How Is Hector Alike

Philosopher Gilbert K. Chesterton once said, “If the world becomes pagan and perishes, the last man alive would do well to quote the Iliad and die.” The Iliad is a story of war and sacrifice and has many noble characters. Two of the most notable characters are Hector and Achilles. Hector and Achilles are both alike and different in many ways. They are both brave and willing to do anything. The difference in these characters though is that Hector is not just brave. Hector is brave, selfless, and has an undying love for his people and his family and this is why Hector should be admired more. In the book, The Iliad, Hector is the prince of Troy. Troy is under attack by the Greeks. The Greeks have Achilles, the strongest soldier around, on their side. This scares everyone, even Hector. Although Hector is scared by Achilles, he still kills Patroclus. Hector kills Patroclus, when he knows that Achilles will be out to get him when he finds out. This is certainly a form of bravery. Later in the book, Achilles is hunting Hector down, but Hector just keeps going. Everyone knows that if Achilles wants someone dead, they are going to die. Despite knowing this, Hector runs for his life. Hector …show more content…
After Hector killed Patroclus, Achilles came hunting for him. Instead of retreating back into the walls of his city, he stayed outside and decided to fight Achilles off. Hector may have known that Achilles would slay him, but he still stayed out instead of letting his men take the fall for his actions. Hector comes to terms with Achilles slaying him but still pleas for Achilles to give his body back. Even in his final moments, Hector was not thinking about himself, but instead thinking about his family. Not to mention the fact that Achilles only cares for himself. Achilles does not fight for anyone except himself. With all things considered, it is quite obvious that Hector’s selflessness is just another trait that can be