Achilles Unchecked Rage In Homer's Iliad

1015 Words3 Pages

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…

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

Open Document