Running head: THE WARRIOR HECTOR

The Warrior Hector

Name
Institutional Affiliation

THE WARRIOR HECTOR

The Warrior Hector
Hector is the eldest son of Priam, the king of Trojan. Being the first-born and the
bravest among the Trojan warriors, he is the rightful heir of the kingdom. His leadership skills
receive praises since he is a thoughtful leader. Moreover, many people admire him as a result of
his devotion to his family, friends, and the community. As such, Hectors character represents a
great son, a caring husband to Andromache, a father, and a trusted friend. As the heir to the
throne, Hector already shows responsibility to the community by defending it and advocating
for justice for all the people. Hectors leadership helps Trojan defeat the Achaeans by pushing
them back to their ships and later burning them. However, just like many other warriors, he is
also full of pride.
Hector is a great man who is family-oriented. The motivation for Hectors fighting is
the responsibility to his family, as well as, the city. His parents are the leaders of Troy; his
father is the king and his mother the queen. As he fights for the protection of his city, Hector is
also protecting his parents. Moreover, his interactions with his wife and son show a high level
of responsibility for their wellbeing. Hector shows his love for the family when he holds his
child in his arms and prays for him. He prays to Jove their God to make his child follow his
footsteps or even perform better. He continues to pray that he becomes the hero that his mother
will be proud of when he goes battling to revenge the lives of their soldiers (McCarty, Ambrus
& Homer, 2004).
Hector is also a man who is performing his duties as required. He even goes ahead to
criticize his brother Paris claiming that he lacks the courage to fight for his city even after
leading it to the trouble that resulted in war. He criticizes Paris saying that he has brought
disgrace upon himself for stealing another mans woman. He further claims that his brother will
make the Achaeans mock them because of Pariss weaknesses (McCarty, Ambrus & Homer,
2004).

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His love for duty shows up when he refuses to sit with his mother and enjoy a glass of
wine while other warriors are on the battlefield. However, he also shows respect from the way
he refuses to take the wine when he tells his mother not to bring him wine. He feels that
drinking will make him lose his strength and make him unable to defend his city (McCarty,
Ambrus & Homer, 2004). Apparently, Hector shows that he would rather be performing his
duties than enjoying with others while his warriors are fighting.
Hector is a thoughtful leader who leads his soldiers to victorious battles. He makes
sound decisions that solve problems that they are facing. For instance, when he battles for Ajax
without either winning until the night, he uses his wisdom to stop the fight in a good way. He
begins by praising Ajax claiming that the Heavens have gifted him with stature and strength as
well as judgment in that he excels all the other Achaeans. He continues to urge Ajax to cease
fighting since they had been fighting all day with neither emerging as the winner (McCarty,
Ambrus & Homer, 2004). Here, Hectors brilliance shows when he begins praising Ajax. The
compliments helps cool Ajaxs fury and make him understand the situation in a calm way. He
convinces him that they stop fighting and exchange gifts instead. Hector believes that the gifts
will make people say that their battle resulted in their friendship (McCarty, Ambrus & Homer,
2004). Through his abilities to convince people, he makes Ajax accept his suggestions, and they
stop fighting.
Justice and virtue are two things that make Hectors personality stand out. He fights for
the right of his people and always wants the best for everyone in his city. For instance, when
Paris his brother kidnaps Helen, he gets furious. Paris action leaves Hector in a dilemma,
wondering if he should protect Paris or rebuke his actions that led to the wars. He claims that
his brothers actions are shameful and unethical. He even wishes that his brother were not born
because of the disgrace he brought to his family (McCarty, Ambrus & Homer, 2004). As a good

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brother, the community expects Hector to defend his brother and stand by his side. However, he
does not support the injustice. Even so, Hector gets support from Alexandrus, who claims that
he is a just person and that his criticism was right (McCarty, Ambrus & Homer, 2004).
Throughout his life, Hector shows that he is a great warrior. However, he is also
vulnerable to the weakness of many warriors, which is pride. Because of his pride, he makes
decisions that cost his life. He despises advice on securing Trojan and leaves open making
Achilles attack easy. He believes that he is the greatest warrior ever and that he will fight
Achilles alone. For this reason, he waits for Achilles at the walls of Troy. However, when he is
overwhelmed by Achilles strength, he starts to run for his life. His pride is seen even during his
last breathe when he talks to Achilles. He claims that even though he is dying, he will still slay
Achilles at the Gates of Scaean (McCarty, Ambrus & Homer, 2004). Hector being the greatest
warrior of Troy, his downfall brings down the city as well.
Hector is the greatest hero of Trojan. He is the eldest brother to Paris and, therefore, this
makes him the heir to the throne. He is a man loved by his parents and the people of the city.
He is also a loving husband and father who does all he can to protect his family. Hector is an
individual who values justice in the society. He rebukes his brother for the wrongs he does and
advises him to change his ways. He is also a man who likes to put duty first, before pleasure.
He shows this when he refuses to drink wine with his mother while he is supposed to be on the
battlefield. However, just like many other warriors, Hector is a victim of pride. His pride leads
to his death when he thinks that he will fight Achilles and win as usual. Achilles was, however,
furious that he went to battle with Hector with the goal of killing him. Throughout the book,
Hector is presented as a leader concerned about the wellbeing of his people in Troy and his
family and man who values the culture of his community.

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Reference
McCarty, N., Ambrus, V. G., & Homer. (2004). The Iliad. Boston: Kingfisher.