Role Players

I was watching an episode of the greatest show on television, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, when I noticed a sort of parallel to Troilus and Cressida. In the episode three friends were working as a team to solve something, what they were trying to solve is not important. What is important is how they tried to solve it. They realized that each of them had something to contribute and they could each serve a ‘role’. The self-proclaimed handsomest of the group was designated, “The Looks”, with the smartest of the three being, “The Brains” and the crazy, unpredictable one serving as “The Wildcard”. Though not directly comparable, it did make me notice how in the Trojan War characters seemed to serve roles in similar ways. On the Achaean side of the war, many of the participants appear to have very distinct roles. Ulysses, with his intellect and wit, plays the part of “The Brains” while Great Ajax, with his size and strength serves as “The Muscle”. Achilles, because of his volatile nature, can be pegged as “The Wildcard”. In the show, the friends recognize that they must stick to their roles in order to succeed. In the Trojan War, they seemingly do so unintentionally. Ulysses constantly serves as the voice of reason, Ajax is good for nothing but fighting and Achilles can never be controlled or told what to do.
As is becoming custom in these blogs, everything can be related to the sports world. On every great sports team, people have their roles. Take, and this might anger a few of you, the San Antonio Spurs for instance. For almost a decade now they have been considered the closest thing to a dynasty in the NBA and their players have very distinct roles. Players like Bruce Bowen, who provides as a defensive specialist and Brent Berry, whose only asset is his ability to shoot threes, fill important voids for the Spurs. Without people to serve such roles, it’s hard to say they would have enjoyed as much success as they have over the last ten years.

Hector's Heroism, Or Lack There of

It’s probably safe to assume that even before we started reading The Iliad, we all knew who the heroes were. We all knew that Achilles was the prominent hero of the story with Odysseus and others filling the void in minor roles. At the beginning of the trimester Mr. Crotty warned us that we should look beyond the obvious Achaean characters and look to Hector as the possible hero of The Iliad. Upon concluding the story, I have tried to find evidence to back such a claim for Hector, but have found it difficult. On numerous occasions, Troy’s commander-in-chief flees from danger in a most un-heroic way. Twice he runs away from Great Ajax and again he turns his back on a fight when he retreats from Achilles. When Hector finally decides to confront Achilles, he first begs to negotiate and then literally runs away in fear. Only upon the belief that a fellow Trojan has joined him does he turn to face Achilles. With the reality being that his fellow Trojan is merely Athena in disguise and that he is all-alone in facing his enemy, Hector is easily defeated. Hector’s numerous acts of cowardice are what prevent him from being a hero. Granted, he does lead the Trojans to some success on the battlefield but he demonstrates his incompetence as he lets the success go to his head and in turn makes several over aggressive, costly decisions. Even simply as a commander does Hector fail to exert himself as proficient. Throughout the poem it hard to find true heroes as even Achilles shows flaws but of the major players, Hector appears to be one of the least heroic.

The Power of Pride

Through the first five books of The Iliad, there appears to be one major theme. One theme that is, up to this point in the epic, the driving force behind the majority of the action. Just about every character thus far, both minor and major, has an incredible ego that dominates their personality and their judgment. From the very inception of the story the egos of the prominent characters are already at the forefront of the action. Though not for certain, the Achaeans’ presence in Troy can be attributed to Menelaus’ desire to restore his pride after having his wife taken from him. Nine years into the war, the egos of Menelaus’ brother, Agamemnon, and Achilles, are the cause for conflict amongst the Achaean army. Upon having to forfeit Chryseis, his captured prize, Agamemnon demands that Achilles relinquish his own prize, Briseis, to the Achaean commander. This request, in Achilles’ mind, undermines him and as a result, he refuses to continue to partake in the war. Achilles’ immense pride and massive ego is the sole force behind his decision. Agamemnon’s decisions are also ruled by his pride as he commands the Achaean army no only to recover his brother’s wife, but for his own material gain. Mortals are not the only ones subject to their own pride, as the gods too, have trouble setting aside their egos. The gods are split over whom to support in the dispute and for that reason, they become intricate parts of the war. Whether it is Athena and Hera defending the Achaeans or Apollo and Ares fighting on behalf of the Trojans, the egos of the gods further escalate the already epic conflict. Their pride and desire to outdo one another forces them to physically take part in the mortals’ war. Everyone in this epic tale, both mortal and immortal, is controlled by his or her own ego.