Preview

Trojan War Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1165 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Trojan War Research Paper
Heroes of the Trojan War:

What is a hero really? Everyone has their own beliefs about what a hero is, but the beliefs greatly vary from each other. In the movie Troy for example, lots of people think that Achilles is a hero because he is such a great warrior. In reality though, someone needs to be a lot more than a great weapon-handler to be a hero. A hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. A hero is a person who is regarded as a model or ideal person; in the time of the Trojan War, that would have been a warrior or king of special strength, courage and ability. A hero puts others first, and sacrifices his own needs and wishes for the good of humanity. With that whole definition
…show more content…
He may not be a warrior sort of hero, but there is more than one type of hero in the world. Paris cared not for honoring his country by winning battles against fierce opponents. He was concerned with righteousness, honesty and being trustworthy. Paris seemed to be guided by his conscience. Most importantly though, was his passion; for after all, the Trojan War really broke out over a passion between him and Helen. Paris seemed to believe that everyone was good, that no one would cheat or lie in war. Paris was also naïve to a certain degree. Partway through the war, Paris is taken back by the gist of it all; that many men were dying because he and his love could not stand to be separated. That such a beautiful thing like love could start so terrible a war. It was an ugly end to a lovely beginning. Paris tries to admirably end the war right then by challenging Menelaus to send out his best warrior so that they can fight one-on-one. He didn't think about what would happen if he lost, he just tried to do what he thought was right. That's the way it always was with Paris. He did what he wanted and tried to bring honor to his family and country while he did it. If that didn't happen, it wasn't the end of the world, but he tried his best. Paris tried to justify his actions in the war, by telling himself that he is just protecting his family. That same justification led him to kill Achilles, the …show more content…
Patroclus didn't think about the odds or strategies. He thought about honor and dignity, about bravery and valor. Patroclus was loyal to the army, devoted to Greece and above all, brave. While Achilles lay in his tent moping over not being allowed to run the Greek army the way he wanted to, Patroclus disguised himself as Achilles and took over leading the army for him. Warriors of Ancient Greece could not face the perilous journey home without a chance of getting some honor and fame, and Patroclus gave them that chance, by leading them into battle. Patroclus realized that pride could be a strong motivator, and used it to his advantage. Patroclus knew that the Greeks were outnumbered and disadvantaged because they didn't know the land well. He realized that only with all the Greek soldiers could there be a chance of defeating the Trojans and Patroclus didn't want to see such shame of defeat fall onto Greece. He did the best he could for Greece and tried to bestow some honor on his fellow warriors at the same time. Patroclus was so loyal to his country that even when the fierce warrior and prince of Troy, Hector, started to fight him, he didn't admit defeat by saying that he wasn't actually Achilles. Instead, Patroclus fought on and bravely died a tragic death that wasn't meant for him. It's amazing actually how a man like Patroclus could have such a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    what exactly is a hero? Who can be classified as heroic? From my perspective a hero is not only someone who wears a cape, has superhuman strength, wears fancy clothes or someone who saves his lady from the bad guy; however he is someone who stands for strength, bravery, humbleness, justice and equality. I believe a hero is someone who truly intends to make the world a better place for all people. He stands for what he believes in even though he may encounter danger and obstacle. We often watch movies with action heroes fighting for a good cause, but these heroes cause us ignore the real life heroes such as Cesar Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cesar Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr are genuinely the definition of a hero.…

    • 398 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout history, there have been an incalculable number of heroes; that can be through reality or fictitious. From viewing the clips from this assignments and reading various articles regarding heroism, there are multiple aspects that determine exactly what a hero should be. In regards to the Spiderman video, Aunt May explains that a hero is someone that is courageous, self-sacrificing, and sets examples for others. Likewise, an article I read describes a hero as someone who is courageous, selfless, humble, patient, and caring. In my opinion, a hero is an individual who cares more about the life of others than themselves; they would do anything in their power to protect others as well as the world around them.…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Achilles was called a tragic hero because his flaw was to be selfish. A selfish person lacked consideration for others and was concerned with their own pleasure. In the Iliad, Achilles mostly cared about himself. For example, Agamemnon stole Achilles’ prize possession. For this reason, Achilles refused to join the war because he was angry with Agamemnon. Achilles stated, “But listen while I tell you exactly how I want things to be: ‘I want you to win me great honor and glory in the eyes of all Greeks, so that they give my lovely women back to me and…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    To play the terrifying and intimidating Achilles, Peterson was able get Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt. With casting Pitt, Peterson was able to really emphasis what was found in Achilles during the duration of the epic. Which is why Peterson giving Pitt an additional scene in the movie where it seems as if Achilles has emotions. In the film, Achilles is seen to be grieving the death of a valiant warrior, Hector. Despite that, in The Iliad, Achilles who slaughters Hector, is not seen demonstrating any kind of sensitivity towards the Trojan warrior's demise. The expansion of emotions to Achilles' character again gives the entire drama aspect to the theme of the film. It makes Achilles appear like one of us, rather than the fierce warrior he is really portrayed as in the epic. This gives the modern audience a kind of sensitivity towards Achilles, who has lost his cousin Patrocles and now he has slaughtered the prince of Troy, who like him, cherished his family. Helen was in the end taken by Menelaus, and Menelaus was not executed by Hector. By doing this Petersen gave the film a kind of good guy gets the girl sort feeling, as Paris is appeared to be honest and safe, despite the fact that he brought about the war. In the film he might be seen as a legend sort character, although in the epic, he is seen as an antagonist type of…

