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Literary essays on achilles
Literary essays on achilles
Analyze the character of Achilles in Iliad book 1
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The decision whether if Achilles is selfish or self-preserving is quite debatable. In some scenarios he might seem to be selfish, but in others it looks as if he is just being self-preserving. However, in order to choose a final answer, one must know the background information that lies within this debatable question.
Achilles was known to be the strongest warrior fighting on the side of the Achaeans. He was looked up to by many. So the question comes up, why would Achilles abandon the battle if he was so greatly praised by the other Achaean warriors? Well, Achilles grew angry because Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaeans, took his friend, Briseis. So in return, Achilles resigned from battle.
Achilles in a way could be considered selfish because of the fact that he abandoned war for the simple reason that Agamemnon took Briseis away from him. This conflict makes Achilles almost seem to appear like a child who did not get his way. However, because of his immature actions, Achilles is practically jeopardizing the chance of the Achaeans winning the war because of his absent presence. Another example of Achilles acting
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selfish is when Odysseus, Phoenix, Ajax, and later on, Patroclus all go and beg for Achilles to return to battle because without him the Achaean army is growing weak. Still agitated by the actions of Agamemnon, Achilles denies the request. Achilles's arrogant behavior genuinely represents an abundance of selfish characteristics. On the other hand, Achilles can also be characterized as self-preserving rather than selfish.
One way the mighty warrior shows self-preserving traits is when he states that he rather return to Pythia and live a healthy life instead of dying in battle. This statement shows the Achilles knows that he is most likely going to die and would rather not face that consequence. Another way this man shows self-preserving manners is when he agrees to bequeath his armor to Patroclus so that he can fight in battle in order to save the Achaean ships. This action shows that Achilles still cares about the war but does not want to be harmed. In addition to that, he also shows compassion by praying to Zeus that the ships and Patroclus will remain unharmed during the fight. All of these concerns that Achilles shows, represents why he would be considered
self-preserving. In conclusion, the debate between whether or not Achilles is selfish or self-preserving is complicated to elucidate. However, from a standpoint, he is equally selfish and self-preserving. Looking at the strong warrior's actions, it is almost impossible to distinguish between these two traits. Therefore, in my opinion, Achilles is an equal balance between selfish and self-preserving in terms of the war.
While Achilles is a great and powerful warrior, he still risks his life when he engages in battle with the Trojans, courageously leading his men and fighting in such a way that renders admiration from both parties of the war. Odysseus, on the other hand, also exhibits courage in battle, but, additionally, exhibits courage during the many perilous trials that he and his men endure on their journey home. While Achilles does have great capacity for courage and bravery, his own agenda often prevents him from using these virtues for the benefit of his comrades. A necessary characteristic of a true hero is the ability to put personal grievances aside for the greater good. When Agamemnon demands Achilles’ prize of battle, the maiden Briseis, Achilles’ pride is so injured that he refuses to take part in battle. This exhibition of selfishness and single-minded pettiness on the part of Achilles attests to this character’s tendency for menis, an unbound rage and wrath. This menis both makes Achilles an invaluable soldier and prevents him from being as admirable of a hero as Odysseus. The latter hero endures countless personal losses, yet keeps the well-being of his men first and foremost in his
Achilles, like most Greek epic heroes, was a demigod. The Nereid Thetis was Achilles’s mother, and his father was Peleus, the mortal king of the Myrmidons. Like most Greek demigods, Achilles has a very interesting childhood backstory. Soon after Achilles was born, his mother wished to make him immortal. Thetis took Achilles to the river Styx and immersed his body in the water. But Thetis was unsuccessful in her task and ultimately created a fatal flaw for Achilles. She neglected to immerse her son’s heel in the water and he is left mortally vulnerable to his enemies. Greek heroes always have a fatal flaw that ultimately leads to their death. Achilles is later shot in his heel with an arrow and dies almost instantly. Though his previous conquests were amazing, they did not exempt him from the power of his fatal flaw. Achilles was also strong, vengeful, and deeply loyal. When hector strikes down Achilles’s best friend during battle, Achilles makes it a point to get revenge on Hector. Eventually Achilles brutally kills Hector and drags his body behind his chariot. He wanted to humiliate his enemy even in death. Achilles was known to fly into a rage during battle. He was incapable of control his actions. Another unique quality that Greek heroes possess is their reliance of the Gods. Achilles had Athena to assist him in the fight with Hector. The Greek culture believed that a person could be favorited by the
