The first Epic Hero characteristic shared between Hector and Achilles are their powerful allies. Achilles’ friends are Hephaestus, Thetis, and Patroclus. Hephaestus, …show more content…
“And first Hephaestus made a great and massive shield, blazoning well-wrought emblems all across its surface…” (483) Thanks to Hephaestus, Achilles now has a godly shield to protect him in battle. Thetis comes to Achilles’ aid when he needs to appeal to the king of the gods to solve his problems. “Reaching out his arms, again and again he prayed to his dear mother… and his noble mother heard him… I shall go to to Olympus… and repeat your prayer to Zeus”” (89-91). In Book 16, Patroclus, as the title implies, fights for Achilles, and he dies in the process. Hector’s friends are Zeus, Paris, and Sarpedon. Zeus is quite influential and almost all-powerful. Throughout Book 6, Hector is referred to as “dear to Zeus,” a title that indicates that Hector is in Zeus’ favor. Paris is Hector’s …show more content…
How could Hector be the better Epic Hero when he is killed by his opponent? Achilles’ success only proves his superiority as an Epic Hero. Thematically, this epic poem shows how Epic Heroes make readers want to be successful. The heroes’ single-minded focus to, in this case, win the Trojan war inspires readers to take control of their lives, win their own battles, and defeat their own