Who was this man named, Achilles, and why is he as known as he is? Achilles was a great man with a lot of Personalities. Achilles was introduced as the epitome of destructive might, in his, tent he realized his true force was more that martial dominance over another (Champagne 65). Achilles was a warrior and because of that, people wonder who he is. Achilles is one of the heroic Greek gods because of his help and saving of the Trojan War.
In the beginning of the two men’s lives, Achilles, and Paris, they both were abandoned. “Paris or Alexander, in Greek mythology, son of Priam and Hecuba and brother of Hector” ("Paris, In Greek Mythology." 1), was just a been when Paris’s family got a prophecy saying that Paris will destroy Troy. He was
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sent to Mt. Ida where he was found and raised by Shepherds as well as love by a nymph named Oenone. Paris was left because of a prophecy, but he was cared for and loved. For Achilles, his mom, Thetis, knew that Achilles was destined to die at Troy so she put him, disguised as a girl, and hid him in the middle of the kingdom of Skyros, ruled by King Lycomedes In the company of a group of other women (“Achilles” 1), Achilles was left by his mother in the midst of dozens of women, alone. Achilles and Paris are on the same boat when it comes down to being abandoned. They may not be very different. Though Paris had some help by Aphrodite to kidnap Helen from the King of Sparta, Menelaus, beginning the Trojan War. He had not wanted to start the Trojan war, for he just wanted to have the most beautiful of all women. He had been promised her by Aphrodite for rewarding her the apple of Discord, the fairest golden apple. In the middle of the two men’s lives, Achilles, and Paris, they both found out they were destined to go to Troy and be involved in the Trojan War. After being persuaded by Odysseus, Achilles decided to come to Troy by which he leads the 50 ships of the Myrmidons into battle, though it was told by Homer (“Achilles” 1). He knew he had to go and fight, and he thought he was doing the right thing. Paris then knew he had to go to Troy and finish the Trojan War. The two men were abandoned and sent to Troy, in a way. At the end of the two men’s lives, Achilles, and Paris, they both had reasons for their actions and they are known for them.
“When Hector killed Patroclus, Achilles was filled with grief and rage and returned to the battle, routed the Trojans, and killed Hector, viciously dragging his body back to the Greek camp” (“Achilles” 1), Achilles was so sad and mad at the same time, but, he had a reason for it all. Hector had killed his lover, whom he let borrow his armor and aid the retreating Greeks after, “In the last year of the siege, when Agamemnon stole the captive princess Briseis from him, Achilles angrily withdrew and took his troops from the war” (“ Achilles” 1). Later, Paris killed Achilles by inflicting a wound on his heel. The heel had been the part of Achilles that his mother, Thetis, attempted making him immortal, which was successful by that heel that she was holding remained mortal, and resulted in Achilles’s death.
Achilles had been just a man who had anger issues and was filled with grief. Paris, a man who lost his brother in the Trojan war. Both men had many similarities, but they never knew each other for who they were, but for what they did. One of the most heroic Greek gods, Achilles, saved and helped in the Trojan
war.
From the days of ancient Greece and before, epic heroes have had their lives chronicled and their stories passed on from generation to generation all the way to present day. Two of the greatest heroes have been Gilgamesh from the epic named after him and Achilles from Homer's Iliad. While the two men's stories transpired in vastly different eras, their lives shared a surprising number of commonalities. Of course, with resemblances come several discrepancies in the way they lived and the ideals they believed in.
In the introduction of the Essential Illiad given by Sheila Murnaghan, Achilles is labeled as “the greatest of the Greek heroes”. In classic mythology a hero is a person of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits and is often the offspring of a mortal and a god. Achilles was the greatest fighter among the Greeks or Trojans and feared no man in battle. He was also the offspring of a mortal and a god so by classic mythology definition, Achilles was indeed a hero. A hero is defined by the present day Websters Dictionary as: “one who inspires through manners and actions; an individual who leads through personal example and accomplishments requiring bravery, skill, determination, and other admirable qualities.” Achilles, in no manner, fits this definition. By contemporary standards, he is instead a pathetic villain. Aside from being a kidnapper, rapist and murderer, Achilles proves to be emotionally weak, selfish, and malicious. Many times throughout the Illiad, Achilles is also referred to as “godlike”. The gods of Greek mythology were subject to the same emotions and character flaws as humans, and though privileged to some foresight, the gods had similar mental capacities as humans. What really set the gods apart were their powers (controlling the elements, changing their appearance, etc.), great strength, and immortality. Because of his great strength and apparent invincibility, it is easy to see why Achilles would...
