind of reward. ... Virgil takes a similar situation from the Illiad and uses it in the Aeneid. ... It seems that Aeneas starts out as a "Greek-style" hero; impulsive, excessive and so on, but eventually becomes a model Roman hero. It can be symbolized as such when Aeneas kills Turnus, a Greek-style hero, thus kills t...
Both are heroes. ... These brave warriors are considered by many to be heroes, but they both have the same driving flaw. This flaw shared by many other heroes of the Illiad, is the reason I see these two men as cursed, not heroic. In the beginning of the Illiad, Agamemnon has been counseled by the seer to return the priests daughter to him at once. ... His stubborn pride will stay intact through out the majority of the Illiad. ...
Many ideas, phrases, and references from the story and the Illiad, such as the infamous Trojan Horse, are emulated in various cartoons and movies. The story tells about the travels of Odysseus, a war hero in the Trojan War. ... However, many readers of The Odyssey today often find themselves not seeing Odysseus as a hero at all, rather a "dishonest and arrogant" person. ... They still saw him as an intelligent, brave hero. ...
The Bronze Age of Ancient Greece, 1200-900 BCE, is often referred to as the Heroic Age or the Homeric Age because the literature of the times concerns itself with the larger-than-life exploits of bold-spirited and daring characters from The Illiad and The Odyssey such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Hector, to name a few. The term hero in classical times referred to a person great in stature or social rank who had great deeds of magnitude to his credit. ... The character in The Iliad who most exemplifies the Bronze Age hero is Achilleus. ... Achilleus is seen by all of his fellow Achaians and Myrm...
This is not unlike how the gods took sides choosing to help Homer or Achilles in the Illiad. ... And it is this glory which is earned through war, through fighting; by becoming a hero. The story depicted on Achilles" shield not only tells us a story about his life, but it declares a story of a hero. ... This shield, asserting all of the important aspects of mortal life, in fact serves to show us how the "mortal/immortal" code is preserved - the shield is telling us that with this armor (with this valor) I - a mortal - am declaring myself a hero and this honor will uphold the balance between mo...
THE DIFFERENTIATION OF TRAGIC HEROES: AN ESSAY IN COMPARISON OF HEROIC CODES There are many types of heroes, all of whom can be slotted neatly into categories by their respective characteristics. Typically, a tragic hero follows a code that relegates him to pursue justice, be arrogant in manner, and to conspire his plans with cleverness. The tragic hero must also posses a strong mind, a relentless nature, and a willingness to kill. However, occasionally one will come across a tragic hero who follows yet another type of code; that of Homer. ... Clytaemestra, Orestes, and Medea prove to...
Serving one's city in battle was considered a great honor and a means of becoming immortalized as a hero. ... Many epic poems such as The Illiad, and The Odyssey were also written, as well as historical accounts depicting the Persian Wars, and the Peloponnesian War. ... Instead, the only was to be remembered was to become a war hero, and be immortalized through song and stories. ... Do we not, still remember our "war heroes?" Is not The Illiad still read in our schools, portraying war itself as an artform? ...
Serving one's city in battle was considered a great honor and a means of becoming immortalized as a hero. ... Many epic poems such as The Illiad, and The Odyssey were also written, as well as historical accounts depicting the Persian Wars, and the Peloponnesian War. ... Instead, the only was to be remembered was to become a war hero, and be immortalized through song and stories. ... Do we not, still remember our "war heroes?" Is not The Illiad still read in our schools, portraying war itself as an artform? ...