Charlie Irwin
4 April 2011
Period 3
Ms. Kilbourn
Maintaining, living and dying with honor are a primary reason to live, rather than living to be old
is a primary focus The Iliad for characters such as Achilles. In The Fall of Troy, the importance of honor is
forgotten is some ways which leads to danger. Although the focus of The Iliad seems to be on acquiring,
maintaining, and reestablishing honor, Hamilton’s account of The Fall of Troy seems to indicate the
danger of forgetting the importance of honor.
The forgetting of the importance of honor leads to an unbearable sight of not being able to cope
with cowardice which can result in death and rage. When Ajax doesn’t gain Achilles arms to Odysseus,
Ajax felt that this was a dishonorable feat, and that he didn’t deserve to live a dishonorable life. About
the honor of gaining Achilles’ arms it says, “It was not only that the man who won was honored; the
man who was defeated was held to be dishonored. Ajax saw himself disgraced and in a fit of furious
anger he determined to kill Agamemnon and Menelaus.” (278) Ajax is ashamed of losing to Odysseus
not only because he was dishonored, but because Odysseus was honored. This form of jealousy
increased Ajax’ rage because of not having the glory of maintaining honor which he previously had for
being a great warrior, but now lost. Ajax then beats a ram and slaughters animals all over a field because
of his rage for not winning the honor of having Achilles’ shield. Achilles goes on to say of rage, “‘And I
stand here alone, hateful to men and to gods. In such a state only a coward clings a life. A man if he
cannot live nobly can die nobly.’ He drew his sword and killed himself.” (279) Ajax can’t bear to live
without honor, and is initially forgotten by the assembly when they gave Odysseus the armor, and not
Ajax. This honor was so important to Ajax that when he didn’t have it, he couldn’t bear to live so he
drew a sword on himself. The assembly forgets how important honor is to soldiers such as Ajax, and as a
result of this, it leads to danger of human life.
When honor is lost, it still wants to be reestablished to people such as Priam, when he goes to
Achilles to retrieve Hector’s body back in order for it to be honored. Priam goes to Achilles to gain
Hector’s body back because he knows that was what Hector would have wanted the most, for his body
to be honored. Priam says to Achilles, “It’s all for him I’ve come to the ships now, to win him back from
you-I bring a priceless ransom.”(604 Homer) Priam suggests that honor is the most important thing to
Hector for when before him and Achilles fight, he wants to make a pact that the loser’s body is taken
care of, and honored. The focus is to keep honor for Priam and the Trojans, and is completed by
retrieving Hector’s body, which was the most important thing Hector would have wanted.
Honor is even a primary point of focus in small unimportant events such as games, where the
winner feels even the smallest bit of honor will be beneficial. Several soldiers step up in book 23 in order
to gain honor by winning events, and competitions. Maintaining honor is crucial to each soldier that
participates for they don’t want to be humiliated in front of the fellow Greeks. Epeus, a Greek soldier
says of honor and glory, “‘No Achaean in sight will knock me out and take her- I am the Greatest!” (580
Homer) The confidence of these soldiers is a way to keep their honor and explain that they are the best,
even in the smallest of matters of a boxing match, compared to a battle where matters are much more
important. This is also displayed when Ajax and Odysseus go at it in a wrestling match where they are in
a dead-lock, and Achilles steps in and gives them a share of the prize. Of the reaction of Odysseus and
Ajax it says, “And they listened gladly, nodding at decision, wiped the dust from their backs and pulled
their shirts on.” (582 Homer) Honor here is established by both soldiers in their will to maintain it, with
all their might and will. In the Fall of Troy honor is forgotten, which leads to rage and death, while in the
Iliad honor is maintained and established.