Throughout The Iliad, the heroic characters make decisions based on a definite
set of principles, which are referred to as the "code of honor." The
heroic code that Homer presents to the reader is an underlying cause for many of
the events that take place, but many of the characters have different
perceptions of how highly the code should be regarded. Hektor, the greatest of
the Trojan warriors, begins the poem as the model of a Homeric hero. His
dedication and strict belief in the code of honor is illustrated many times
throughout the course of The Iliad. An example of this is presented in book
three of the poem, where Hektor reprimands Paris for refusing to fight. He says
to Paris, "Surely now the flowing-haired Achains laugh at us, thinking you
are our bravest champion, only because your looks are handsome, but there is no
strength in your heart, or courage" (3:43). Hektor believes that it is
against the heroic code for a person to abstain from fighting when his fellow
men are in the battlefield. Hektor faces a moral dilemma when dealing with
Paris. By being Paris' brother, Hektor is supposed to protect and honor his
decisions, but he believes that Paris is wrong in his actions, and feels it
necessary to make that known to him. Another place where we see Hektor's strict
belief in the code of honor is in the events that take place during his return
home in the sixth book. Hector returns to Troy in order to have the queen and
the other women make a sacrifice to Athena, hoping that she will help the
Trojans in the war. After arranging that act he visits Paris, with the intention
of convincing him to fight. Visibly upset, Hektor scolds Paris, telling him that
"The people are dying around the city and around the steep wall as they
fight hard; it is for you that this war with its clamour has flared up about our
city. You yourself would fight with another whom you saw anywhere hanging back
from the hateful encounter," (6:327). Paris agrees that he has been
dishonoring himself, and tells Hektor he will return with him to fight. Hektor
then goes to find Andromache, who is standing by the walls outlining the
battlefield with Astanax, their son. When Andromache pleads with Hektor to stay
home and cease fighting, Hektor refuses, telling her that he would feel deep
shame in front of the Trojans if he were to withdraw himself from the war.
Hektor then tells Andromache that the thought of her being dragged off by the
Achains troubles him, but he is relieved by the knowledge that she will be
looked at as "the wife of Hektor, who was ever the bravest fighter of the
Trojans, breakers of horses, in the days when they fought about Ilion,"
(6:460). This causes Andromache to shed tears. On the one hand, she understands
Hektor's beliefs and deep sense of morality, but on the other feels it is just
as honorable to stay home and care for one's family. This is a second place in
which Hektor feels torn between two conflicting responsibilities. A character's
social status was mainly based upon his performance in the battlefield.
Achilleus is a tragic figure who believes strongly in social order, but
questions the idea of fighting for glory. When Aias and Odysseus are sent by
Agamemnon to plead with Achilleus' to fight for the Greeks, Achilleus denies
them, saying "There was no gratitude given for fighting incessantly forever
against your enemies. Fate is the same for the man who holds back, the same if
he fights hard" (9:316). This statement shows that Achilleus is an
individual, and does not conform to the ideas of the others. Achilleus is
portrayed as a fatalist, believing that there is no point in fighting, because
the end is the same for everyone. In book nine, when Agamemnon admits he is
wrong and offers gifts, Achilleus still refuses to join his army in battle. He
does not see Agamemnon's gifts as a reconciliation attempt, but rather as an
insult. Achilles believes that Agamemnon's offerings are selfish and boastful,
and he denies them to in order to show Agamemnon that his loyalty cannot be
bought. Later in the poem, Achilleus revenges Patroklos' death by killing Hektor.
It is customary and proper to return a dead body to its home so it can be given
a proper burial, and it is against the code of honor to perform acts of
excessive cruelty. Achilleus is so distraught by his friends' death that he
contradicts both of these conditions. First, he refuses to return Hektor's body
to the Trojans, and then proceeds to drag it behind his carriage by the ankles.
Achilleus' deliberate mutilation of Hektor's body shows the reader that he does
not hold the code of honor in high regard. Nestor is the character in the poem
who best convinces the others to diligently follow the code of honor. There are
many instances in which the social order of The Iliad is disrupted, and Nestor
comes forth to help restore the order. Although they are thought by the reader
to be somewhat pointless, Nestor's stories always have a deeper meaning behind
them. In book seven Hektor challenges the Achaians, asking which of them is
willing to fight against him. When none volunteer, Nestor tells them the story
of his victory against Ereuthalion, emphasizing that at the time he fought he
was the youngest among the warriors. He says to the troops, " If I were
young now, as then, and the strength still steady within me; Hektor of the
glancing helm would soon find his battle. But you, now, who are the bravest of
all the Achaians, are not minded with a good will to go against Hektor,"
(7:157). This speech compels nine of the Achaian's to volunteer, showing
Nestor's power to influence the warriors to stick to the heroic code. Later in
the same book, Nestor again stresses the importance of the code of honor when he
suggests that the Greeks retreat from fighting and bury their dead, because it
was believed that the funeral shows the social status of a warrior. Nestor also
wants the warriors to subside from fighting in order to build a wall to protect
them. He convinces them by saying, "We must dig a deep ditch circling it,
so as to keep off their people and horses, that we may not be crushed under the
attack of these proud Trojans," (7:341). Nestor realizes that the Trojans
have the upper hand, and does not want the Greeks to lose without a putting up a
respectable fight. He feels that for the Greeks to turn around and leave would
be a great dishonor, and does everything in his power to keep them in the
battle. Nestor's advice, finally, challenges the Achaians to live up to the
honorable precedent set by the book's fallen heroes. The characters in The Iliad
base many of their actions on the code of honor. The warriors believe that the
most dishonorable thing someone can do is refrain from fighting with his fellow
soldiers, whereas Achilleus disagrees. Although a "code of honor" is
present in the Iliad, many of the characters interpret and maintain it in
different ways.