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The character of Achilles
Achilles literary analysis heroism
Analyze the character of Achilles in Iliad book 1
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ACHILLES VS. ODYSSEUS: WHO WAS THE BETTER MAN?
Both Achilles and Odysseus were great warriors who fought in the renowned Trojan war. Many people debate over which ancient warrior was more honorable and which one was more egotistical and arrogant. They both were heroes who deserve to be honored, but only one is superior to the other. Personally, I believe that Odysseus was by far the better man when compared to Achilles. He accomplished many great deeds that Achilles did not do, and was more down-to-earth.
The first reason that Odysseus was better than Achilles is his motive for fighting in the Trojan war. First of all, he had a wife and a young son that he would be abandoning, for what turned out to be twenty years. Second, when he was younger
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he had received a prophecy that if he was to partake in war, he would not return for twenty years. He also had a peaceful kingdom, and that could change if he partook in the war. These reasons show that Odysseus put his family and his kingdom before glory from war, but still went as it was his duty. Another reason I believe that Odysseus was better than Achilles is because he had a very sharp intellect and was cunning.
This is shown many times throughout The Odyssey, especially in his adventures sailing back to his kingdom in Ithaca. One example of his wit was when he told Polyphemus that his name was “Nobody” in The Odyssey. In this smart plan, he tried to escape the cyclops but gouging out his singular eye with a sharpened stick that had been burned in the fire. The reason Odysseus told Polyphemus that his name was “Nobody,” was so that when Polyphemus cried for help, all he could say is that “Nobody is killing me!” From this plan, I can deduce that Odysseus was a clever man who could come up with a brilliant plan on the …show more content…
spot. Victory was vital to Odysseus, and it should be to a great warrior. Odysseus survived ten years at war, but he never gave up or called it quits. He then attempted to sail back home to Ithaca, and that also took ten years. After Odysseus had returned home, he had yet another task, and that was to regain his kingdom from the suitors that wanted to wed his wife. All in all, Odysseus never gave up. He persevered through it all, just like the great warrior that he is. Though Odysseus is a great warrior, he is not perfect. Sometimes he can be arrogant and egotistical, as seen in both The Iliad and The Odyssey. At the end of Book 9 of The Odyssey, when his men are escaping from the cyclops Polyphemus, Odysseus shouts his name out to Polyphemus so that he can be remembered. This was quite arrogant and a big mistake, seeing as now Polyphemus could ask Poseidon for revenge on Odysseus. Poseidon did take revenge, and this caused the Ithacans more trouble. All in all, Odysseus was better than Achilles, but he is not flawless. Achilles was not as great as some make him out to be. He sulked in his tent for the majority of The Iliad, and when he finally fought, it was for personal revenge against Hector. Hector had killed Achilles’ friend Patroclus, and so that’s when Achilles decided to go to war. He had not gone to war when all the other soldiers were being killed, only for Patroclus. What’s ironic, is that the whole reason Patroclus went to fight Hector was because Achilles refused to fight. When Achilles finally went to war and killed Hector, he did it in a gruesome way. He tried to ruin the body. In Book 22 of the Iliad, it is said that Achilles tied Hector’s body to his chariot, and dragged it in the dirt. If it hadn’t been for Apollo saving his body, Hector’s body would have been long gone and rotted before Priam came to ransom his son’s body. A great warrior would not abuse his enemies like this. Yet another reason that Achilles was not as outstanding as Odysseus is his attitude.
The main theme of a book is usually stated in the first chapter or in the title of the first chapter. In the case of The Iliad, it is the wrath of Achilles. He had a bad temper, which caused him to sulk in his tent for the majority of The Iliad. Achilles was supposed to inspire and motivate his army, not hold them back because he wouldn’t fight. He was also very immature and defiant. He didn’t want to listen to anybody, and didn’t care that his enemies were also human beings. All of these traits show that Achilles was too immature to be a
leader. Achilles also had far too much pride and arrogance. He did not care for anyone but himself. While his hard working army was fighting in the war and possibly getting killed, he just pouted in his tent. When Achilles did kill his enemies though, he showed no restraint and indulged his temper, which is shown by how he lugged Hector’s dead body around and tried to ruin it. All things considered, Achilles had some good traits, but also some very bad ones. In conclusion, Odysseus was a better man than Achilles. Although Achilles has some good qualities, he also has many bad qualities. Odysseus has more good qualities than bad qualities, unlike Achilles. Odysseus accomplished many great deeds, was clever and cunning. Another one of Odysseus’ great qualities is that he was always faithful to his army and country. Both of these warriors were somewhat self-centered and egotistical, but Achilles was more, as shown all throughout The Iliad. Overall, I believe that Odysseus was the better man when compared to Achilles, for these reasons stated and more.
In Homer’s the Odyssey, Odysseus has many different qualities that classify him as a hero. He is brave and courageous as shown when he murdered all the suitors who were disrespecting his property even though he was outmanned by them. Despite this, he is by no means all brawn and no brain as he shows his intelligence and cunning numerous times during the epic. A few example of this would be when he was able to blind the one-eyed Cyclops while the rest of his crew didn’t know what to do. Odysseus in many ways is similar to a flowing river, because whenever there is a problem (dam in the river), he would first try to go through it, but if he can’t he would then find a way ar...
Odysseus, during his long journey, exhibited many heroic qualities including bravery, strength, and determination. He was determined to return to his family after hs journey, and he bravely fought to stay alive during the cyclope situation, as well as other situations, and showed strength by being able to battle the cyclopes in self-defense. However, Odysseus was also obnoxiously arrogant about his victory and was actually very selfish throughout his entire story; he almost did not leave his town to help with the war because he did not want to leave to protect his family. Although Odysseus exemplified heroic qualities, this does not make him a true hero.
