Honor in the Iliad

Throughout The Iliad, the heroic characters make decisions based on a definite set of principles, which are referred to as the "code of honor." The heroic code that Homer presents to the reader is an underlying cause for many of the events that take place, but many of the characters have different perceptions of how highly the code should be regarded. Hektor, the greatest of the Trojan warriors, begins the poem as the model of …

…finally, challenges the Achaians to live up to the honorable precedent set by the book's fallen heroes. The characters in The Iliad base many of their actions on the code of honor. The warriors believe that the most dishonorable thing someone can do is refrain from fighting with his fellow soldiers, whereas Achilleus disagrees. Although a "code of honor" is present in the Iliad, many of the characters interpret and maintain it in different ways.