The Importance of Honor and Virtue Essay example - 914 Words

The Importance of Honor and Virtue Two important characteristics for warriors are honor and virtue. Virtue is deemed to be the most important to a warriors life and it means achieving your greatest potential as a human being. The reward for great honor and virtue is fame (kleos), which is what guarantees meaning and value to ones life. Dying without fame (akleos) is generally considered a disaster, and the warriors of The Iliad do the most unimaginable deeds to avoid dying in obscurity or infamy. Other components of a warriors heroic code is courage, loyalty, generosity, mercy, dignity, decency, honor, stoicism and strength. This is the heroic code of honor that the warriors are taught throughout their life. It is the code†¦show more content†¦A great, fierce and most of all honored warrior. A warrior without honor does not have meaning in his life. Honor is more important than life itself. Akhilleus is considered to be the best warrior by far any other such as Hector. Akhilleus has all the characteristics of a great warrior, and proves that he is in the Achaean army, but he has character flaws that conflict with his ability to act with nobility and integrity. Akhilleus is arrogant to the point of being flawed; he is self-righteous and thinks of himself first and his immediate family second, which is a direct reflection of him. He needs to make sure that his family is safe and that no harm comes to them. If any harm comes to his family and he did not protect them it will reflect poorly on his ability of being a great warrior. Akhilleus is selfish and cruel and very barbaric, he appears to have two different sides to himself. He is evil on the way he conducts his business as a warrior but he has another side of him that seems to yearn for him to be one of the most cherished and loved warriors at the same time. Akhilleus is one of the warriors that are a classic over-achiever. He was taught how to excel since birth and to excel at everything he did. Doing things halfway correct or right was not an option for him. He wanted to always be first and the best in everything and would not allow anyone around him to fail or not excel either because it may reflect badly on himself as a warrior.Show MoreRelatedEssay about In Search of Virtue in Honors1668 Words   |  7 PagesIn Search of Virtue in Honors Of the three forms of friendship discussed by Aristotle—the useful, the pleasant, and the good—the ideal seminar most resembles the perfectly good friendship between â€Å"good men who are alike in excellence or virtue† (Aristotle 1156b). 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