As in the epic poem, the gods and goddesses interfere on behalf of Achilles in many scenes of the epic to either assist him or destroy him and his army. ... Herodotus seems to emphasize more of the hero in his character than anything supernatural. For both authors, the Greek leader is the hero and represented with a type of honor and glory. Achilles is the hero that defeats the Trojans by killing Hector in The Iliad. ... It is important to understand that The Iliad was an epic poem in its originality, and written as one as its genre. ...

• Word Count: 1462
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Hogan March 7, 2002 Essay Question #4: In reading The Iliad by Homer, we were introduced to the many conflicting character traits of one of the epic's major heroic characters, Akhilleus. Although The Iliad portrays Akhilleus as a great warrior and a noble hero, his irrational and horrific actions can at times tarnish the image of this great character. Akhilleus possesses all the marks of a great hero, and throughout the story proves to us that he is, if not the mightiest, one of the mightiest military warriors amongst both the Achaean and Trojan armies. ...

• Word Count: 725
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate