Bonus Blog

Hector: my Hero

Hero is defined as stated in the free Merriam-Webster dictionary online are as follows:

a) a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability;

 b) an illustrious warrior

c) a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities

d) one that shows great courage

e) the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work 
f) the central figure in an event, period, or movement

Words synonymous to heroes are: gods, icons, martyr, exemplar, saints, demigod, and idol.  One is considered a hero if he or she has shown great courage and bravery. More often than not, those jobs that are prone to death like policemen and soldiers are awarded Medal of Valour for their endeavour.

            What is heroism? Based on the freedictionary.com, the meaning of heroism is as follows:

a)      the qualities of a hero or heroine; and

b)      exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger (especially in battle).

Words synonymous to heroism are: gallantry, valour, bravery, courageousness, and valiancy.

           

            Who do we consider heroes in the epic Iliad? What qualities of the characters can we approve of so that we can say that the character is indeed a hero because of his heroism?

            Many might say that Achilles is the hero of the story. He was indeed a fighter but he fought for himself and not for others.  A hero is not a hero for himself. He must be the hero of the masses. To become a hero, others should see you as one. Achilles is self-serving and had the aid of the gods and goddesses.

            I considered Hector as the hero of the epic. He exuded courage, love and responsibility. The war commenced because of his brother’s affair with Helen but he fought his best to serve his men and his family. Though he showed weakness and fear when Achilles rejoined the Achaean army after Patroclus’ death, he chose to face him head on. Even if he knew that Achilles was the better fighter, he fought him courageously. Though death was looming, he faced the consequences of his actions. His heart made him the hero in my opinion. His selflessness was the convincing factor.

Patroclus: How things fared after the change

The event that I would like to change is that of the circumstance of Patroclus. I would like to change some series of events that led to the death of Patroclus. In doing so, the rest of the story will have alterations, both major and minor. What happened to Achilles, Hector, and Patroclus will somehow be affected by this change.

            Patroclus is the closest friend of Achilles. His death brought about great rage and insurmountable grief in Achilles. There was a hearsay that this was because Patroclus is the lover of Achilles. It was never proven. It was not known if the intention of Homer was to insinuate this but even Plato’s Symposium believed that Achilles and Patroclus were, indeed, lovers. With these ideas in mind, we can understand why Achilles behaved that way. If you saw your loved one died in front of you, won’t you feel rage and madness just like Achilles? If we change the cause of Patroclus death, will Achilles feel the same rage he had with Hector and the Trojans?

            In my chapter zero, Patroclus was able to convince Achilles to fight the Trojans. He was able to persuade him that it is just right to fight them, and that the Achaeans will lose without him. Knowing Achilles has great pride, He was able to persuade that he needs him by his side. Patroclus died fighting alongside Achilles. Achilles’ rage was not focused on Hector. He was enraged with the Trojans.  Losing one’s love can make you do things incomprehensible. His great strength and fury made him kill and kill. He was bloodthirsty. He eventually killed Hector but did not defame the body. He did not drag Hector’s body out of rage. He eventually agreed to give up the body after both camp agreed to a truce. King Priam was able to give his son, Hector, a proper burial.

            You may ask, what happened after that?  Achilles had forged his new alliance with King Agamemnon and fought to the very end. The Trojans met their downfall.

              

Agamemnon: the bull-headed king

Stubbornness is a quality that is often represented by the bull. It means tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield.  The word bull-headed means foolishly or irrationally stubborn; headstrong.  Fact is the head of the bull is extremely hard and strong.

It is one quality that King Agamemnon exuded and exceeded. In the first five books of Iliad, Homer illustrated Agamemnon as someone who only wants his own way.  Though it may be regarded as selfishness and overbearing, his position entitled him to be so.  It was like --his way or the high way. When Achilles and King Agamemnon had an argument regarding Briseis and Chryseis, their war prizes, Achilles didn’t want to give up his prize for Agamemnon.  Achilles reasoning was Agamemnon had his prize and he gave it up, why should he put up with his loss?  It was Agamemnon’s decision to give it up not Achilles’. Also, He doesn’t heed his people, even if they have grown weary to fighting since it has been nine years already since the war started,  he even trick them into going into battle knowing full well that it was not his intention to flee the war. He was really a stubborn, mean and self-serving person.

 

At present, I can compare Agamemnon to our politicians. Most of the politicians I read and know are self-serving and stubborn to hear the qualms and needs of the people. They only think of how to get more and give little service to people. It is very rare that our politicians are really serving the people. Most have hidden agendas and black propaganda. And likened to Agamemnon, some of our politicians have shady past and horrific climb to power. A good example is the Ampatuans. They are a stubborn lot. Killing people didn’t mean anything to them just so they can stay in power. That is wrong.

                                                                                                            

Patroclus, is he noble or not?

The bone of contention is proving that Patroclus was a noble comrade and warrior. Patroclus was portrayed by Homer in Iliad as a very close friend of Achilles.  He was indeed a noble comrade and a warrior. He was ready to fight in battle. In the book, Patroclus tried his best to convince Achilles to help them fight the Trojans. The Greeks were losing many brave warriors. Most of their best soldiers were wounded. He knew that Achilles will be able to lead the army being the best but his effort was futile. He wasn’t able to persuade Achilles to fight but convinced him to allow him to wear his armour. Achilles consented. He led the Myrmidon army with renewed courage. The Trojan thought that Patroclus was indeed Achilles. Dressing up as Achilles is noble because he did not think of his own glory but he wanted to inspire the army even as Achilles.

Achilles ordered Patroclus to return to him after he led the army to walls of Trojan. He advised him not to fight the Trojans without him but Patroclus did not heed his advice. He fought along with the Myrmidon until his death. Fighting for the glory of King Agamemnon is noble. Fighting not for himself but for his comrades is noble. He also motivated his comrades during their fight. One example was when he said to his comrade: “Words are potent in debate; deeds in war decide your fate. Then don’t go piling up words but fight!” He indeed was ready to fight whoever comes his way.

Are the Gods just and wise? or prejudiced?

The Ancient Greeks believed that their gods are wise and just, but in the books 7-11, it is otherwise. The gods were not just. The gods, Athena and Apollo, proved to be favoring sides.  If one is favoring or leaning one side or sector, this is not just. What is just? Just means one is guided by truth, reason, justice and fairness. Just is something done or made according to principle; equitable and proper. Other words associated to just are: equal, nondiscrimatory, nonpartisan and objective. If the gods are favoring the Trojans than the Achaians, then, this is not a just act. There is one instance that even the gods were able to forewarn Hector that fighting the Achaians will not lead to his death. The idea of not getting killed made him stronger and fearless for he believed the gods. Another instance was when Hector was fighting Ajax and Hector was hurt by the latter. Appollo immediately helped Hector to stand up. Zeus also asked the herald of both side to stopped the fight. His reason was it was nightfall but it seemed that he favored Hector. Also, there was once instance that Zeus really favored the Trojans by showering the Achaians army with lightning.  Athena and Hera were favoring the Achaians but Zeus prevented them. What is wise? Wise means having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion. The gods were wise because they heed the call of Zeus that if they overruled Zeus' call to interfere, they will be punished.  Zeus is the most powerful god and the other gods respected this. They did not interfere with the will of Zeus.