Achilles was a Demigod in the movie Troy; this means he was two-thirds god and one-third human. Achilles was the descendant of Peleus, the mortal king of the Myrmidons – who according to legend were extraordinarily fearless and skilled soldiers (History). Achilles was an immortal soldier of Greece with
Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, is portrayed as a hero in some ways but, on the other hand, performs some controversial acts in the Iliad. Throughout the entire Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent after Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis.
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The fact that the story of the Iliad was set during fortels and reveals that there is lots of killing and murder. The mythical Greek hero, Achilles was known for being a brutal soldier and warrior. He demonstrated this animalosity when he slayed the Trojan hero Hector. Not only did he kill him but he dragged his body around the streets of Troy. The Iliad says, “The dust rose from Hector as he was being dragged along, his dark hair flew all abroad, and his head once so comely was laid low on earth.”(Homer) This shows Achilles’ lack of mercy and his brutality towards his enemy, the Trojan.
The epic poem called The Iliad written by Homer concerns the Trojan War. It shows Trojan and Achaean warriors’ courage, bravery and their attempt to become the best fighter to get fame, glory, and honor. The heroes in The Iliad follow Homer’s heroic code, striving for excellence. Hector and Achilles’ strength comes from their desire for fame, glory, honor and their acceptance of fate. These qualities are considered to be characteristics of Homer’s heroic code. However, the actions of Paris are not heroic causing trouble and conflict for many people. In fact, Paris’ non-heroic action started the Trojan War and the hatred between Greece and Troy.
Hector’s reckless choice to storm the Greek position near the Greek ships ultimately led to his death. At dawn, the Trojan Army attacked the Greeks, but the might of Achilles proved to be unsurpassable. Achilles “. . . [turned] the battle into a rout in which [he killed] every Trojan that [crossed]
...ector. Afterwards Hector has been killed and have been dragged around the Trojan Walls, His second nemesis occurs when Paris gets back at him for killing one of the Trojan’s best warriors and leaders by killing Achilles with arrow right into his heel, the only place where Achilles can be killed. Achilles being killed is the end of Achilles’ two behavior cycles.
Paris’ brother, Hector, told him: "Paris, appalling Paris! Our prince of beauty-mad for woman, you lure them all to ruin." (Book III) Women are not the only ones drawn to ruin by Paris. The whole Trojan army, not to mention the whole city of Troy, was endangered by Paris’ selfishness. Paris is very likely the cause of the Trojan War. His story was told by prophecies before he was born: The prophecies said that he would be the cause of the destruction of Troy. His parents, Priam and Hecuba, left him to die on a mountain when he was a baby, but he was rescued and returned to Troy as a young man. Paris abducted prince Menelaos’ (of Mycenae) wife, Helen, who was said to be the
The desire and ultimate goal of the heroes in The Iliad is the fame that endures even after death. Honor and glory guide every action and response they make because honor and glory define the hero in their society. The war served as an opportunity for many to find honor and glory, as they could be gained through great, gallant deeds in battle. Achilles and Hector are both portrayed as great fighters seeing that their presence greatly affect a battle. Paris, on the other hand, must be dragged out of the city to fight in the war he instigated. Only when Hector “raked [him] with insults, stinging taunts” and shameful things about his character did he return to battle (6.384). Good social standing is essential to the fame and power that the heroes desire. If Paris is to be deemed honorable and glorious, he must leave the safety and comfort of his home and pull his weight in battle. Ultimately, Paris’s pride and desire to be liked and respe...
First off, Achilles has a few heroic characteristics. I don’t want to compare him to any other heroes I’ve studied because I don’t like him, but I’d say Odysseus, because they fought for the same goal in the Trojan War. But personally, I think he is a sissy for not fighting throughout the entire Trojan War until things got personal because Hector killed his friend. But hey, killing Hector in his blind rage helped the cause, and thusly his people. So he isn’t all that bad. Then, as N.S. Gill will write, Achilles does this. “An enraged Achilles kills Hector and then dishonors the body by dragging it around tied to the back of a chariot for 9 days.” So, yeah, Achilles is kind of a prick. But then again, Achilles reflects the moral codes of the culture that bore him, so in a strange way, he is the embodiment of a hero. To them at least. To me, he seems to have good ...
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...
...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.
Hector and Achilles, two outstanding warriors on opposing sides in a conflict, show that there is more to people than what meets the eye. Although they are seen as ultimately heroic and powerful, their weaknesses and inner conflicts are unmistakable. Their differences are larger and more significant than their similarities, and to think of them as interchangeable warriors diminishes their significance. Achilles is portrayed as a fierce fighter who is harsh on the battlefield, but cares about the ones he loves very deeply, whereas Achilles is shown as a strong fighter with a more sensitive heart and compassion for all people.