The Character Analysis of Hector in Homer's Iliad Essay Example

In literary discourse, the Trojan prince Hector is often under-represented because Achilles fits the version of the brazen hero better, but on a more in-depth analysis, the Trojan Hector is as much a hero as his enemy Achilles. Both men are respectable warriors but in the Iliad Achilles is more god than man although that changes as the story progresses. Hector is more relatable than Achilles. If Achilles is great, it is because his mother was a goddess. However, Hector is mortal so his feats in battle and leadership ought to be lauded more than Achille's. Hector is a more all-round complete hero than Achilles because he achieved a lot with so much less.

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Hector is a responsible father. He prays to Zeus to bless his son so that he may become a great warrior and even surpass him. "And may men say he is far better than his father / When he returns from war, bearing bloody spoils" (VI.ll.503-504). At the time of the ten-year war, the men were expected to fight for their kings. Princes Hector proves his worth not by his claims to royalty, but by his face courage in the battlefield and ability to kill thousands of enemy soldiers. He similarly raises his son; to want to be a pride of Troy and a servant to the King first and foremost. Hector prays to Zeus not to protect his son in the battlefield, so that he may return home but rather for Zeus to make his son a great warrior, more magnificent than his father. While sending a son to war may not be a clear sign of a responsible father, praying that he achieves more than his father, shows Hector is a good father.

Even facing a potentially fatal encounter with Achilles, Hector proves that he is utterly fearless: "If Achilles really has risen up again / And wants to come out, he'll find it tough going, / For I will be there... / Am not retreating" (XVIII.ll.306-30). Up to this point, Achilles has never lost a battle. Everyone he has faced has been sent down to Hades. Facing Achilles in battle is akin to sure death. Hector knows this. His Trojan warriors know this; hence as they retreat he makes the courageous proclamation that he is no coward. He proclaims that even if he may die, he will give Achilles a hard time killing him. Hector's courage is borrowed a lot from the need to be respected by his fellow men, Trojan and Grecian alike. He hates the fact that Achilles' name holds more weight than his on the battlefield. The words he utters, "Am not retreating," is a defiance to the supposed pre-eminence of Achilles.

He may act fearless, but Hector is also very sensible in battle. "And when Hector saw it [Achilles' closing in] he lost his nerve, / Panicked and ran..." (XXII.ll. 155-156). Hector had to run away from Achilles after having an internal dialogue with himself. In this manner, he is sensible. He carries around the reputation of being the most fearless and courageous Trojan warrior, but he is a mortal all the same. There is no sense in facing Achilles on a duel to the death. Hector is a family man- his son still needs him. His running is not cowardice at all; rather it is sensibility. On second thought, an honorable death while acceptable to many is not enough for Hector. Hector avoids engaging with Achilles on a one on one combat to consider other options on how to defeat the Greek hero.

Hector is a very spiritual (religious) but that makes him gullible to the whims of the gods. The whole Trojan War in the Iliad starts with an argument among three goddesses: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. The human beings, Achilles and Hector are mere pawns on the chessboard in the grand scheme of things. Hector prays to Zeus a lot- to make his son a great warrior and to deliver the Trojans victory in the war. However, the gods keep meddling in the war, in trying to influence the outcome. Athena shapeshifts into the form of Hector's brother Deiphobus for Hector to stand his ground and fight Achilles. The goddess of hunting dupes Hector that he is facing Achilles together with Deiphobus, so that her chosen hero Achilles may win for her. Hector meets Achilles at last and, dying; he realizes Athena fooled him. As he dies, Hector reflects that his life is composed of a myriad of accomplishments: "I will not perish without some great deed / That future generations will remember" (XXII.ll .256-400). Hence, another hero dies to fulfill the wishes of a meddling deity. Hector's encounter with Athena, an subsequent death, exposes the childish nature of the gods and goddesses- they are even more human (with jealousies, anger, rivalries) than the humans.

Hector is a very honorable man. First, loyalty to family made him fight the Greeks for nine years before he set the duel to the death between Paris and Menelaus to end the war and decide who should have Helen. He was willing to sacrifice his brother to save the city- Paris, on the other hand, is not as selfless as he runs away from the fight, hence making the war continue. Hector, for all his weaknesses, succeeds in his wish to be an immortal. The death of Hector signaled the end of the ten-year Trojan war. In that respect, willingly or not, Hector became a martyr for the war. Even Achilles after killing Hector lost his appetite for killing Trojans. Hector's endurance and loyalty to Troy earn him this honor. He becomes an immortal not by avoiding death and living in perpetuity like the gods, but by being forever remembered in song and stories.

Conclusion

After his death, the people of Troy mourn him with a hero's funeral matching his deeds in life. Andromache, Hecuba, and Helen cannot contain their tears. They have lost a husband, warrior, brother and steadfast subject of Troy. Hector's unique character is often forgotten especially when people take it at face value that he must have been a coward when he ran away from Achilles. In the Iliad, Hector is an understated statesman, a family man, a warrior, and a strategist. He is much more than just a hero, and that is what sets him apart from Achilles. Achilles has no cause in the war until Hector kills his cousin Patroclus, and even then, he fights for revenge: to kill Hector and the princes of Troy so that he may have his vengeance for Patroclus. Just like the gods, the motivation for Achilles in the war is childish. Hector is much more mature and relatable to other people, hence overall he is the complete hero in the Iliad.