Why Does Achilles Use Of Violence

Homer uses violence in the epic to expose the violent nature of man and to address the ways it's used in society. Determining superiority. The majority of the men in Greek culture are considered heroes by their acts of heroism, or in other words their great acts of violence. Achilles was considered one of Greeks most famous heroes-not because of his intellect or his ability to promote peace, but for his strength and ability to slay thousands. He was a war hero. “Achilles, no man was in the past more fortunate, nor in the future shall be; for formerly, during your life, we Argives gave you equal honor with the gods, and now you are a mighty lord among the dead when here”(142). Achilles was gifted by the gods with inhuman strength and invulnerability

everywhere but his heel. He used his gifts to slaughter thousands of Trojan men in order for the Achaeans to reign victorious in the war. His contribution to winning the war earned Achilles’ title as the “hero of the Trojan war”.

Much like Achilles, Odysseus was known in Ithaca for his talent on the battlefield in Troy and he was also considered a hero. What differentiated Odysseus from Achilles, and many other war heroes, was his ability to use intellect for violence. “Never have I found a soul so true as that of stout Odysseus. Consider what that brave man did and dared within the wooden horse where all we Argive chiefs were lying, bearing to the Trojans death and doom”(42). When the characters within The Odyssey speak of Odysseus’ heroism his physical stature is rarely described as one of his dominant traits. Wisdom and quick, clever thinking are the prominent characteristics Odysseus possesses and is recognized for in the Trojan War. It is these traits that resulted in victory over Troy, these traits that resulted in the “death and doom” of the Trojans, and these traits that claimed Odysseus’ title as a war hero. There are also instances in The Odyssey where violence becomes the deciding factor for the coming of age moments determining the heroic status of a character. A good example of this situation would be Telemachus’ coming of age moment at the end of The

Odyssey. “His sharp sword then Telemachus girt on, the son of prince Odysseus; clasped his right hand around his spear, and close beside his father’s seat he took his stand, armed with the gleaming bronze”(270). Telemachus’ coming of age moment came the moment he grasped the brilliant sword and made his first kill. His first kill against the men who, for years, had tormented not only him but his mother as well. Telemachus taking the life of the suitors to claim back his property made him a hero of sorts, not a war hero like Achilles or Odysseus but instead, a hero of his household. The Odyssey goes to show that heroism in Greek culture is earned through “heroic” acts of violence for the benefit of one’s self or his people.