Who Is Hector A Hero

In The Iliad, by Homer, being heroic is a quality that every male is supposed to display. As a result, many characters are portrayed as heroic, but of them all, Prince Hector of Troy is the most. Not only is that based claim based on the Homeric beliefs at that time, but it is also reflected in today’s views on what heroes are to us. Hector is overall the most heroic character based on how he holds fast to the Homeric code and his values in war, is represented as a human who has flaws yet overcomes them, is a fierce and powerful warrior, and Homer portrays him positively in the epithets that have been written about him. Based on how Hector holds fast to the Homeric codes and his own virtues, he is esteemed with the title of the most heroic not only back in the time of the Trojan War, but also in our modern day time. One of the most illustrative examples of his steadfast values is when he decides to make an attempt to end the war by fighting in single combat with Ajax. When he is stating the terms of the fight, he specifically says, “…If I kill him…I’ll strip his gear and haul it back to sacred Troy and hang it high on the
Anyone worthy of praise in The Iliad is given one or two epithets to stand in or supplement his name in a way that says something about him as a person, but “…man-killing Hector…” (Homer 605) has been given many different Epithets used abundantly throughout the text. Since he is the main Prince of Troy and the training of horses is extremely important in their culture, Hector was considered the “breaker of horses.” (Homer 548). There are many other epithets that are tributes to his greatness such as, “…Hector, a god among men…” (Homer 597), “Hector, son of Priam…” (Homer 472), and “…illustrious Hector…” (Homer 472). Homer would agree that Hector is the most heroic figure in this book because of all the complementary epithets he wrote about