Iliad 2

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in combat, he puts aside his pride and chooses to temporarily forget about his previous feuds with Agamemnon that have, up until now, prevented him from participating in the war. He joins the fighting with a deadly and vengeful mindset that will likely play a major factor in the outcome of the war. Today, this lust for revenge might be considered a glaring character flaw. However, this passion for retribution undoubtedly conforms to the heroic code of Greek society. Meanwhile, Hector is full of indecision and reluctance about whether to take part in the war. He too believes that fate has dictated that he will be killed in battle. He spends much time with his pleading wife Andromache, who begs him not to go to war, both for his sake and for his family’s. He does not want to die and thus widow Andromache, leaving her "at the loom of another man." Indeed, when he bids farewell to his young son Astyanax, clothed in his shining war gear with gleaming helmet complete with plume crest ...

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conflict among characters who might be considered heroes: the internal contest between the heroic code within the character and the human emotions and instincts that sometimes present contradictory impulses to the heroic code. Each hero responds in a different manner to this conflict. Hector, in this case, decides to react upon his human impulses and flees from Achilles, who instantly gives chase. After a cunning trick by Athena which causes Hector to decide to stand his ground and fight, perhaps the most conspicuous contradiction between a warrior’s heroic code and the warrior’s human side is evident. Achilles, vengeful and bloodthirsty, kills Hector in a manner, ...

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