Hector and Achilles; the proud leaders of the Greeks and the Trojans dominate the battle field throughout The Iliad. Hector wins people's hearts, he is brave, strong, he cares for his family, he protects his people, and he leads his soldiers into battle! Achilles, on the other hand, is a cry baby, he stays in a corner when Agamemnon steals his slave girl and causes countless deaths on the Greek side. How can one argue that Achilles is a better leader when he acts so childish? To provide a base to my argument I will bring in some examples: Caesar: he conquered much of Gaul and Alexander the Great: he defeated the mighty Persian Empire. What do each of these leaders have in common? They won. A good leader will win, because at the end, winning is all that matters.
"You will wander the underworld blind, deaf, and dumb, and all the dead will know, this is Hector, the fool who thought he killed Achilles."
As can be seen, Hector, the Trojans greatest hero, lost and brought only loss to the Trojans in the end. A great leader is one that is not idealized by people who care too much about 'kindness' and 'honor,' but the one who 'brings home the bread'. Achilles only had one part of his body that was subject to wound, which was his ankle. As his ankle was the only part not dipped into the River Styx by Thetis, his Mother. Eventually, that would prove weary when he would soon be shot by an arrow of Paris’ bow to be killed. Achilles does not give up. As a soldier does when he is shipped to war, he will achieve his goal of killing the enemy and bringing safety to those back home. As Patroclus was killed in war while wearing the armor of Achilles, Achilles changed his mind about the war and went back in. He was determined to find Hector. He did, wielding a spear and the armor of his enemy. As this was taunting and malicious behavior, it was also a death trap. The only person who knew the openings in the armor was Achilles. Coincidentally that was the place that Achilles attacked after Hector missed his thrown spear upon Achilles. He beat him, he killed the great and almighty Hector! As for winning, Achilles won. There is no question. Obviously Hector dies first, and Achilles does in fact, die, but he accomplished what he meant to all along. He wanted his people safe and the murderer Hector out of the question. Achilles reassured his people and his family while killing the commander of the Trojans. Sadly he was put down later on by an unlucky arrow, but his legacy lives on. He did more in his life than many warriors, and heroes’ dream of accomplishing.
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