The facts of this conflict are all pretty straight forward and by recounting the facts I hope to bring to light the truths that justify Achilles' anger. First off Agamemnon had distributed the booty fairly and all the more powerful Achaeans had gotten a concubine, Agamemnon just happened to choose the daughter of one of Apollo's priest. When Apollo sends a plague to the Achaean camp Achilles' concern for his comrades leads him to call an assembly with the purpose of interpreting the plague and taking necessary action. Agamemnon reluctantly agrees to return his concubine to her father if he is repaid another concubine by one of the other powerful Achaeans. At this Achilles stands up for himself and the other Achaeans, he insults Agamemnon by saying that Agamemnon claims his greatness. When Agamemnon takes Achilles' concubine, Achilles probably expected the other Achaeans to stand up for him as he had done for them earlier. But he is left alone. His honor insulted by a man that he had served loyally. Humiliated, by a group of people to whom he owed nothing. A great sense of betrayal overcame Achilles.
At first Achilles had a set of clearly defined goals, he was to fight side by side with the Achaeans, sack Troy, and, by doing these things, gain honor and wealth. As the war progressed a series of events took place that forced Achilles to step out of the fight. While he was inactive and had time to contemplate, he came to the realization that he had been fighting for nine years for the sake of a man whose woman has been stolen; now that his woman had been stolen no one fights for his sake. He also realizes that there are other, less risky ways of obtaining wealth and honor, including sending Patroklus out in his armor. Another thing he ponders on, but doesn't seem to take seriously, is whether or not honor is really worth the struggle.
From the first pages of Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles is portrayed as vengeful, proud, and petty. As the book progresses, the image of Achilles as a spiteful child is sharpened dramatically. Towards the end of the epic; however, Achilles begins to exhibit qualities that are considered heroic even in today’s society. Once his loyal and trusted friend Patroclus dies, Achilles undergoes a drastic change in character. When he confronts the true horror of death, Achilles puts aside his immature ways to fulfill his duty to his friend, his compatriots, and his conscience. In this way, the progression of Achilles as a character is an analogy for the transition from youth to maturity.
Achilles may have been the hero of The Iliad, but it is clear he was prone to the weakness of anger from his honor being challenged. His pride causes him to make bad choices, but equally this same pride is necessary in the heroic code, one has to prove himself a hero. Despite this, in the end he is quite changed. The death of Patroclus and his isolation has caused him to see the heroic code he has been living by in different light. He even gives the Trojans time to have a proper funeral for Hector. Achilles in the end is a different Achilles from the beginning of the tale, he has slowly returned to a civilized state and a more developed character.
The war changed Achilles behaviour.Achilles is a halfgod who everyone looks up to as a hero due to that war is important to Achilles because Achilles doesn’t want to fade into obscurity as the greatest warrior he has a reputation to live up to and fight to prove himself worthy of such a prestigious title. But it all changes due to the
Achilles’ behavior starts out with arete, or someone’s great qualities. Achilles is a highly gifted warrior who is a combination of strength, skill, courage, and determination. Achilles earned his prize of honor, Briseis, for being a great warrior and leader. Achilles explains, “my prize of honor, which I earned and which the Greeks gave to me”(129). Many people know Achilles for these qualities and look up to him for that reason. Later after Patroclus’ death, Achilles goes through the behavior cycle for the second time, starting with arete, summoning his anger and courage, and gets back on the battlefield. Achilles explains his reason for going back to war by saying, “I now ...
