In Greek myth, Sisyphus repeatedly rolls a giant boulder up a mountain and then rolls it back down from the top each time. He is serving a sentence of eternal suffering for trying to escape death and Hades. Like Sisyphus, the warriors of Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey suffer consequences when they push the boundaries of human achievement. Men try to win the glory of their fathers, the glory of their sons and above all the glory of themselves (The Iliad 6:529). They seek power and omnipotence – an ultimate and unattainable goal. Fathers collect honors and set difficult standards, and their sons strive to surpass them. This endless quest is at the center of the father-son relationships involving the heroes Hector and Achilles of The Iliad. Likewise, in The Odyssey, Odysseus and his son Telemachus also face important responsibilities in a world that embraces lineage and recognizes a man's superiority in the honor accumulated by his lineage. Fathers and sons embark on endless quests for glory. In the Sisyphean challenge to conquer power and glory that underlies father-son interactions, Homer's two epic poems reflect each other and offer a deeper understanding of the patriarchal society of ancient Greece. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayAccording to MI Finley in Ulysses' World, the "perfect symbol" of power is the "father" (Finley 81). Patriarchates promote the primacy of the father as a social ideal; paternal relationships are not strictly biological but extend to all power dynamics. In The Limits of Heroism, Mark Buchan argues that the male-centered, stratified, power-based Homeric structure makes the man's status as father the cornerstone of "masculine identity" (Buchan 171 ). Status is the basis on which a man's worth is judged. Being a “father” inherently implies having a great influence on your son and on men in general. A father strives to fulfill his position as a hero in the eyes of his son. He earns his son's idolatry by earning the respect of the men around him - by earning honor for his strength, for his wisdom, or for his talents. His essential objective is to become “the great tactician” or “the fast runner” (The Iliad 10:173, 22:230). To be his son is to succeed him. The accepted principle for all father-son relationships is that a father's world is continued by his son. The son must correspond, for example, to the surname “Ulysses, royal son of Laertes”, or “Incomparable son of Peleus”, Achilles (The Odyssey 18:29, 11:630). Once a son comes of age, he is expected to live up to his lineage, protect his father's honor, and perform deeds that he himself can pass down. A son must strive for greatness – in chariot races, in war, in politics, in one form or another. Paradoxically, the expectations placed on the father and son pose a problem. There is no limit to honor. How does a man complete his quest? A man accomplishes unimaginable feats, and even after becoming a hero among the people and the father of many sons, he still strives to achieve greater glory. It is an incessant struggle similar to that of Sisyphus; generations of men - fathers, sons - scale an insurmountable cliff, hoping that their names will be etched in history and power stored in their bloodlines. To have power - "whether over things, over men (by other men or by some god), or over men and gods together (by Zeus)" - isthe main focus of the fathers and sons of The Iliad and The Odyssey (Finley 81). In Greek patriarchal society, the father is the leader “by force” (Finley 81). The men of the Homeric epics, in the hope of one day acquiring or assuming the father figure, seek to prove their “power”. Hector, for example, “betting everything” on his strength, tries to assume his role as father of Astyanax and son of King Priam (The Iliad 22: 128). Hector pursues the complementary goals of being the victorious warrior of glory and being a father and son. Ultimately, Hector does not fight the Achaeans out of social obligation; “The hero’s honor is purely individual…he fights only for himself and for himself” (Finley 119). Since glory is passed down from generation to generation, fighting for oneself also means fighting for that of one's son and father. Every father dreams of glory for his son “when he returns from battle with the bloody equipment of the mortal enemy he has killed” (The Iliad 6: 572-573). At the same time, each son hopes to have as a father "the bravest fighter he can field, these Trojan horses who break the stallions" (The Iliad 6: 548-549). The honor earned by father and son will inevitably be compared and immortalized both. The Greek notion that internal value is reflected externally and that the duty of a son or father (at his peak) is to seize honor and power animates Hector. For Astyanax, for Priam and for himself, Hector confronts Achilles and destiny. When Hector dies, Priam laments in the presence of his surviving sons: “If only you had all been killed on the fast ships instead of my dear Hector” (The Iliad 24: 300-301). Priam's condemnation of his surviving sons as "good for nothing" embodies Hector as the ideal son, recognizing him for fulfilling his role (The Iliad 24:284). Through the character of Hector, the destructive quality of the father-son relationship is evident. There are no limits to greatness – there is no ceiling to power – and men often find themselves in a Sisyphean endeavor. Hector is willing to die for Troy and his family, even though his death dooms them both. Similarly, the father-son relationship between Peleus and Achilles has a devastating impact on the “harsh and merciless” warrior (The Iliad 9:771). ). In Troy, Achilles' thoughts often drift to his old father in Phthia, "with no one to defend him" (The Iliad 24:573). Achilles cannot physically “defend” his father; however, he can protect his and his father's honor. Because Peleus has no direct influence in Troy, an “adoptive” father sheds more clear light on Achilles’ relationship with his father (Buchan 173). As Achilles' “adoptive” father, King Priam appeals to Achilles: Remember your own father, great divine Achilles – as old as I, beyond the threshold of mortal old age! but at least he learns that you are still alive and his old heart rejoices, the hope growing, day by day, of seeing his beloved son return from Troy. (The Iliad 24: 570-576) With these words, Priam draws a parallel between himself and Achilles' father, Peleus. Priam's situation largely resembles that of Peleus. Hector is the rampart of Troy; Achilles is the rampart of Phthia. Furthermore, unbeknownst to Priam, Peleus will never see his son alive again, as Achilles' destiny is to die at Troy. “The old man's words arouse in Achilles 'the desire to mourn his father'. The killer, for a brief moment, became a man again, responsible for childhood and death", describes Rachel Bespaloff (Bespaloff 80). She is reminded why he is ready to shed his blood: it is for his glory , for his father The triangle formed by Priam, Peleus and Achilles reflects the tragedy born of a son's quest for greatness..