One of the characteristics of human is the ability to learn from mistakes and to hand down the knowledge through generations. This is achieved through stories passed down from one generation to the next. Many of these educational stories throughout the world caution against unchecked rage. One prominent example is The Iliad by Homer, which explores the effect of Achilles’ rage during The Trojan War. When Achilles allows his anger to impair his judgement, it results in the Achaeans almost losing the Trojan War and the death of Achilles’ best friend, Patroclus; as a result, The Iliad conveys an important lesson about the power of rage.
Achilles allows his rage to control him, which causes the Achaean army to suffer huge casualties, and results in the death of Patroclus, thus
…show more content…
highlighting the negative consequences of uncontrolled wrath. Homer begins the poem with the traditional invocation of the muse and addresses “the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles… / that cost the Achaeans countless losses” (I.1-2).
By intertwining the invocation of the muse with the consequences of Achilles’ uncontrolled rage, Homer centralizes the story around the cause and effect of Achilles’ anger. In addition, by associating Achilles’ anger with the casualties of the Achaeans, Homer puts Achilles at fault for the death of many Achaeans. As a result, highlighting the consequences of basing decisions on anger. Agamemnon disgraces Achilles, which enrages Achilles and causes him to withdraw from fighting. This results in the Trojans gaining the upper hand in battle because Achilles was the Achaeans’ best warrior. While attempting to convince Achilles to cease his rage and rejoin the war, Ajax states that “Achilles—/ he’s made his own proud spirit so wild in his chest, /so savage, not a thought for his comrades’ love—” (IX.768-769). Ajax’s disapproval of Achilles’ thoughtlessness is clearly conveyed through his words. This thoughtlessness is seen when Achilles’ rage blinds him to the appeals of his closest friends, he overlooks the severe casualties sustained by the
Achaean army and selfishly harbors his hatred of Agamemnon, even when Agamemnon is willing to reconcile and lavishly reward Achilles. Achilles’ denial of these attempts at reconciliation affects not only the physical aspects, but also in social aspects of his life, fully illustrating that anger causes rash and selfish decisions that can not only have physical consequences but also social consequences. In the end, Patroclus’ death causes Achilles to realize that “it’s wrong to keep on raging, heart inflamed forever” (XIX.78). The death of Patroclus causes Achilles massive grief and forces him to experience the consequences of his actions. Achilles fully understands the amount of death his wrath has caused to the Achaeans and realizes that rage has many consequences that are not limited to the physical world but also his reputation. Achilles’ realization of the negative aspect of rage allows the reader to fully understand both the physical and societal consequences caused by anger. Throughout most of the poem, Homer conveys the negative aspects of rage to the reader through the death of many Achaeans. However, Achilles also takes advantage of his rage and redirects it at the Trojans resulting in the tides of battle once again favoring the Achaeans, exemplifying the positive side of rage when controlled and directed at obstacles. After the death of Patroclus, Achilles redirects his rage from Agamemnon to the Trojans and “slaughter[s] on and on, never pausing, / killing Trojans and skittish battle-teams at once” (XXI.599-600). Achilles is portrayed as an unstoppable force that is fueled by his rage and desire for vengeance. Achilles directs his rage at the Trojans and utilizing it as a tool to avenge Patroclus’ death. This demonstrates the power of rage when controlled and used to achieve a goal. Furthermore, Zeus calls a council of gods and permits the gods to interfere with the battle since Achilles “with his rage inflamed for his friend’s death, / [Zeus] fears he’ll raze the walls [of Troy] against the will of fate.” (XX.35-36). Achilles uses his anger to fuel his fighting causing him to almost go against fate, prompting Zeus to step in to uphold fate and stop the premature fall of Troy. As a result, Achilles’ portrayal of being almost unstoppable is solidified. Evidently, Achilles successfully using his wrath to achieve his goals fully convey that sometime wrath is a powerful catalyst for success. Finally, Achilles faces off with Hector and “[drives] his spear and the point went stabbing through the tender neck” (XXII.385-386). Achilles avenges Patroclus by killing Hector. Achilles’ rage against Hector and the Trojans culminate in this single moment. Without the motivation from his anger, Achilles would not have fought