Leadership in Iliad

             The Headstrong and the Model Commander
             The Achaian army finishes breakfast, dons their armor and marches out onto the field. They then charge ferociously, screaming as loudly as they can, and thrusting their spears and swords into the flesh of any Trojan that steps into their path. Later, the Trojan army takes control of the battlefield. The soldiers grin as they tear the armor off their fallen enemies, they cheer and then push forward through the walls that the Greeks had previously depended on for safety. Yet, the soldiers do not simultaneously decide to do these things, and neither side is always so willing to die. Instead, leaders make the soldiers’ decisions; leaders motivate the crowds of men into a bloodthirsty crave. If there are no leaders in the Trojan War, the Greeks would probably just return home, if they had even come over in the first place, and the Trojans would be safe in their homes. The Iliad of Homer is full of important leaders who keep the war moving and the soldiers fighting. These men make themselves exemplar warriors by taking charge. They guide the behavior of their armies, inspire them, command them and make the big decisions quickly, but with thought. Most of the leaders in The Iliad are heroes too. Heroes protect their reputation and gain this reputation on the battlefield through killing and conquest. They respect their comrades, stand with them at battle, avoid excessive cruelty and injustice and follow the social and cultural ideas of their people. All the time they gain glory and dignity.
             Odysseus, Diomedes, Aias, Achilles and Aeneas are all such men of honor. The most important of these leaders, are their commanders, Agamemnon and Hektor, of the Greek and Trojan sides respectively. Of these two, Hektor proves to be the most influential and most powerful leader by far, overshadowing Agamemnon and his consistency to make unacceptable mistakes at the most important times. While both ...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Leadership in Iliad. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 19:07, January 20, 2017, from http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/72232.html