Leadership Throughout the Iliad The Iliad, written by Homer, and translated by Stanley Lombardo is a tale of clashing between the Greeks, the Trojans, and the gods above them. Over the decades since the poem was first written, much debate has been made over who achieved the most leadership throughout. On one hand you are presented with the Trojans. Though the poem focuses mainly on the leaders and elites of the Greeks, it also allows insight into one of Troy’s most famous leaders, Hector. Hector was well known around Troy and was compared to the gods on multiple occasions. Hector showed great leadership throughout the story, however his aggressive personality became his biggest fault. On the other hand you are presented with multiple Greek elites who show qualities of leadership. Although this analysis will focus on King Agamemnon and the brave soldier Achilles, many other Greek warriors showed qualities of leadership such as Diomedes or Nector. Focusing on Agamemnon however, he showed headship by ruling over all of Greece. Unfortunately, he faulted in many areas also. Secondly comes Achilles who maintains a close relationship with the gods and posses superhuman strength, but is mainly concerned with his own legacy. With all of the men andheroeslisted previously, a case can be made that they showed the most leadership throughoutThe Iliad. Nonetheless, there is one man who stood out far more than any of the others when it came to leadership qualities inThe Iliad. A hero-like man by the name of Odysseus trumped all other characters in leadership assets. ThroughoutThe OdysseyOdysseus’s leadership qualities are controversial, howeverthroughoutThe IliadOdysseus shows the true leadership qualities he possesses. First off, Odysseus is very smart man. He sometimes speaks with the goddess Athena who gives him insight into certain aspects of the war. Secondly, Odysseus is very good with his words. Although some people see this as a negative quality Odysseus possesses, it allows him to send the messages from the gods throughout his fellow Greeks in desperate times. Lastly, not only was Odysseus skillful at the art of communication during war, but also he was also very skilled when it came to battle. (Page 211) To truly understand how Odysseus showed the most leadership qualities throughout the poem, one must first understand why the other elites were inferior.
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