Another instance that proves that Odysseus is a cunning person is when he is trapped in the Cyclops' cave. The Cyclops asks him his name and Odysseus tells him that his mane is "Nobody". This is a key part in his plan to escape, because he plans to kill the Cyclops but he knows that the Cyclops has friends nearby. Lines 454 through 455 shows why: "'Nobody, friends' --Polyphemus bellowed back from his cave-'Nobody's killing me now by fraud and not by force!'" So Odysseus escaped by blinding the Cyclops thus enabling he and his men to flee from the cave.
Odysseus?s cunning is cardinal to his survival and that of his men. He uses his cunning to get them out of several unpleasant situations. When they are captured by the Cyclops, he can not use the strength of his men to escape, so he must use his cunning to free them. He lies and tricks the Cyclops to get out, ??My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy?? (9.397-99). This clever deception stops the other Cyclops from helping Polyphemos helping them to escape. Odysseus also shows his cleverness when he returns to Ithaca.
When people think of Odysseus, they think of a great, cunning, warrior. Who wouldn’t see him that way, he fought his way through Troy and embarked on a journey back home to see his son and wife again. On the surface Odysseus seems like a genius but in Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows many instances where he outwits his foes but his foolishness heavily outweighs his smarts; he becomes boastful after a victory which leads to more hardships, he leaves precious cargo in the open for his brutish crew to mess with, and refuses help from the gods which nearly leads to his demise.
Odysseus has all the qualities made to be a true hero. Not only did Odysseus fight on behalf of the Greeks in Troy (Trojan War), but everything he went through he learned a valuable lesson at the end; Odysseus endured so much during his journey going back to Ithaca but he never gave up on any of his principles. He also had good escape strategies, and he risked his life to save others. Imagine you being on the same journey Odysseus went through, do you honestly believe you would have survived? He made some minor mistakes along the way but nobody’s perfect. That’s why Odysseus is a hero because, he’s strong, and intelligent and was able to get out of sticky situations.
Both Odysseus’s are calculating and sneaky and both commit acts of self-interest but the similarities end there and eventually head down two completely different paths. In The Odyssey, Homer shows that, despite all of his drawbacks (i.e. getting his shipmates killed by a sea monster without their knowledge), he is ultimately a heroic character due to his courage, bravery, sharp intellect and the rescue of his men from Circes home. In Euripides Hecuba, Odysseus is portrayed as a corrupt human being, without sentiment or empathy. He is a self-interested, cruel, and insensitive individual. There are no redeeming qualities about Odysseus and he never redeems himself throughout the play, replacing the thought of the great hero with a dark stain of misery and
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
...journey is less cyclical than Achilles' but similarly ends with his regret for the ravages of war. Odysseus is a flawed character, much like man himself, and his actions can only be fully accounted for by attributing them to the gradual progression of his soul. He is gifted, yet possesses shortcomings; insightful, yet blind; driven, yet lost. Achilles is divine, yet mortal; rational, yet contradictory; kind, yet vicious. Still, together they represent the ideals of Greek mythology and the weaknesses of mankind. They are in control of their own actions, but subject to fate. Through both heroes, Homer manages to convey some of the most fundamental features of human existence.
Overall, Odysseus is a hero because Odysseus is a clever and intelligent man, he is a courageous soldier and leader, and he is loyal to his crew. He never gives up even though it seems like nothing will go right. Odysseus fights against difficult odds and takes unimaginable risks, but stays loyal to his crew one hundred percent of the way. Odysseus is not only a model hero, but he is an epic
The first heroic characteristic of Odysseus is his cleverness. In The Odyssey, one of the instances where Odysseus displays cleverness is in his encounter with the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Polyphemus captures Odysseus and his men in the island Cyclopes, which was filled with other giants. Although it is expected among the Greeks to display hospitality to strangers, Polyphemus ends up eating some of Odysseus men. In order to escape the giant, Odysseus comes up with a clever plan. He offers Polyphemus wine in order to get the giant drunk. When the giant falls asleep, Odysseus stabs Polyphemus’ singular eye, blinding the giant. The giant naturally wakes up, and starts to try and recapture Odysseus and his men. Knowing that the giant’s shouting would most likely attract the attention of the other giants in the island, Odysseus replies to Polyphemus when the giant asks him his name that his name was “Noman.” But when Polyphemus shouts for help, none of the other giants come to his aid, since he is shouting “My friends, N...
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...
An analysis of The Iliad and The Odyssey show us that Achilles and Odysseus do have several qualities in common, but that they also have numerous makings that show the differences between the two epic heroes. Both of these men are very violent and kill in very vicious was, they are also very emotionally immature, and finally both Achilles and Odysseus are favored by Athena. With all those features in common they also have several things that make themselves stand out from each other. First off, their mindset is very different. Achilles is very linear minded; he doesn’t beat around the bush and gets straight to the point of why he wants to fight. On the other hand, Odysseus is much more deceptive and cunning; he is very strategic and is almost more powerful with how he makes you think and act towards him. Next, their reasons for fighting are very different. Achilles is fighting because it’s his destiny and it’s what he has to do, Odysseus is fighting to get home to his family whom he hasn’t seen in several years. Finally, their homecomings make these two characters very different. Achilles never does get a homecoming, he dies at the walls of Troy as he is fighting. Odysseus, in contrast does end up coming home to his wife and son, that is, after he fights off the suitors that
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.