Devon Lancia Doctor Andrew Nichols Classics Capstone Seminar 24
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Lancia 1 Devon Lancia Doctor Andrew Nichols Classics Capstone Seminar 24 April 2019 Horse-Taming Hector: the Trojan Prince and the Tragic Hero ABSTRACT. From its written origins in the 8th century BCE, the Iliad has had a lasting impact on world literature and media. The tale’s influence can be seen in the style and content of stories even into the modern day, but perhaps its most prominent influence is on the character archetypes that come from those it portrays. The aim of the first part of this thesis is to analyze the portrayal of Prince Hector through the ages. This discussion is facilitated by a look at how shifting perspectives on heroic morality have influenced his role in Trojan War stories. In the second portion, the vital characteristics of the modern portrayal of Hector’s character are used to examine the tragic hero character archetype and Hector’s influence on it. While the tragic hero archetype has taken cues from other characters throughout the history of literature, there is undoubtedly a large portion of the trope that stems from Hector and his deeds in the Iliad. Lancia 2 Since Homer’s Iliad was first recorded in writing around the 8th century BCE, Hector has been a sympathetic and appealing heroic character. His ideals, morals, and actions resonate with audiences, and his human nature stirs an emotional connection with his plight in readers. To those in antiquity, he was the quintessential human hero and was viewed as skilled, glorious, and faithful, even as fate turned against him. As new eras in literature and media brought additional ideals of heroism to the fore, Hector’s personality and role changed to match. In this paper, my goal is to explore both the influence of these changing ideas on Hector and how the evolution he has undergone plays into the modern character archetype of the “tragic hero”. 1. HECTOR THROUGH THE AGES. The story that Homer lays out in the Iliad has been recounted or mentioned in the works of other authors countless times since its original physical recording. Although the basic events remained the same in these other versions, the traits which are the focus of Homer’s characters shifted over time to reflect changes in beliefs and ideals in each era. While Hector’s personal motivations remained the same, different aspects of his personality were emphasized to align with an ever-changing ideal of heroism. As the Trojan War story continued to develop over time, the drive for glory which made Hector a hero of Greek mythos in antiquity is set aside, while his dedication, humility, and nobility come into focus. The ideal of a hero in the time of Homer’s stories was of a person who transcended mortality in pursuit of honor and glory. Heroic characters in antiquity were immensely skilled as warriors, and they were either directly related to or favored by at least one of the gods. The hero was shadowed by death because of their inherent mortality, and this led them to seek their own personal kleos, or glory within song and story, so that they could live beyond their lifetime. Many Greek heroes performed questionable deeds in the name of this quest for glory and Lancia 3 therefore were not necessarily morally just; rather, they fought for selfish gain or for the benefit of someone close to them and took on risks for the sake of prestige. Hector presents a contrasting kind of heroism to that of Achilles, who represents the usual heroic character seen in antiquity. Bound by a more honorable, loyal, and human type of heroism, in which his goals put him at odds with the favored child of the gods, Hector’s character represented the rise of a new thinking in ancient Greek society. His portrayal as a family-man whose devotion to his wife and son were priority aligns with the emerging Greek perception of the importance of familial and community loyalty within a city-state. There are two particular instances in which he puts Andromache and Astyanax above all he is sworn to protect, even Troy itself. In one of the two, he tells his wife, […] my sorrow is not so much for what will happen to the people, or Queen Hecuba herself, or King Priam or my brothers, when all those good men and true shall fall in the dust before their enemies – as for you, when some armed man shall drive you away weeping, and take from you the day of freedom. (Iliad 6.450-55) This unwavering commitment to his family’s safety was part of why Hector was an important character to listeners and readers. Hector experiences humanity in a way that is more realistic than that of his rival, Achilles, whose temper turns him inhuman. Hector carries within him a contrast between his human desires and feelings – things like love of family and longing for home – and his heroic characteristics. This contrast is shown most directly when he returns home after combat, still helmeted, and scares his son: As he spoke, Hector held out his arms for his boy, but the boy shrank back into the nurse’s bosom, crying, and scared at the sight of his father; for he was afraid of the gleaming metal and the horsehair crest […]. Father and mother laughed aloud, and Hector took off the helmet and set it down on the ground shining and flashing. Then he kissed his son and dandled him in his hands […] (Iliad 6.467-73) Lancia 4 Here, the helmet represents his nature as a warrior, and it is that nature which frightens Astyanax. He removes the helmet, thus becoming the loving father once more, but it remains present throughout the scene as a reminder of his dual nature. Hector may crave kleos just as his rival does, but he does not get overpowered by one emotion in the pursuit of it; rather, Hector is “not as concentrated in his person […] he has other sentiments than fury. He is ‘watered-down’” (Benardete 62). As a sign of his mortality, Hector is painfully aware that he will die and is shadowed by that imminent end. Despite this knowledge, he chooses to keep hope that his rival might meet his end first and states, “Achilles may be the son of the divine Thetis, but who knows if I may not strike him with my spear, and he may be the first to die!” (Iliad 16.860-61). The idea of a warrior which Hector carries comes from the obligation to protect his people rather than his drive for glory. He feels ashamed of the idea that “[he] should shrink away from the battle like a coward” before his people, “since [he has] learned to be brave always and to fight in the front ranks of the Trojans” (Iliad 6.444-46). He fears what his people would think of him should he flee the battlefield as several people beg him to do. In addition to this fear, however, he is worried about what would become of his family. As can be seen with each of these traits, Hector was representative of the quintessential human hero in antiquity, in contrast with the godlike being that Achilles represented. As perspectives on bravery and goodness began to shift in the Middle Ages, a new heroic tendency arose. The heroes of later medieval literature were usually common men who become extraordinary through their overall chivalric excellence. The outstanding qualities of these men included valor, military skill, and honor – all of which Hector was shown to possess. However, in the later romances of the period, the idea of loyalty began to change from its definition in the classical period. As chivalry became the norm for noble characters, loyalty in literature became Lancia 5 “more intricate and more significant. It is a quality of the soul […]” (Jokinen). The concept involved fidelity to not only the hero’s people, but to his ideals. In the literature of the Middle Ages, portrayals of Hector focused more on his dedication and chivalric virtue over those traits emphasized in antiquity. In the tale Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer gives some insight into the way that medieval storytellers painted the war and Hector in a different light. The first mention of him establishes his noble nature through his reassurance that Cressida will not be harmed after the news of her father’s betrayal. As he speaks to Cressida, Hector is described as “full of pity by nature [… and] out of his goodness he cheered her” (Chaucer 1.114-17). Later in the poem, Pandarus describes him as a knight “in whom every virtue likes to abound, / as all truth, and all gentleness, / wisdom, honor, freedom, and worthiness” (Chaucer 2.158-60). This list of virtues Pandarus attributes to the prince matches with the traits present in heroes from the time. Hector is also described as a warrior who “has still more virtue than might” – he argues against the trade of Cressida for a Greek prisoner, saying that “it is not our custom women for to sell” (Chaucer 4.82). In medieval works such as Chaucer’s, Hector’s qualities showed a change as his virtue and chivalry became the focus of his character. He seemed to be a paragon of good for medieval readers and was idolized within literary writings for his wisdom and good sense. In the modern era, the concept of a hero has changed once again with changes in Western society. A hero by present standards is someone who displays altruism and thinks and acts justly.