Introduction
Two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey have great significance due to the poetic content they encompass. It is essential to consider two characters in these readings – Hector from the Iliad and Menelaus from the Odyssey. The former is the oldest descendant of the Trojan king Priam and his wife, Hecuba. Hector is the husband of Andromache and the general of the Trojan soldiers, while Menelaus is the king of Sparta and the husband of Helen of Troy. Menelaus is one of the main characters in the poem and has a significant role in the advancement of the plot. Hector is the most important soldier in the Trojan army, as shown in the Iliad, and he is the primary character in the text. His bravery and altruism toward the people motivate and inspire the soldiers to fight. They present a matter of interest, as they both are one of the main characters of Homer’s poem. They both participate in the Trojan War and reveal their courage, but their path in life is extremely different. This text serves as a comparison of the two mentioned heroes.
Hector
Hector is one of the key figures in the Iliad, and the character is used to reveal the theme of bravery and courage. Krieter-Spiro highlights that “Hector also was loved by the gods, best of all the mortals in Ilion” (2018, para. 65; Book 17 17.65-70). His wife claims about him, “Hector was the wall around her world that kept life’s perils at bay” (Rhiannon 2019, p. 368; Book 9 9.322-24). Through this statement, it is clear that Hector was a vital part of his wife’s life and took his marriage seriously. It shows the complexity of Hector’s character in this plot and the sophisticated role that he has to play. Hector acts as an agent to bring Achilles into battle, but the latter becomes a victim of Hector and his treachery. The illusion of a Trojan conquest traps him and leads to the conflict between the two characters (Krieter-Spiro 2018). Hector serves as the opposite of Achilles and an experienced individual with a household. He is intended to indicate the battle between civic and personal responsibilities, which are omnipresent in the Iliad.
The relationships between Hector and his wife can be compared to Andromache’s family values. Both of them treat their wives with love, respect, and tenderness. Apart from this, Hector shows the accurate strain between his personal and civic responsibilities and his struggles to keep these aspects together (Baumbach 2017). The narrator used personal discussions to describe Hector as the genuine protagonist since he has significant roles to play. To highlight the specifics of this character, he concludes: “A man dies still if he has done nothing, as one who has done much” (Homer 2011, p. 224; Book 9 9.319-21). Homer indicates that Hector is a significant personality but does not separate him from the other notable characters. For example, Hector organizes the cease-fire and the combat between Menelaus and Paris, and the former arises as to the frontman of this conflict.
Menelaus fights Paris to return his wife, Helen of Troy and wins the confrontation. However, he is not able to retrieve Helen because Paris flees with the help of Aphrodite. Hector is conspicuously missing from the troops of Trojans who encounter Diomedes in the battle. When Sarpedon begs Hector for his protection, Hector quickly runs away without answering this particular plea. Instead of taking time to tend to his injured companion, Hector goes ahead and attempts to join the Trojan frontline and ensures safety in this situation. This scene is one of the exploits of the character, which shows that he values collective victory over personal relationships. This attribute is common among military-centric individuals who fight to protect their homeland. Hector, despite his physical capacities, does not survive the war. After mistaking Achilles’s brother and killing him, Hector is called for a duel, which he loses and parts with his life.
Menelaus
To conduct a comparison of Hector and Menelaus, it is essential to provide some description of the latter. Menelaus does not hold an enviable role in the Homeric ballads, and he appears to be out of place in both of these poems. He lacks the martial virtues which belong to characters such as Achilles and his brother, Agamemnon. Although he is the hero responsible for the Greek effort in the war, Menelaus lacks a distinct personality and is considered mostly secondary in all of the occurrences (Krieter-Spiro 2018). To understand this character, it is worthy to remember his phrase “No man alive could rival Zeus, dear boys…” (Homer 2006, p. 227; Book 8 8.319-21). Claiming this, he was determined to highlight that he did not have hubris and Zeus would not strike him.
The character is shown as one of the most notable Achaeans, and he is the only individual whose reason for coming to Troy has been specified in the Iliad. At the beginning of the conversation with Telemachus and Pisistratus, he describes pain and regret. In his speech, Menelaus mentions his suffering and intimates that the entire splendor found in his palace cannot represent all the painful memories in his past. Menelaus’s mental state can be seen in one scene where he tells Telemachus and Pisistratus not to compare him to the Gods (Homer 2011, p. 224; Book 9 9.319-21). Menelaus talks about the hardships that he has faced to get into the situation he is in and explains how he has fought to become a king.
The king of Sparta has won the people’s favor and believes that he has reached this state because of the will of his supporters. However, there are some aspects of Menelaus’s character, which reveal that he is a hurt individual. Menelaus drinks the “potion of remembrance,” and he does this even though he is compelled to remember (Baumbach 2017). It makes him forget Helen and her good characteristics, and he dismisses his anger and frustration at the same time. Menelaus is urged to move forward with his life by remembering the good and disregarding the unfortunate events that have happened in his past. This huge aspect reveals his incapability to process the pain in his own life.
Comparison
Both Menelaus and Hector feature extensively in these epic readings. Their differing characters reveal their attempts to deal with their predestined positions as essential characters in Troy. They both play a part in the battles, and they can use their unique personalities to overcome the adversities they face (Thornton, 2015). These two individuals play essential roles in the two poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Their character roles help bring out specific themes, and they also captivate the reader with their exploits. Hector’s journey in life ends in the Iliad when he loses the duel against Achilles. Menelaus, on the other hand, continues to live after the Trojan War and is featured in Odysseus (Mari, 2019). While Hector was one of the central figures in the Iliad, Menelaus plays complementary roles in both of the epic texts.
The image of Hector regards the ideal warrior and a long husband, father, and son. He is loved and supported by the gods, such as Apollo and Ares. His story is full of exploits, and he is depicted as an honorable personality. However, the image of Menelaus is presented as a deceived man, who loves his wife and is determined to release his revenge plan. It should be noted that the end of the poem is different for both of the characters. Hector was killed, while Menelaus received everything, he attempted to achieve during the entire narration.
Conclusion
In summary, both these characters are considered to be prominent heroes in the poems, though they live in different circumstances and have to encounter different hardships. However, both of them teach the readers important lessons about love and devotedness to the family. In addition, their courage and the readiness to sacrifice themselves for their family cannot be underestimated. Menelaus also demonstrates how the perseverance and resistance to help achieve the aims. Furthermore, their stories can be educative for both ancient and modern audiences, as well as they can be useful for the next generation.
References
Homer. (2006). The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics.
Homer. (2011). The Iliad. Translated by Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Krieter-Spiro, Martha. (2018). Homer’s Iliad. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Mari, F. (2019). “Politeness, gender and the social balance of the Homeric household Helen between Paris and Hector in Iliad 6.321–356”. Journal of Historical Pragmatics, 20(2), 244–262.
Rhiannon, Janell. (2019). Rise of Princes. Janell Rhiannon.
Thornton, A. (2015). People and Themes in Homer’s Odyssey. Routledge.