A Review Of The Great Commentaries: Achilles vs Hector (Research Paper Sample)

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Achilles vs Hector
A review of the great commentaries on the Iliad reveal that there are two central human subjects; Achilles and Hector. A number of questions have been raised with regard to the positions of the two warriors and whether either of the two is a hero in the poem or not. This essays reviews the lives and times of these two warriors, with special attention to the special events in the poem that would determine whether there is a tragic hero or not. As it turns out, however, the invocation to the poem puts it clear that Achilles is the hero (Mastin). When it comes to the determination as to whom between the two warriors is the tragic hero, however, the questions seems rather problematic, calling for a closer look before a resolution is made.
In order to determine whom the tragic hero is, the pursuant must set out some criteria that will be used to review the lives and times of both Achilles and Hector in order to give them a standing. Hector tries as much to prove himself as a hero through human aspects such as strength, bravery, courage and devotion. When analyzing the Iliad, however, it must be determined that the poem is full of arrogance, dishonesty, combat and to some extent, fidelity. In determining the hero in this poem, therefore, one must take into consideration the positive and negative human attributes that are deeply explored between the lines, before focusing on the individual attributes of the two warriors.
There are some similarities that define the two warriors, one of them being the aspect of arrogance. Irrespective of the fact that this is a negative attribute, one cannot dispute the basic assertion that they were and have always been recognized as great warriors. In the Achaean Militia, Achilles has been accorded some recognition as the strongest in combat because he bears some superhuman abilities and besides, he has a very close relationship with the gods (Mastin).
Hector on the other hand, is a fully mortal warrior that has validated himself as the greatest in the entire Troy, which of course is a tremendous achievement (Mastin). Hector is believed to have murdered Patroclus on suspicion that he was Achilles but this aspect alone does not make him the greatest warrior in the Iliad (Mastin). The two characters employ a different approach to the wars that they engage in and besides, their perception of death and violence is obviously different. Heroism is defined differently depending on the society and belief systems with which a person has been raised and this is one of the factors that makes it difficult to determine the tragic hero between the two characters in the poem.
In the Western heroic culture, however, Hector is recognized as the hero because of the mere fact that he is a fierce warrior (Englert). There are specific days in which no Trojan fighter that could not face him. At some point, Hector challenged the Greek Giant by the name Ajax, a day in which the two heroes traded blow for blow. As it unfolds, however, Hector is rather humane, an aspect that rates him below Achilles and therefore renders him subordinate (Englert). Unlike Achilles, this is the humble husband that compromises with his wife, responds to and respects his aging parents and expresses some tender love to his children. In Greek mythology, Hellen is the cause of the Great War but it has been recorded that Troy and Hector are the only people that show her some love and respect, an aspect that is rather human, but cowardly in the world of war.
While a greater proportion of the poem focuses on Hector, it has to be recognized that it is not entirely about him and this is one of the reasons why a few people have confused him for the hero in the poem (Englert). The Iliad is actually Achilles’ poem, highlighting the wrath that this great warrior develops after discovering that Hector had killed his closest friend-Patroclus. Achilles then goes around killing all the Trojans that he could, in order to avenge for the death of his greatest ally Patroclus (Englert). Humanity leaves this great warrior and it is recorded in the poem that he got rid of all the mercy that a human subject could bear. In one instance, a Trojan warrior holds Achilles’ knees, asking for forgiveness, something that he never heeds to. Instead, Achilles reiterates the fact that all people would die at some point in life and this particular day was the last for the Trojan warrior (Englert). On the basis of his murdering spree, the Scamander River becomes incensed because he has filed its waters with human blood and the banks with numerous bodies. In an attempt to cross the river, Scamander tries to drown the warrior but he crosses successfully and eventually murders Hector before his two parents.
As the poem denotes, Achil...