as hard, which would result in a completely different battle. Achilles’ rage struck fear into the Trojan army causing them to retreat behind the wall of Troy, singling out stubborn Hector as the sole Trojan willing to face Achilles. This results in the enraged Achilles to easily kill Hector and avenge Patroclus. Fully demonstrating how when used correctly, rage can be used in conjunction with fear, can be used to manipulate and set up advantageous situations. Homer fully emphasizes the positive aspects of rage when directed towards obstacles. In addition, Homer also conveys a lesson on the productive power of rage. Rage is a powerful emotion with both negative and positive aspects as illustrated by Achilles whenever he allows his rage to control his actions, and whenever he controls his anger and directs it at the Trojans. In any case, Achilles’ rage against the Trojans is far shorter in length than his strife with Agamemnon suggesting that anger for the majority of the time, anger has severe consequences, but sometimes controlling rage allows the benefits to outweigh the consequences. The concepts of rage can be applied to many everyday tasks and is not only limited to the poem. For example, it is wrong to rage at everything that is not favorable, but sometimes when enraged, one is better able to focus on creating more favorable circumstances. Furthermore, while literature from many civilizations highlight the power of rage, The Iliad is one of the earliest.
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.
The question "was Achilles' anger justified" brings up issues that seem to have little or no relevance to the war. In time of war I would expect the leaders to prioritize the groups interest for the sake of unity and cooperation rather than being entrenched in achieving their own personal goals. But my expectations are those of a modern day literature student, I'm inclined to think that the Greeks who first read this epic valued different things than myself. Another relevant question might be "were Achilles' actions justified". Anger can be easily justified, but the actions that anger might lead you to take are not as easily justified. Again I am not an ancient Greek and my opinions are irrelevant unless I open my mind to different viewpoints. Therefore I am striving to look into this issue through ancient Greek eyes where the principle of sacrificing ones own interests was apparently not valued, but maintaining ones honor, on the other hand, was greatly valued. In the following paragraphs I will attempt to answer these two aforementioned questions.
Therefore, he should see that the curse was his fault and nobody else’s. Instead, he should put the people before himself. Achilles is the best warrior who was willing to help the king out with his problem. He gestures that “We Achaeans will pay you back, three, four times over” (line 150) illustrating how forgiving Achilles can be in spite of the problem that has approached them. This depicts that he has pride and does not want the people to suffer anymore.
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.
...Achilles enraged? His rage is a personal choice. He decides to confront Agamemnon. He decides to withdraw from the war. He decides to join the war after Patroclus' death. However, the gods do their parts in making sure that his destiny is carried out. Thetis has new armor made for him and encourages him to fight. Apollo taunts him. Athena intervenes, first to make sure he does not kill Agamemnon and then later to make sure that he does kill Hector. Zeus weighs his fate. Rage is the spawn of many emotions. Injustice, jealousy, un-holiness, revenge, and heartbreak are emotions that sparked Achilles' rage. Homer's tale, the Iliad, shows how Achilles' rage is his destiny.
In the modern world, people, as a society, have always given themselves a goal or goals that they would like to attain at some point during their lifetime. Many people seek to attain riches, love, happiness or high stature within society. When we people set that goal, we tend to mold our lifestyles around it. As people work throughout their lives to achieve this ultimate goal, it becomes apparent to others what it is we are working so hard for. Just as this pattern is evident in modern society, it can also be seen in the times of Homer, particularly in the great Greek epic, the Iliad. This distinct pattern can be seen in Achilles, one of the most vital characters in the story. Achilles, being the ultimate most powerful warrior of all time, wishes for nothing in his life but to be the most glorious man alive, mortal or immortal. It is this profound desire for glory and honor, that in the end leads to his demise. Achilles speech, given while he is distraught over the death of his closest friend Patroklos, is an excellent example of Achilles’ desire (Iliad, 18.79).