    • 2087 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The dictionary definition of a hero is “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Now, while all of this is true, a hero can be so much more. A hero can be someone who would risk himself for the better of humanity, get what they need need accomplished done well, be a great leader, know when to do the right thing, and be morally balanced and virtuous.…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Flaws In The Odyssey

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    He fought next to Achilles and won the Trojan war. His intentions of going home with his crew back to Ithaca was not evil, but his ego eventually took over. It was…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What is a hero? A hero is someone that helps others, that is selfless, kind, and many more things. A perfect example of a hero is Odysseus from the Odyssey. Odysseus has many characteristic that a hero would have. He was very clever. He was always coming up with unique ways to get through obstacle and to get what we wanted. One example of this is when he stabbed the cyclops in the eye while it was sleeping. Odysseus is also very caring. He would always care for his crew even they weren’t always the best crew or the smartest. He is also very strong. When he returned home he had to fight off all of the suitors for his wife so that he could prove to his wife that we was Odysseus and that he had returned from his very long journey. There are more…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What is a hero? A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In that case, Odysseus the protagonist of The Odyssey by Homer, is a hero He is loyal , compassionate and cunning.…

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The characters in The Iliad deal with many different forms of pride. Paris deals with a pride that makes him think he’s better than everybody else. This pride comes from both getting his way all the time and the lovely gifts Aphrodite gave him; the very gifts that have brought the two nations to war. When Paris fights with Menelaus, “Aphrodite snatched Paris away,/easy work for a god, wrapped him in swirls of mist/ and set him down in his…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What is a hero? A hero to me is a person who is brave, has a bunch of courage and knows right from wrong. You don’t have to have a mask or a suit to be a hero. A hero is willing to help a person at anytime. A hero can kill their enemy with kindness. For an example I believe Jackie Robinson is an incredible, life changing hero. He had been the first African American to play in the Major League Baseball. He had played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. They played him and they had ended racial segregation.…

    • 243 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What is a hero? A hero is someone who helps others in their time of need. A hero is someone who helps and tries to understand. A hero is brave and a modest person. So basically a hero is someone who loves. People’s definition of a hero is someone who has powers beyond our imagination but the truth is that there are heroes all around us.…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus As A Hero

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hero? What makes someone a hero? Well, the definition of a hero is : a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What is a hero? Many people have different definitions of what a hero can be for example Beowulf. In the story Beowulf, Beowulf the hero is described as a great fighter and a man of tremendous strength. In my opinion a hero is not what the story describes a hero as. my definition of a hero is a good person who does something nice or saves somebody. A hero can also be someone you look up too. The Hollywood's definition of a hero is way different than my definition of a hero their definition of a hero is somebody who saves lives, has supernatural powers and are always protagonist in the stories. Some traits a hero has to make him a hero are they are nice, brave, have powers, caring and are patient. My definition and Hollywood's definition of…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Troy

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Achilles and his Myrmidons do not fight the next day because of Agamemnon's unfair claim to Briseis. With Greeks surrounding Troy, Paris challenges Menelaus to a duel to settle things, using the Sword of Troy, his father claiming that the city's people have a future so long as…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Menelaus was not killed by Hector. In Iliad, he survived from war and returns to live with his retrieved wife Helen. The fight of Menelaus and Paris, in Troy, Helen portrayed happy because Paris was not killed but in Iliad, Helen was so disgusted with the cowardly he showed.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays