Achilles
Achilles was the half god, half mortal who was the hero of the Trojan War. His mother was the Nereid Thetis, who is known for her many interventions in the affairs of both gods and mortals. His Father was Peleus, a mortal, but it took a while for his mother and father to get together. Nereid had many offers from the gods Zeus and Poseidon, who were brothers, but she refused both of them. Some say she refused Zeus because Hera had raised Thetis when she was a child, but this angered Zeus and to punish Thetis he commanded that she would not marry a god but a mortal.
Thetis was not happy to wed a mere mortal and complained that it was an insult to her status. So when Peleus tried to claim his bride she refused him and changed her form, first into a bird, then a tree, and finally into a tigress, scaring Peleus letting her go. Proteus, a son of Poseidon, instructed Peleus to not let go of Thetis no matter what form she took. When Thetis turned into fire and water Peleus still held on, and, in admiration of his perseverance, she finally agreed to be his wife. Ironically, the wedding of Thetis and Peleus was the cause of the Trojan War, the war in which Achilles died in.
Seeing how Achilles was half god and half mortal, his mother wanted him to me immortal. So she took him to the river Styx , which was a river found in the underworld and anyone who bathed in it became invulnerable. She dipped Achilles in the river, holding him by his ankle, which was eventually the cause of his death. Some other theories on how Achilles became immortal are that “Thetis would hold him over the fire to get rid of the mortal elements inherited from Peleus, and that in the daytime she would anoint his body with Ambrosia”. Peleus was said to have caught Thetis doing this to their infant child and when he did he got very angry with Thetis and she ran out on both of them. “Peleus chanced upon his infant son in the fire one night and freaked out on Thetis. In disgust she tossed down the child and left both him and Peleus, rejoining her fellow Nereid’s. Thetis never stopped caring for her son, however, and always kept an eye out for his welfare.
In the Iliad, Achilles is the main protagonist. He is a demi-god and is the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus who was the King of the Myrmidons. He was a Greek hero of the Trojan War. He falls in love with a battle prize called Briseis. He is to portray, “as a brave, loyal, cocky, intelligent and even superhuman soldier. In Achilles ' case, the word "superhuman" is literal; he is the result of a union between a god and a mortal.”(Harvard 1)
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 Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.
In Song of Achilles the only gods that are really interacting with the humans are Thetis, Chiron and Apollo. One thing that today’s audience has in common with Homer’s is the belief that god or gods play a big part in our lives. Miller defers from the original material by making Thetis a more prominent and different character than we see in The Iliad. “She leaned closer still, looming over me. Her mouth was a gash of read, like the torn-open stomach of a sacrifice, bloody and oracular. Behind it her teeth shone sharp and white as bone” (pg.54). In The Iliad Thetis is seen as a beautiful immortal goddess and loving mother, but in Miller’s version she is cruel and distant and that makes Achilles seem more like a victim. Thetis also reminds us of an overbearing mother who disapproves of her son’s choices and relationships.
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...
The Greek army’s greatest warrior during the Trojan War, Achilles was born of the goddess Thetis and the mortal Peleus. (Murnaghan, 1997, p.xxv)“Strong, swift and godlike” as Lombardo translating Homer puts it (1997, p.5), his presence on the battlefield reverberated fear through his enemies. Being a general in the Achaean army, his original rationale as to engage...
Achilles and Hector had many similarities. Both Achilles and Hector were respected by the people whom they fought for.”Personally to Achilles to control his temper, since he is, For all Greeks, a mighty bulwark in this evil war” (237). This shows that even when Achilles was wrong; his people still respected him, because he was their meal ticket to the war. He was the only chance the Greeks had in defeating the Trojans. Many warriors looked up to him and the Greeks depended on him. The Achaeans supported Achilles while the Trojans rooted on Hector. Each man was respected and viewed as a hero. Although their love is different, it is obvious that each man has love in his heart. Achilles loves Briseis, his mother Thetis, and his
The Greeks also had their share of icons and heroes. They admired Jason and his quest for the golden fleece, and Perseus, the killer of Medusa, but their finest heroes come from Homer’s Iliad: Hector and Achilles. Hector was the best warrior in Troy and the son of Priam, the king of Troy. Achilles was the great warrior of the Greek army and killed Hector. The Greek citizens, siding with their own nationality, declared the Greek warrior Achilles the hero of the Trojan War, but since ancient Greece no longer exists an unbiased view of the Ilia...
In the beginning of Achilles’ life, the Greek goddess, Themis, prophesized that he would either die young and famous in battle or live a long nonexistent life without battle. His mother, Thetis, took this as a death omen and placed Achilles in the magical waters of the Styx River. She did this to help him be immortal but did not account for the area that she held, his ankle, to be left vulnerable (Claybourne). This beginning to his life leads him to believe that he was better than anyone else because the gods protected him. It is him believing that he is superior that leads to his fatal flaw of being egotistical.
Achilles is the son of Peleus and the goddess Thetis. It is evident that he loves his father and holds him dearly in the scene of Priam’s speech. Priam appeals to him as a father, and reminds Achilles of his own father:
In Gilgamesh, we find a hero who is created by the gods; yet he is part human: "Two thirds they made him god and one third man" (14). He seeks the protection of the gods and draws upon their wise counsel. Achilles is also of mortal-immortal heritage. Although he is often referred to as "son of Peleus" (a mortal), his mother, the sea nymph Thetis, had dipped him as a child in the River Styx causing him to be immortal everywhere except the heel by which she held him (?Achilles? par 2). Not unlike Gilgamesh, Achilles seeks the wise counsel of the gods and entreats his mother to use her diplomatic skills to gain favor with the other gods. He attempts this when he tells Thetis, "Go to Olympus, plead with Zeus/ if you ever warmed his heart with a word or any action" (I, 468-69).
Aeneas and Achilles were very similar; they both had mothers who cared deeply for them. Achilles was gifted his shield and
The Iliad may be seen as an account of the circumstances that irrevocably alter the life of one man: Achilles, one of the greatest warriors. Throughout the course of the poem Achilles goes through many ordeals that change his character immensely. Starting with his quarrel with Agamemnon and withdrawal from battle, to the death of Patroklos, and with the slaying of Hektor. Achilles emotions and actions decide the fate of many warriors on both sides. Achilles struggles with anger, honor, pride, loyalty and love make the poem more that just a gruesome war story.
Achilles is related to God that he is the son of Peleus who is the king of the Myrmidons and the nymph Thetis who is the daughter of Sea God. His two good friends are Briseis and Patroclus . Otherwise,The two closest person to him is his mother and his friend Patroclus who is Greek warrior. That show when Hector killed his friend Patroclus , then Achilles was very sorrow "I sat by the ships, a useless burden, though there are better in Assembly- so may this strife of men and gods be done with."( Lines 104-107).When he has confidence, he will shared it to his mother. ...