The Achilles heel: many wonder where the name comes from. It’s the symbol for the Greek Hero Achilles. The achilles heel is a term used because its a point of weakness to Achilles. Achilles is the greatest Greek hero who ever lived because he was nearly invincible, and a great soldier, especially through the Trojan War. Achilles is the greatest because he is nearly invincible. His mother burned him over a fire and Dipped him in the river of Styx. She feared that he was mortal so she went through practices to make sure he wouldn’t become mortal. This later made him one of the most powerful Greeks, he fought many battles and won most of them and would never get killed. That’s what he thought anyway, but when his mother dipped him in the river of Styx. The River of Styx is what separates the land of the living and the land of the dead. …show more content…
(“Achilles”) Spartans were fearless warriors that fought in any condition no matter the situation. The soldiers he brought with him to battle were Myrmidons they weren’t complete spartans but pretty close. The Trojan War started because Paris and Queen Helen fell in love and Paris took her to Troy which furiated the King. He not only took the Queen, but also some of the Kings riches. All of this started the war and it all lasted for around ten years. He felt the needed to serve as a soldier not only for him but for others. This is what made him a well known Greek Hero, not only from his near invincibility, but for his outstanding achievements, and noble qualities. He was extremely caring, and would sacrifice himself for his family. The one bad thing about him is he was angered really easily, especially when he didn’t get what he wanted. Achilles had an arch enemy in his days of fighting, and his name was Agamemnon the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of the city
hroughout the Iliad Achilles shows how the ego of a Kardashian is being portrayed and the emotional maturity of an eight-year-old because of the certain adult qualities he lacks, for example: he does not work well with others, he lacks the concept of forgiveness, he is selfish, thinks highly of his self without regard to others, being rude and unkind, aggressiveness when talking to others, and having too much pride and not thinking about the consequences of his actions and how it can affect not only him but others as well. Achilles does not like to work with others he prefers to be the one in charge of everybody and he likes for everyone to do as he says. In the Iliad Agamemnon says, "This man wants to be ahead of everyone else he wants to rule everyone and give orders to everyone" (1.302-303). Achilles and Agamemnon are having an argument amongst one another because no one wants to give Achilles the honor he feels that he deserves for being the best fighter in the war and for all the blood sweat and tears he shed while defeating the Trojans "he is a mighty bulwark in this evil war" as Nestor says.
...he heroic figure in Greek literature by living out the destiny that the gods set out for him.
He was the leader of the feared Myrmidons and had fifty ships. Everyone feared him, as it says in the Iliad about the Trojans and how afraid they were of his cry. He was also a good speaker, which allowed him to motivate his men and fight like none other. “‘Let’s move quickly now to get our troops back into battle so I can confront the Trojans and test their will to bivouac among our ships. They will more likely be thankful to rest their knees at day’s end if any of them gets out of this alive.’ He spoke, and the Greeks cheered.” (19.80-86) This speech motivated his men to get up and fight again, causing many Trojan deaths. But he was better as a doer of deeds than a speaker of words. He was nearly invincible, and everyone knew it. When he got into a battle, he cut down people almost nonstop, killing dozens in short periods of time. He killed many of the Trojan’s important leaders, including Hector. In the end, he was only killed by Apollo's intervention. Because of his motivating speeches and deeds as a warrior, he is a Homeric
Achilles in a way could be considered selfish because of the fact that he abandoned war for the simple reason that Agamemnon took Briseis away from him. This conflict makes Achilles almost seem to appear like a child who did not get his way. However, because of his immature actions, Achilles is practically jeopardizing the chance of the Achaeans winning the war because of his absent presence. Another example of Achilles acting
The facts of this conflict are all pretty straight forward and by recounting the facts I hope to bring to light the truths that justify Achilles' anger. First off Agamemnon had distributed the booty fairly and all the more powerful Achaeans had gotten a concubine, Agamemnon just happened to choose the daughter of one of Apollo's priest. When Apollo sends a plague to the Achaean camp Achilles' concern for his comrades leads him to call an assembly with the purpose of interpreting the plague and taking necessary action. Agamemnon reluctantly agrees to return his concubine to her father if he is repaid another concubine by one of the other powerful Achaeans. At this Achilles stands up for himself and the other Achaeans, he insults Agamemnon by saying that Agamemnon claims his greatness. When Agamemnon takes Achilles' concubine, Achilles probably expected the other Achaeans to stand up for him as he had done for them earlier. But he is left alone. His honor insulted by a man that he had served loyally. Humiliated, by a group of people to whom he owed nothing. A great sense of betrayal overcame Achilles.
Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, is portrayed as a hero in some ways but, on the other hand, performs some controversial acts in the Iliad. Throughout the entire Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent after Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis.
He had outstanding abilities and was the best fighter on the Greek side, which is also something that made him a hero to the Greek.
First off, Achilles has a few heroic characteristics. I don’t want to compare him to any other heroes I’ve studied because I don’t like him, but I’d say Odysseus, because they fought for the same goal in the Trojan War. But personally, I think he is a sissy for not fighting throughout the entire Trojan War until things got personal because Hector killed his friend. But hey, killing Hector in his blind rage helped the cause, and thusly his people. So he isn’t all that bad. Then, as N.S. Gill will write, Achilles does this. “An enraged Achilles kills Hector and then dishonors the body by dragging it around tied to the back of a chariot for 9 days.” So, yeah, Achilles is kind of a prick. But then again, Achilles reflects the moral codes of the culture that bore him, so in a strange way, he is the embodiment of a hero. To them at least. To me, he seems to have good ...
...s body back to Priam, and demonstrates respect to Agamemnon’s couriers when they take Briseis away from him; but, his relevance to modern society is limited. Being physically strong is not important to a modern hero, because it is not a necessary trait in order to make a difference in the world. Athletes are not looked up to because they are strong and fast, but because of their willingness to succeed and their work ethic. When Achilles acts honorably, he is not making hard decisions that affect his and others lives; he is just giving into his conscience. Also, being respectful is expected from everyone in today’s world; the President is not rude to a citizen just because he has the power to be, because our constitution fights for our rights. Perhaps the only thing valuable that Achilles brings into the modern world is his intelligence, which will always be valued.
In the introduction of the Essential Illiad given by Sheila Murnaghan, Achilles is labeled as “the greatest of the Greek heroes”. In classic mythology a hero is a person of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits and is often the offspring of a mortal and a god. Achilles was the greatest fighter among the Greeks or Trojans and feared no man in battle. He was also the offspring of a mortal and a god so by classic mythology definition, Achilles was indeed a hero. A hero is defined by the present day Websters Dictionary as: “one who inspires through manners and actions; an individual who leads through personal example and accomplishments requiring bravery, skill, determination, and other admirable qualities.” Achilles, in no manner, fits this definition. By contemporary standards, he is instead a pathetic villain. Aside from being a kidnapper, rapist and murderer, Achilles proves to be emotionally weak, selfish, and malicious. Many times throughout the Illiad, Achilles is also referred to as “godlike”. The gods of Greek mythology were subject to the same emotions and character flaws as humans, and though privileged to some foresight, the gods had similar mental capacities as humans. What really set the gods apart were their powers (controlling the elements, changing their appearance, etc.), great strength, and immortality. Because of his great strength and apparent invincibility, it is easy to see why Achilles would...
The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability o...
Achilles is introduced into The Iliad getting into a debacle with the leader of the Greek army, Agamemnon, during the last year of the Trojan War. Achilles starts a quarrel with Agamemnon because he has demanded possession of Achilles’ woman, Briseis, in consolation for having to give up his woman, Chryseis, so that the gods will end their plague upon the Greek soldiers. Achilles does all he can to get his loved one back, but he knows that nothing will waver Agamemnon’s decision. This is when Achil...
A large source of Achilles anger started with his fight with Agamemnon. Apollo put a plague on the Achaean soldiers that was killing them off. The only way to stop this from killing them all was to give back a priest’s daughter who had been captured. This girl “belonged” to Agamemnon and he didn’t want to give her up unless he got Achilles girl in return. This would disgrace Achilles honor but he could not let any more soldiers be killed so, he reluctantly let her go. But in return for giving up his girl he withdrew from the battle. Much of Achilles anger is a result of this occasion but the death of Patroklos later overrode his previous anger to Agamemnon.
Because he embodied Greek ideals, was ‘immortalized’ through his actions and glorious death, and was courageous, Achilles was an epic hero. Honor was of the utmost importance to both him and the entire Greek society, he chose to die a hero in battle, and he avenged the death of Patroclus even through mourning; Achilles is the true hero of the Iliad.
The fact that the opening lines of the epic are about Achilles’ power and the people he has killed as a soldier on the Greek side show the huge importance given to him and his power. In his confrontation with Agamemnon regarding Chryseis, he tells Agamemnon that the Greek people want him to give Chryseis back to her father, the priest. This is an example of his great status among his people – he represents them, the one that lets Agamemnon hear their voice.