Greeks Didn't Realize

Greeks just enough for them to realize how important Achilles is to them. This behavior is not that of a hero, but of a spoiled and self absorbed brat. There isn't one redeeming quality about Achilles that a reader can latch on to and want to root for. The one action that finally signals the end of his selfish journey is the point where he releases Hector's battered body to Prium. This act, instead of being heroic, is nothing more than what should have been done to begin with. Although a soldier is under no obligation to return an enemy body to their family, the circumstances under which this situation occurred called for exactly that. In the end, the only thing that Achilles is able to conquer in The Iliad is his own wrath, which might be something to celebrate if he had not already hurt so many others. The abuse he inflicts on Hector alone is enough to erase any personal emotional triumph on the part of Achilles. Hector's actions, when compared with Achilles, prove that Hector was the hero of The Iliad. Hector says to his wife Andromoche just before leaving for battle, "Ð'...I would die of shame to face the men of Troy and the Trojan women trailing their long robes if I would shrink from battle now, a coward." This single sentence speaks volumes about Hector's honor and strength as a character. He would rather die than to be considered a coward. Whereas Achilles would rather be a coward, than die. Hector takes up the fight for his city and his nation because he is an honorable man who wants to fight beside his men, even though he knows it is a losing battle. It is a battle that they are already embroiled in and he is not about to turn away from it.

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