Achilles's Fault In The Iliad Essay

The Iliad: Achilles’ Faults

The Iliad, is one of Homer’s greatest novels ever written and is considered the oldest work in the western world is still being read in today’s age. The Iliad was written in 750 B.C. and is a tragedy about the Trojan War in 1150 B.C. The war is between the Trojans and the Greeks. Even the Gods have a role in the war too. “Homer was a Greek epic poet that flourished in 750 B.C. (“Homer”). Being a genius in his time, Homer was skillfully able to write about the events that take place and create depth in his writing. Homer creatively uses similes and foreshadowing. The characters on both sides of the story are carefully crafted so as the war wages on the identities and actions of the characters speak loudly. Homer’s

Achilles personality has not much to recommend him other than his fighting capabilities. He is headstrong, ignorant, selfish, and conceited. In the story his emotions take charge. Wrath, rage, greed, vanity, pride, honor and loyalty are his allies. Achilles lives for fighting and being known to everyone he only takes into consideration his own needs and wants. Vanity flatters him and his envy and wrath paves the way to ultimately causing his own death, of course this doesn’t happen until after he sees what his foolish actions have caused him and he suffers greatly. At the end before his death, there seems to be a come- around for Achilles, his character shifts slightly after seeing the effects he has caused. However, his change in character is short

Basically, Achilles asks for victory and doesn’t care if his friends are slain in the process. Achilles no thinking this through all the way, doesn’t catch that he would lose his closest and dearest friend named Patroclus and would suffer greatly for it. Patroclus alongside Achilles wearing his armor is a strong fighter and is able to kill many Trojans, however it isn’t long before Patroclus kills Zeus’ son Surpedon and Zeus’s will allows Hector to kill Patroclus as a result. Even Zeus before Patroclus was slain spoke to Hera about Achilles being the hero of the Greeks and only he can lead the victory over the Trojans and the fate of the Trojans was already sealed. Multiple points throughout the story Achilles is reminded about the events to happen and Homer gives the details through foreshadowing those events. Later on in Book 18 of The Iliad, Achilles in grief is talking with his mother Thetis she tells him “You’re doomed to a short life, my son, from all you say! For hard on the heels of Hector’s death your death must come at once-” (Homer 470).

Achilles does acknowledge his impending death and the doom he caused in his own rashness and quick decisions. Through his grief and despair he pushes on through the fight, Achilles doesn’t go straight into a vengeful move against Hector instead he waits until preparations are in the meantime before he can