In Book One of the epic The Iliad by Homer, one element that is present is the element of honor. The plague introduced in the beginning of the epic is the result of Agamemnon dishonoring a priest of Apollo. “‘The god finds no fault with vow or sacrifice. It is for his priest, whom Agamemnon dishonored and would not allow to ransom his daughter, that Apollo deals and will deal death from afar”’ (page 232, lines 99-102). This conflict also results in the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles when Agamemnon demands Achilles give him his prize of war, Briseis, if he is to give Chryseis back to her father and end the plague. Achilles is dishonored and humiliated at this request and comments “‘Ha, and think of the names people would call me if I bowed and scraped every time you opened your mouth. Try that on somebody else, but not on me”’ (page 237, lines 308-310). The use of imagery puts emphasis on the fact that Achilles would feel humiliated if he were to give in to Agamemnon’s demands. People would laugh at Achilles if he were to ‘bow down” to Agamemnon. The element of honor is further highlighted when Achilles begs his mother to ask Zeus to assist the Trojans in retaliation for Agamemnon taking away Briseis from Achilles. “‘Give the Trojans the upper hand until the Greeks grant my son the honor he deserves”’ (page 243, lines 540-541). At this point in the story, it is difficult not to support Achilles as something has been taken away from him and he has been dishonored by Agamemnon.
Another element that is present is the element of family that is shown in Book Six. We see how war greatly affects families when Hector returns to Troy and Trojans surround him to see if he can provide any information about their relatives in war. “When Hector reached the oak tree by the Western Gate, Trojan wives and daughters ran up to him, asking about their children, their kinsmen, their husbands. He told them all, each woman in turn, to pray to the gods”’ (pages 248-249, lines 246-250). We see that war brings great pain and suffering not only to the warriors in battle, but also to the families of these warriors. Hector’s own wife is affected by the war and this can be seen when she begs Hector to defend Troy by staying close to home. “‘When I lose you, Hector, there will be nothing left, no one to turn to, only pain”’ (page 253, lines 433-435). Hector himself is portrayed as a family man by the he embraces both his wife and baby son. Hector insists to his wife that he has to fight or else he will be a coward with no honor. The scene of Hector kissing his baby son before heading out back into the battlefield makes us readers feel a connection and want to support Hector. “And Hector removed the helmet from his head and set it on the ground all shimmering with light. Then he kissed his dear son and swung him up gently and said a prayer to Zeus and the other immortals” (page 254, lines 497-500). The imagery in this scene shows how much love Hector has for his son and also shows the symbolism of Hector’s helmet. By taking off the helmet, Hector changes from a powerful warrior to a loving father and as a result, we as readers are encouraged to root for Hector.
Stephen Harris, 1995, web.uvic.ca/