FREE ESSAY ON HONOR IN THE ILIAD

HONOR IN THE ILIAD

Throughout The Iliad, the heroic characters make decisions based on a definite set of
principles, which are referred to as the code of honor. The heroic code that Homer
presents to the reader is an underlying cause for many of the events that take place, but
many of the characters have different perceptions of how highly the code should be
regarded. 
Hektor, the greatest of the Trojan warriors, begins the poem as the model of a Homeric
hero. His dedication and strict belief in the code of honor is illustrated many times
throughout the course of The Iliad. An example of this is presented in book three of the
poem, where Hektor reprimands Paris for refusing to fight. He says to Paris, Surely now
the flowing-haired Achains laugh at us, thinking you are our bravest champion, only
because your looks are handsome, but there is no strength in your heart, or courage
(3:43). Hektor believes that it is against the heroic code for a person to abstain from
fighting when his fellow men are in the battlefield. Hektor faces a moral dilemma when
dealing with Paris. By being Paris' brother, Hektor is supposed to protect and honor his
decisions, but he believes that Paris is wrong in his actions, and feels it necessary to
make that known to him. 
Another place where we see Hektor's strict belief in the code of honor is in the events
that take place during his return home in the sixth book. Hector returns to Troy in order
to have the queen and the other women make a sacrifice to Athena, hoping that she will
help the Trojans in the war. After arranging that act he visits Paris, with the intention
of convincing him to fight. Visibly upset, Hektor scolds Paris, telling him that The
people are dying around the city and around the steep wall as they fight hard; it is for
you that this war with its clamour has flared up about our city. You yourself would fight
with another whom you saw anywhere hanging back from the hateful encounter, (6:327).
Paris agrees that he has been dishonoring himself, and tells Hektor he will return with
him to fight. Hektor then goes to find Andromache, who is standing by the walls outlining
the battlefield with Astanax, their son. When Andromache pleads with Hektor to stay home
and cease fighting, Hektor refuses, telling her that he would feel deep shame in front of
the Trojans if he were to withdraw himself from the war. Hektor then tells Andromache
that the thought of her being dragged off by the Achains troubles him, but he is relieved
by the knowledge that she will be looked at as the wife of Hektor, who was ever the
bravest fighter of the Trojans, breakers of horses, in the days when they fought about
Ilion, (6:460). This causes Andromache to shed tears. On the one hand, she understands
Hektor's beliefs and deep sense of morality, but on the other feels it is just as
honorable to stay home and care for one's family. This is a second place in which Hektor
feels torn between two conflicting responsibilities. 
A character's social status was mainly based upon his performance in the battlefield.
Achilleus is a tragic figure who believes strongly in social order, but questions the
idea of fighting for glory. When Aias and Odysseus are sent by Agamemnon to plead with
Achilleus' to fight for the Greeks, Achilleus denies them, saying There was no gratitude
given for fighting incessantly forever against your enemies. Fate is the same for the man
who holds back, the same if he fights hard (9:316). This statement shows that Achilleus
is an individual, and does not conform to the ideas of the others. Achilleus is portrayed
as a fatalist, believing that there is no point in fighting, because the end is the same
for everyone. In book nine, when Agamemnon admits he is wrong and offers gifts, Achilleus
still refuses to join his army in battle. He does not see Agamemnon's gifts as a
reconciliation attempt, but rather as an insult. Achilles believes that Agamemnon's
offerings are selfish and boastful, and he denies them to in order to show Agamemnon that
his loyalty cannot be bought. 
Later in the poem, Achilleus revenges Patroklos' death by killing Hektor. It is customary
and proper to return a dead body to its home so it can be given a proper burial, and it
is against the code of honor to perform acts of excessive cruelty. Achilleus is so
distraught by his friends' death that he contradicts both of these conditions. First, he
refuses to return Hektor's body to the Trojans, and then proceeds to drag it behind his
carriage by the ankles. Achilleus' deliberate mutilation of Hektor's body shows the
reader that he does not hold the code of honor in high regard.
Nestor is the character in the poem who best convinces the others to diligently follow
the code of honor. There are many instances in which the social order of The Iliad is
disrupted, and Nestor comes forth to help restore the order. Although they are thought by
the reader to be somewhat pointless, Nestor's stories always have a deeper meaning behind
them. In book seven Hektor challenges the Achaians, asking which of them is willing to
fight against him. When none volunteer, Nestor tells them the story of his victory
against Ereuthalion, emphasizing that at the time he fought he was the youngest among the
warriors. He says to the troops,  If I were young now, as then, and the strength still
steady within me; Hektor of the glancing helm would soon find his battle. But you, now,
who are the bravest of all the Achaians, are not minded with a good will to go against
Hektor, (7:157). This speech compels nine of the Achaian's to volunteer, showing Nestor's
power to influence the warriors to stick to the heroic code. Later in the same book,
Nestor again stresses the importance of the code of honor when he suggests that the
Greeks retreat from fighting and bury their dead, because it was believed that the
funeral shows the social status of a warrior. Nestor also wants the warriors to subside
from fighting in order to build a wall to protect them. He convinces them by saying, We
must dig a deep ditch circling it, so as to keep off their people and horses, that we may
not be crushed under the attack of these proud Trojans, (7:341). Nestor realizes that the
Trojans have the upper hand, and does not want the Greeks to lose without a putting up a
respectable fight. He feels that for the Greeks to turn around and leave would be a great
dishonor, and does everything in his power to keep them in the battle. Nestor's advice,
finally, challenges the Achaians to live up to the honorable precedent set by the book's
fallen heroes. 
The characters in The Iliad base many of their actions on the code of honor. The warriors
believe that the most dishonorable thing someone can do is refrain from fighting with his
fellow soldiers, whereas Achilleus disagrees. Although a code of honor is present in the
Iliad, many of the characters interpret and maintain it in different ways.