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The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
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Achilles, son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidons, and Thetis, the Nereid, is famous for being the bravest, strongest, and most handsome of the warriors in the Trojan War. As leader of the Myrmidons, sacker of cities, and slayer of Hektor, the main hero in Homer’s Iliad wasn’t always the godlike figure known for his infamous vulnerability. As a child, his mother, in an attempt to destroy his mortality, dipped him in the River Styx, or in some accounts, over a divine flame. Unfortunately, despite her efforts, Achilles’ heel was left mortal. As Achilles led the Myrmidons in the Trojan War, his passion, bravery, and generosity were among his many strengths however it was his Achilles’ heel (literally) that caused the mighty warrior to fall by the …show more content…
First seen in Homer as the god of music, prophesy, healing, archery, and plague, there is usually much confusion regarding Apollo’s connection with the sun. According to mythological texts, Apollo has no connection with the sun, with that place often being taken by Helios (Greek word for sun). However, in Greek religious belief, as opposed to mythological tradition, Apollo was increasingly identified with the sun. Nevertheless, this doesn’t distract from his famous daily task of dragging the sun across the sky with his four horsed chariot. Along with this, Apollo is also an oracular god as a patron of Delphi and could predict prophesy through the Delphic Oracle Pythia. Depicted as the ideal of the kouros being handsome, beardless, and with long hair, Apollo and his many strengths helped him become a dominant figure among the gods. From guiding the bow to kill Achilles, teaching man the science of medicine, being an intermediary between the gods and men, and being the leader of the Choir of Muses, Apollo was depicted as having a calm, intelligent, and controlled personality. Throughout his life such virtues helped him perform important deeds such as killing the serpent Python in the hills near Delphi, the Cyclops and the Aloadae, however his conceit of his many skills have also landed him in trouble. Thanks to his weakness for women his love life was quite tragic. When one day he mocked Eros for his aim Eros got revenge by making Apollo fall in love with a nymph named Daphne who would rather become a tree than be with him. Among this Apollo had many other relationships such as Koronis, Castalia, Marpessa, Hestia, Acalle, along with at least 50
Achilles, son of Thetis, also had divine blood flowing through his veins. He, however, was well aware of his mortality, as he chose a shortened lifespan full of glory over a longer, non-glorious life. "Alas, that you should be at once short of life and long of sorrow above your peers," exclaims his mother. (Butler, I). Despite accepting his mortality, Achilles, like Gilgamesh, was blessed with unequaled strength and skill as t...
The Greek army’s greatest warrior during the Trojan War, Achilles was born of the goddess Thetis and the mortal Peleus. (Murnaghan, 1997, p.xxv)“Strong, swift and godlike” as Lombardo translating Homer puts it (1997, p.5), his presence on the battlefield reverberated fear through his enemies. Being a general in the Achaean army, his original rationale as to engage...
“Apollo is considered the god of music, prophecy, oracles, healing, plague and disease, song, poetry, archery, and the protection of the young. He is always depicted as a handsome young male with long flowing hair, with his bow and his lyre in hand. His Mother and Father are Zeus and Leto. (Leto is a female titan.) Apollo has a twin sister named Artemis. She is the goddess of hunting, wilderness, and wild animals. Apollo was not only a very skilled musician he was also very skilled with his Silver bow.” (1)
Apollo is a very important and powerful god. He is the god of music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light, and knowledge. His valuable abilities granted him a seat in Mount Olympus with 11 other powerful deities. He is the ideal of Kouros: beardless and an athletic youth. His gift of prophecies and oracles were given to him due to the fact that he is unable to speak a lie. (Weaver)
In the beginning of Achilles’ life, the Greek goddess, Themis, prophesized that he would either die young and famous in battle or live a long nonexistent life without battle. His mother, Thetis, took this as a death omen and placed Achilles in the magical waters of the Styx River. She did this to help him be immortal but did not account for the area that she held, his ankle, to be left vulnerable (Claybourne). This beginning to his life leads him to believe that he was better than anyone else because the gods protected him. It is him believing that he is superior that leads to his fatal flaw of being egotistical.
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 the Iliad, Achilles is the main protagonist. He is a demi-god and is the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus who was the King of the Myrmidons. He was a Greek hero of the Trojan War. He falls in love with a battle prize called Briseis. He is to portray, “as a brave, loyal, cocky, intelligent and even superhuman soldier. In Achilles ' case, the word "superhuman" is literal; he is the result of a union between a god and a mortal.”(Harvard 1)
The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.
It was of extreme importance to a man during this time period to die in war and leave a memorable name in society. In the Spartan society even a mother was accustomed to the idea that her son had to die to be a “hero” or perhaps be remembered as one. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, Achilles mother...
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...
The Iliad, the Greek epic documented by Homer that describes the battles and events of the ten year siege on Troy by the Greek army. Both Trojans and Greeks had their fair share of heroes and warriors, but none could match the skill and strength of the swift runner, Achilles. Achilles had the attributes of a perfect warrior with his god-like speed and combat abilities. However, even though he was Greek’s greatest warrior, he still possessed several flaws that made him fit the role of the Tragic Hero impeccably. Defined by Aristotle, a Tragic Hero is someone who possesses a high status of nobility and greatness, but must have imperfections so that mere mortals cannot relate to the hero. Lastly, the Tragic Hero’s downfall must be partially their own fault through personal choice rather than by an evil act, while also appearing to be not entirely deserved of their unfortunate fate. Achilles is a true Tragic Hero because he withholds all of these traits. Achilles proves to be a good man that puts his loved ones first, reveals his tragic flaws of pride and anger, shows dynamic qualities as a character when his flaws are challenged, and has a moment of clarity at the end of his rage. Achilles truly exemplifies the qualities of a Tragic Hero.
...s body back to Priam, and demonstrates respect to Agamemnon’s couriers when they take Briseis away from him; but, his relevance to modern society is limited. Being physically strong is not important to a modern hero, because it is not a necessary trait in order to make a difference in the world. Athletes are not looked up to because they are strong and fast, but because of their willingness to succeed and their work ethic. When Achilles acts honorably, he is not making hard decisions that affect his and others lives; he is just giving into his conscience. Also, being respectful is expected from everyone in today’s world; the President is not rude to a citizen just because he has the power to be, because our constitution fights for our rights. Perhaps the only thing valuable that Achilles brings into the modern world is his intelligence, which will always be valued.
As George Eliot once said, “It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.” Whether viewing a piece of artwork or another person, there are often many points of view to evaluate in order to find the true core of the subject. In great works of literature, authors often create complex and dynamic characters to add depth and meaning into the story. In the Iliad, Homer beautifully depicts the multifaceted character of Achilles as an epic hero. As readers look closely at Achilles, he reveals different sides of himself as the epic poem develops. Representing the struggle between his dominant, selfish, and Dionysian nature as an epic hero and his hidden empathetic Apollonian core, Achilles reveals the mythos of the Iliad which states that war degrades mankind into objects and only the pursuit of Apollonian regard for others renews their humanity.
In Homer’s epic, the Iliad, the legendary, has no two characters that are so similar yet so different as Greek warrior, Achilles, and the Prince of Troy, Hector. Achilles is the strongest fighter in the Greek side, and Hector is the strongest Trojan. They are both put into the mold of a hero that their respective societies have put them into; however; it is evident that they are both extremely complex characters with different roles within their society and with their families, and with the gods.