Although most of his actions are motivated by anger and revenge, there are at least two occasions in Homer’s Iliad where Achilles chooses true virtue. While Agamemnon and Achilles are conversing, Achilles declares, “Despite my anguish I will beat it down, the fury mourning inside me...I call a halt to all my anger-- it’s wrong to keep on raging, heart inflamed forever” (Homer 19.75-78). At one time, Achilles thought it was smart and a justified reason to fight over a young girl named Briseis. Now he comprehends that the feud served no purpose and cost many lives including his best friend Patroclus. In this instance, Achilles is making peace with Agamemnon. He realizes he has been acting out of anger instead of simply mourning. He chooses to put his anger aside and forgive Agamemnon which shows traits of virtuousness. As Achilles and Priam are engulfed in grief, Achilles offers these merciful words: “Poor man, how much you’ve borne-- pain to break the spirit! What daring brought you...all alone, to face the glance of the man who killed your sons” (Homer 24.602-607). In this situation, Priam comes to Achilles to bargain for his son, Hector, so that the body of Hector can be buried properly. Priam offers Achilles many gifts. The conversation turns to the loss of their sons, father, and best friends. Both men weep uncontrollably. Achilles is overwhelmed with feelings of pity, sympathy, and compassion. He recognizes their common humanity and that suffering has importance. He agrees to give back the body of Hector without expecting anything in return. This performance of virtue is especially significant because it is an act of kindness offers to an enemy. Hen Achilles acts unlike himself by putting aside his vengeance, it illustrates that he values something other than himself. Achilles’s virtuous deeds allow himself, Agamemnon, Priam, and the Trojans that mourn for Hector to
On the contrary, others affirm that Achilles’ heart does soften and he is subjected to the typical arcs of any character. It can be argued that he does begin to feel sympathy for the Argives considering it is referenced that he has been watching the fighting all along from his tent, but this does not take away from the fact that he only precisely decides to take action when he sees he is in danger. Additionally, he does not personally get involved, but instead gets others to assist. His ego still does not allow him to directly help Agamemnon; he still is not willing to give him that satisfaction. Ultimately, Achilles does himself reenter the conflict in order to redeem Patroclus and take his body from the Trojan force, which can be considered altruistic.
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...
... his youthful brashness mercilessly insults Agamemnon in the same book of this author. Because the refusal is to let him go his anger and concern for his own future and also very helpful to indicate a more adolescent or young adult viewpoint while his childless. When prime comes to retrieve the Hector Achilles treats him respectful manners. He is finally seen to the heart of his fury and pointless and distractive individual. He shows that who he treats his enemies with respect and courtesy because they are human as well and he also treat them as a loyal and good human. In this whole poem the progress of Achilles character can be seeing very easily from child to an adult. He is the spiteful rage in the beginning to the compassionate respect in the end of epic, so Achilles development mirrors of a stereotypical human from childhood the level of maturity (Homer, 13-16).
The first reason Achilles is an epic hero is because he embodied the characteristics of the ideal Greek citizen at the time Homer wrote; he is in a position of power and regards honor highly. “O my mother! I was born to die young, it is true, but honour I was to have from Zeus, Olympian, thunderer on high! And now he has not given me one little bit! Yes, my lord king Agamemnon has insulted me! He has taken my prize and keeps it, he has robbed me myself” (page 17), Achilles cried to his mother. Agamemnon stole Achilles’ prize, Briseis, so Achilles is begging his mother, the sea nymph Thetis, to help him regain his honor. In Greece, honor was crucial and by taking Achilles’ prize, Agamemnon has stripped him not only of his hard-won prize but of his honor as well. Such a double loss would have been catastrophic for a Greek citizen. Classicist Ian Johnston highlights the significance of his loss, suggesting that “the greatest harm that can occur to a particular warrior is shame, the community’s public recognition that he has let the group down or failed to live up to its shared rules.”Being shamed, in this case, by Agamemnon, would cause the Achaeans to lose respect for Achilles, and as one of their leaders, this would be a tragedy for him. Achilles’ desire to regain his honor sho...
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...