Achilles anger was a predominant theme in the Iliad. It led to Patrokolos, death, Hektor’s death and a great many other Trojan deaths. Achilles was a very powerful Greek warrior, he had many faults but one of his most prominent was his uncontrollable anger. Multiple times throughout the Iliad his anger had for reaching effects on the war and people around him. These effects were not usually favorable to anyone. There are three main occurrences that led Achilles’ anger down devastating paths. The first was when Agamemnon took Achilles’ girlfriend. When this happened, Achilles felt robbed because Brisies, his girlfriend, represented his might and the glory of his conquests. In the Greek culture, glory and honor were highly esteemed. This is why
Which can lead a person to getting revenge from either a person hurting you from the inside or having someone close die. This can cause emotional stress because it leads to questioning on how Achilles is an emotional guy when it comes to Patroclus being dead and comparing what Achilles thinking his father and leading him to. Achilles emotions towards Patroclus death made him think about how he lost one of friends because he let Patroclus pose as himself. In which, caused him to feel angry and wanting to get revenge on Hector for killing Patroclus. Also, Achilles becomes emotional when Priam asking him to think about his father and knowing that Achilles loved his father he became to
First off, Achilles talks about how sad he is about the death of Patroclus. Achilles groaned and answered, 'Mother, Olympian Zeus has indeed vouchsafed me the fulfillment of my prayer, but what pleasure is it to me, seeing that my dear comrade Patroclus has fallen—he whom I valued more than all others, and loved as dearly as my own life?
The Iliad, an epic poem written by Homer during the 8th century, introduces the idea of an individual’s morals and ethics in a war. Throughout the book, many battles take place, where both the Trojans and the Greeks try to show their pride and glory through bloodshed, where Homer starts to discuss the ideas of war and its effects on an individual. Homer displays the idea of how war can dehumanize a person through their actions.
...h Agamemnon and wishes that ‘strife could die from the lives of gods and men’… Not to avenge Patroclus by killing Hector would be a renunciation of all that he stands for and has lived by”. Even though “sorrow fell on Achilles like a cloud” (216), he went back out to the battlefield and killed Hector. It took a great deal of bravery for Achilles to face the man who killed his best friend but Achilles, being the hero that he was, got back into battle and killed him because he couldn’t let Patroclus’ death go unavenged.
The men of the Iliad are very emotional individuals; however, the emotions they express are consistently rage, pride, and jealousy. Achilles and Agamemnon jealously bicker over Briseis, a war prize that neither man particularly values. Agamemnon eventually returns her to Achilles with the admission that he never actually coupled with her; Achilles is less-than-enthused to have her back. Not only is Briseis, as a woman, regarded less as a human being as she is chattel, but the real issue dividing Agamemnon and Achilles is petty jealousy and pride. This is symptomatic of a general attitude among men that "might makes right," and the only priority is to exert a dominance over others whenever possible and at any cost. Achilles is willing to risk the lives of his compatriots and eventually forfeits his own life in pursuit of glory. Hector also loses his life and fails his family and country for glory despite having weighed the alternatives and con...
While book one of the Iliad opens with a description of Achilles’ rage, book twenty-four ends with the result of his reconciliation. While much of the war is affected by Achilles’ rage, it is his resolutions that develop him into a true hero. Achilles ' rage is displayed in two surges. The first instance being his withdrawal from battle due to a conflict with Agamemnon. Achilles ' second surge of rage is caused by the death of Patroclus. Each of these displays of rage are ended with reconciliation that changes Achilles as a man.
Homer makes it clear that Achilles is a man mainly driven by his hunger for glory. Achilles has all the traits of a superhuman from his strength to his incredible ability to fight on the battlefield. Even with these great abilities, it is hard for many readers to perceive him as a hero because of the way he acts. Homer takes this brief time period out of this whole ten-year war just to demonstrate how Achilles cannot control himself when he goes into a rage. In todays world Achilles would not last long as a soldier in any army because he would be court marshaled for insubordination. Achilles ye...
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.