In Homer’s ancient work The Iliad, there are many forces of leadership at work, both strong models and poor examples. The two focal leaders in The Iliad are Agamemnon and Achilles. Both these characters exemplify leadership, but in drastically different ways. Agamemnon is immediately recognized as an authority because of his political standing; he is the leader in all technical meanings of the word. However, on Achilles part, it is his character and actions that earn him the recognition of a leader. There is one vital aspect to strong leadership, and that is the relationship that the leader has with his followers; what binds him to them and what binds them to him. On Agamemnon’s part, his only claim to his followers was their civic responsibility …show more content…
He was self-aware, where Agamemnon was self absorbed. Achilles acts and speaks in ways that gather forces behind him, even in otherwise selfish acts. For example, in chapter one when he withdrew from battle to protect his injured pride (27). By doing that, he was actually preserving his image. His actions sent a message that he was to be respected no matter what. Also, the fact that he contended with the top man drove his point home: he demanded respect. A man capable of capturing the respect and admiration of an army is a man capable of leading an army; inspiring them, stirring them to bravery, to courage, to wrath, to love, to sorrow, to indignation, to arms, to war. He understood the importance of the way the men viewed him, and knew exactly how to manipulate this to his advantage. Achilles was socially aware, whereas Agamemnon neglected his social …show more content…
He remained headstrong, stubborn and selfish in his actions, even warranting rebuke from the men on certain occasions. This is seen in the very first conflict that is witnessed on the pages of The Iliad. Agamemnon is faced with the request to give up his war prize, and immediately and indignantly decides against all the council of the army in order to keep his prize of a woman (28). With this decision, he sought his own desires selfishly and disconnected himself from the men he was meant to lead. Granted, he possessed a strong will, a thing very necessary for good leadership. He had no problem exercising authoritativeness, yet Achilles beat him in every other aspect, and all but matches his stubbornness and strong will. Overall, Achilles comes out the true leader, regardless of Agamemnon’s superior rank. Achilles turns the tide of battle where Agamemnon cannot and commands respect when his commander makes a fool of himself. The young Dardan understood the importance of connecting with an audience; an army. He captivated, he manipulated, he stirred up, and he inspired. An important concept can be taken from observing these two examples, and that is that there is more to leadership than securing the office or simply the position. Being a good leader is an art; constantly striven toward, never fully
Odysseus and I have both shown leadership. In the Odyssey he was explaining to his men to tie him to the mast so he would not succumb to the sound of the sirens. Odysseus showed leadership by knowing he had to be available to lead his men, not under the spell of the Siren. Odysseus states “The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the water made me crave to listen, and I tried to say untie me!’ to the crew, jerking my brows; but the bent steady to the oars” (933).
Leadership is a difficult quality to obtain. There are many characteristics that person needs to have in order to be considered a leader. Most important characteristics to have while in charge are intelligence, common sense, cautiousness, and bravery. Two leaders that are well-known in history are Maria Theresa of Austria and Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. This epic poem has a main focus of leadership and it is a great piece of text to get the reader to ask questions and try to find out the characteristics that make a good leader.
Since man was created, some of us were born to be a leader, some of us were born to feed off those who strive, and some of us were born to be both, to lead and to follow. However, we all look for those qualities in what makes a good leader, a good leader. What makes them stand out from the rest? Good leadership is doing what’s right
However, examples within the literary narrative of the Odyssey leaves the discussion open with regards to his leadership. Thus, the question of leadership supersedes the topic of Arete. Was Odysseus the ideal leader or did he portray undesirable leadership tendencies? The examples that will presented will illustrate that Odysseus hubris, risk taking prowess, and at times unwillingness to follow instructions often placed his crew in danger as he journeyed Ithaca.
The Odyssey is that same thing with leadership because Odysseus showed leadership by helping his men get to
Dwight Eisenhower once said, "The supreme quality of leadership is integrity." Odysseus displayed a lack of integrity and poor leadership by not fully communicating all the facts of the situation
However, in the end Agamemnon took Achilles’ girl, Briseis, which really hurt Achilles in the end. These warriors took a lot of pride in the things or people that they
A powerful leader shows the strength of a lion and the wisdom of an owl. One gets their men out of any predicament they may find themselves in while staying mostly intact. It’s difficult, but the main character Odysseus often makes the correct and moral decision. Intelligence is greatly valued in the world of ancient Greece and Odysseus is fortuitous enough to have it. In The Odyssey, intelligence is seen as an important trait to the Greeks because quick thinking and careful decisions shows a great likelihood of becoming a strong leader.
When Odysseus reveals himself to the men, numerous of his men try to kill him, “He drew his own sword as he spoke, a broadsword of fine bronze, honed like a razor on either edge. Then crying hoarse and loud he hurled himself at Odysseus” (XXll. 80-82). Thereafter, revealing himself Odysseus killed the men. The leadership he has between he and his men lacks.
Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another. In the Odyssey, Odysseus needed to make a lot of decisions that are right for himself and his crew. He needed to get out of hard situations without loosing crew member or loosing his own life. Odysseus was a strong leader and did everything he could to help his crew because he needed to find a way out Cyclops' cave and he needed to choose whether or not he wanted to lose 6 crew members or lose everything.
Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, however, what gives someone the title of a good or bad is decided by the decisions they make and how those decisions affect others. Odysseus led the squadron of soldiers in the trojan horse and is a hero of the Trojan War and the king of Ithaca. Consequently, this gives him experience when it comes acting in difficult situations. This experience should guide him to choose correctly when being put in a tight spot.
Odysseus and I both have demonstrated leadership. After their fierce encounter with the cyclops, Odysseus lead the men away safely with minimum casualties and kept his wits. In the Odyssey, Odysseus said, “Old shipmates, friends, the rest of you stand by; I’ll make the crossing in my own ship, with my own company, and find out what the mainland natives are.” (898) Odysseus’s leadership kept his men together and their trust in him. He was one of the first ones off the ship to lead his men into the unknown land.
"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way". During the whole story Odysseus was showing to get back to Ithaca. Odysseus saves his men many times in different places. For example, he saved his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters and sacrificed himself when he listened to the Sirens. Odysseus was a strong leader and did everything he could to help his crew because in the Lotus Eaters he brought his men back and he protected his men from the Sirens.
Iliad is recognized as one of the most famous ancient monuments of literature. The full understanding of this epic poem is hardly possible without thorough analysis of its main characters. Among all the episodes of the Trojan War, Homer chooses the moment of Achilles’ wrath and thus creates a poem in which he becomes the central figure. From the Ancient Greeks’ point of view, Achilles represents the ideal of manliness and pure heroism, for he is brave and fights for heroics, not profits. Today, one can agree with this interpretation, yet Achilles is probably the most controversial character because he combines various personality traits and acts in accordance with his ambiguous nature.
He disrespected the Greek God Apollo by taking his a women loyal to him. Not only did he take a women, we can only assum and imegin what she had to endour. Agamemmnon was so proud in fact it litarly took a plauge for him to return the women. That was not the last pride made Agamemmnon fool. He then is upset , and takes a woman from Achilles, we call that being a hater.