Hector and Helen Essay

The characters in homers Iliad lead from time to time afforded a root class battleground for scholars and students alike. Through par in completelyels, business lines, and retort positioning of characters and actions, the principle characters have been study and objectified as personifications of certain ideals permeating the Greek society. Helen, like Klytaimestra, Pandora, Medea and Phaedra has been portrayed as the exemplar of the pistillates sub-ordination to the irrational particularly sex (Thorton. 84). In her, the destructive specter of a principal dominated by passion and dogmatic pleasure endangers men the withstanders of the ideals of the polis.Here, the threat present by Helen is cardinal pronged, that is the irresistible temptingness of her beauty and the discernment confusing ack-ack of internal lust she ignites on the different hand, the violation of her marri eon to Menelaus by Alexandros precipitates a war which degenerates into a tragic passage of arms for pay back and glory. In this essay, the relationship amid Helen and ballyrag depart be canvass with reference the themes outlined above. In the Iliad, browbeat is the bulwark of Trojan defense. He is the alone(prenominal) social occasion which stands amid the Achaians and victory.Besides Achilles, all the other warriors doubt if they can give away him (Il. 15. 639-63. 7 Il. 10. 47-52 Il. 7. 112-114). But bullys tragedy is that he is destroyed rubbish a war he does non believe in. When he harangues Alexandros for scampering away from Menelaus (Il. 3. 35-55), he not only reveals his disaffection with genus genus Paris quarrel, exactly betrays the fact that to him, the war is well-nigh repay and duty the Achaians maybe rightly-grieved, only its his lot to uphold his honor by defending the city (Il. 3. 43-45 Il. 3. 56. 57 Il. 6. 265-280).Equally telling atomic number 18 the reverberating epithets he employs to describe Alexandros Evil Paris, beautiful, woman -crazy, cajoling, bankrupt had you never been borne or killed unwedded to your return a big heartbreak, and your city and all your people to your self a thing shameful, but bringing joy to the enemy. (Il. 3. 35-50) Clearly, its no exaggeration to say that ballyrag views Helens pairing to Alexandros as a source of trouble, and a union control by blind lust. In fact, the intimacy of Helens marriage and the precariousness of her situation atomic number 18 known to all.Priam has to remind her that she is not to satanic (Il. 3. 165-170) and Helen knows that her behavior is indefensible Helen shining among women and I wish bitter death had been what I wanted, when I came hither following your son, desert my chamber, my kinsmen, my grown child, and the loveliness of the girls my own ageslut that I am. (Il. 3. 170-180) Indeed, it can be utter that Helen is a good model of how sexual attractiveness confers on the love one an obsessive value to the wrong of all other obligations . This, it must be added is boss arounds opinion of Paris.Another interesting contrast should be pointed out here that to the Trojans, Helen is to diabolical but to Hector, the blame lies squ bely on Paris. A critical look of Helens speech at the funeral Hector suggests this some(prenominal) (Il. 24. 765-770). The falsity of Helens marriage, or rather, the inconstancy of Helens emotions is shown, when we atomic number 18 told that after Iris had informed her that her heap was to be decided in a duel among Paris and Menelaus the goddess leave in her heart sweet hunger after her conserve of time forward and her city and her pargonnts (Il. 3. 138-140). Here, Helens irrational nature is in full display.Her sexual appetite veers ceaselessly one minute she is longing for her husband of time before (Menelaus), the next signification she is making love to Paris in his bed chamber (its true that they atomic number 18 all under the influence of Aphrodite, but Aphrodite is merel y the embodiment of the irresistible force of sexual excitement). Meanwhile, the women of Troy are up and intimately, all frantic with fear, some are assembling for prayers at the temple of the grey-eyed genus Athene others have gathered around Hector, when he lives the battle field, to ask after husband, brothers and neighbors and the Achaians are dangerously close to the city paries (Il.Book 6).Helen and Paris, it appears, are immune to these concerns. This pictorial matter reinforces the theme of the distraction of the masculine mind when sexual appetite is given at large(p) reign. Paris it appears is neglecting his obligation to defend the polis. Hector talks of him thus in breast of Hecuba while I go in search of Paris, to call him, if he will listen to anything I tell him. How I wish at this moment the estate might open beneath him. The especial(a) let him live, a great sorrow to the Trojans, and high-hearted Priam, and all his children.If only I could hold in him go ne down to the house of the end God (Il. 6. 280-284) once again Hector shows the alike disgust at Paris when he finds him resting in his house with Helen (Il. 6. 326-330). That Helens aberrant sexuality is the cause of the ruckus is gain reinforced in her meeting with Hector at Paris House. Helen calls herself a nasty-bitch evil-intriguing. The evocation of bitch imagery is important here. Dogs are the domestic beasts most(prenominal) intimate with compassionate life, capable of loyal service.But they alike represent unbridled appetite, particularly the female that mates frequently and indiscriminately (Thornton, 82) thus the word denotes a shamelessness resulting from failure to control ones sexual appetite. Interestingly, Helen voices her thirst for a better man, who knows the bounds of propriety in front of Hector (Il. 6. 350-354). We can only surmise that she still has Menelaus in mind. Again the contrast between Hector and Paris is drawn starkly in this result Hect or rejects Helens entreaties and is eager to assume his rightful(prenominal) role as a defender of the city while Paris has to be persuaded to rejoin the fray (Il.6. 354-363).Another circumstance of interest elaborates the contrast between Andromache, the embodiment of a perfect married woman, and Helen. Andromache appears in the epics most endearing scenes. The tender exchange between Andromache and hector reveals to us the importance marriage and the household had to the wife, the qualities of a good wife, and the gift she has in her husband heart. We learn that she is a good house wife, prays for her husband, worries constantly about his designate, loves her child and is completely dependent on her husband.Andromache voices her dependence on Hector thus Hector you are father to me, and my honored mother, you are my brother and you it is who are my boyish husband (Il. 6. 429-431) her life, it can be said, is inextricably intertwined with his, and her whole identity is predica ted on her attitude as wife and mother. At the like time, hector love and concern for his wife is patently obvious. In a skeleton moment of prophetic insight, he contemplates the thole of Troy, the death of his family and the fate of Andromache.In this episode, Hector is moved, not by the future sorrowfulness of his mother, father and brothers, but by the fate of Andromache as a miserable slave. This episode reinforces my previous argument that Hectors tragedy is the employment between his desire for Heroic honor and glory and his role as the defender of Troy and his family. This desire for honor and glory, which is someways linked to his pride (Hectors hubris is explored in this sections Il. 8. 535-541 Il. 13. 824-832 Il. 18. 293-309) is what prevents him from liquidating a war which he knows in unjust.In his last soliloquy, Hector admits this a great deal (Il. 22. 95-120). In short, it can be said that the war was precipitated by the recklessness of two ill-starred lovers, who failed to reign in their sexual passions. According to the customs, the violation of Menelaus marriage by Paris imposed on him and his kinsmen a duty to avenge his honor which, we are told was the destruction and pillage of Troy. At the time, the ideals of whiteness demanded a display of fighting eye on the part of the Trojans. All this themes are explored repeatedly in the relationship between hector and Helen.