The Iliad Exerpt
In this excerpt, I gain the idea that honor and dishonor are gained through many ways. They are walked through in the plot of the excerpt. For example, in this excerpt, Agamemnon gains dishonor because he is selfish. Agamemnon is led to question why anyone would want to follow such a man as himself. Achilles states one of the main reason men gain honor they fought for it in battle. Achilles says that he and his men fought to win Agamemnon honor. However, the selfish and disloyal action of taking Achilles prize lady gains him dishonor. In the next part, Patroklos seems to be mocked and gain dishonor in his tears. Patroklos tries to gain honor by fighting in Achilles armor and bring back his friend’s girl. He attacked the Trojans in this attempt to gain them both honor. Patroklos is unable to do this because Phoibos dishonors him by stealing the loaned helmet and giving it to Hektor. Hektor is a strong warrior and because of this he is given the godlike helmet along with honor. Patroklos attempts to hide from death but is killed by Hektor. I think this is symbolic of Hektor gaining honor and Patroklos gaining dishonor. This was the final straw for Achilles. He will now fight now not only for his honor, but also the honor of his fallen friend. Achilles kills Hektor and dishonors him by dragging Hektor’s head on his chariot. The main reason the Greeks gained honor was by fighting bravely and winning in battle. They gained dishonor by acting