Achilles's Glory In The Iliad

Honor and glory are two important things for the heroes of Greece. Greek heroes live all their life to pursue honor and glory, and they always want the society to know their reputation. Honor and glory create many epic wars which take the lives of many people, and it exists at every stage. One of them is the fall of Troy, and it is “a thing… whose glory shall perish never” (Homer, Iliad 2.324). For the Greeks, they always appreciate the personal honor, family honor and the honor of the country, so they always try to do everything to achieve that goal. Even they want that after they die, the honor and the glory of them will persist forever. Honor and glory prove a hero, so those are the foundations for everything in the Iliad of Homer.

In the modern world, people, as a society, have always given themselves a goal or goals that they would like to attain at some point during their lifetime. Many people seek to attain riches, love, happiness or high stature within society. When we people set that goal, we tend to mold our lifestyles around it. As people work throughout their lives to achieve this ultimate goal, it becomes apparent to others what it is we are working so hard for. Just as this pattern is evident in modern society, it can also be seen in the times of Homer, particularly in the great Greek epic, the Iliad. This distinct pattern can be seen in Achilles, one of the most vital characters in the story. Achilles, being the ultimate most powerful warrior of all

We all think of an ancient Greek hero as a robust, brave, young hero with a bulging chest and washboard abs. He has beautiful hair and a large menacing sword. He stands victorious after slaying a mighty beast, looking very handsome. He has a confident smile on his face because he knows that he is best. The Gods adore him, and every mortal praises him for his great deeds. But although Greek heroes may appear to be the best of the best, they might not be as noble as people think. Likewise, by today’s standards, their characteristics might not be appreciated as much as before. In ancient Greece, Theseus, Hercules, and Perseus would have been considered heroic, but only Theseus and Perseus would be deemed heroic in modern day.

How important is it to be honored? To gain glory in this life? To secure a lasting legacy? To the Greeks and Trojans in Homer’s famous epic, The Iliad, these were the most important things in life. The Greeks of Homer’s time believed that personal honor and glory was just that, personal. Honor and glory belonged to the individual who was skilled and accomplished enough to obtain it for himself. This honor and glory was held in the highest regard, and the worldview that honor and glory are the most important things in life is strongly depicted by Homer throughout The Iliad. The Judeo-Christian worldview depicted in the Old Testament of the Bible contrastingly teaches that all honor and glory belong to God. The heroes of the Old Testament did not attempt to secure the honor and glory of their actions and deeds for themselves, rather they gave it to God. The Greeks, however, saw gaining and maintaining personal honor and glory as foundational to life. They never missed an opportunity to gain personal honor and glory, and certainly never gave away the credit for their deeds. Throughout The Iliad, the characters’ choices and actions revolve around their desire to gain and maintain personal honor and glory. Gaining personal honor and glory--through great deeds, revenge for slights, and through one’s legacy--is a main theme in Homer’s The Iliad. Homer’s clear descriptions of the actions of the heroes in his epic give modern people a clear view into the psyche

In my understanding this symbolizes a significant turning point in Achilles point of view when it comes to honor, status, power and glory and puts him on a path toward a downward spiral, which ultimately leads him to doubt and question his personal beliefs on power, glory, status and honor. "Faith is the same for the man who holds back, the same if he fights hard we are all held in a single honor the brave with the weaklings. A man dies still if he has done nothing, as one who has done much. Nothing is won for me now that my heart has gone through his afflictions in forever setting my life on the hazard of battle?(Homer 9.318.206).

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

The epic The Iliad by Homer argues that Achilles reaction in many situations is rage. Achilles choice to respond in such a way is very significant. It shows that this emotion is very influential in his day-to-day life. However, there has been much discussion as to whether Achilles’s rage is a virtue or a vice. Other characters throughout The Iliad have commented on his rage, such as Athena, who says, “I came to see if I could check this temper of yours,” (Homer, 235) in a discussion she has with Achilles about his quarrel with Agamemnon. Athena’s comment suggests that it takes a lot of effort to put Achilles’s rage into check. Achilles seemingly uncontrollable rages creates a man throughout The Iliad who “like[s] fighting and war” (234). Most men in this epic longed to end the war; Achilles on the other hand yearned for more battle. Achilles drive for battle makes it evident that his rage and the manifestation of it in other characters as seen throughout The Iliad is not a virtue, but a vice.

The Ancient Greeks idealized and worshiped their heroes, this is portrayed in Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad. To become a hero in ancient Greece, one would have to live and die in pursuit of glory and honor. Both Achilles and Hector seek victory in battle to become the “true hero.” Although both characters possess many hero-like qualities, Hector proved to be the genuine hero.

Honor is defined as a high respect given to an individual that brings credit. To receive honor is paralleled to being crowned with jewels and being regarded as a role model to all. The society that the Iliad portrays is “centered on the battlefield of achievement and its rewards” (Homer, xxi). The figures in Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, partake in events that will allow them to “receive more honor and more material rewards” even if it means that they must indulge themselves in heightened risks that could end in death (xxiii). Hector, one of the most pivotal characters in the poem, illustrates the lust for glory and ignorance of everything else that holds just as much importance. As his character is strengthened, it can be seen that every

The first line of the Iliad describes a human emotion that leads to doom and destruction in Homer's poetic tale of the Trojan War. Achilles' rage is a major catalyst in the action in the Iliad. It is his rage that makes him both withdraw from and, later, rejoin the war with a fury. Why is Achilles enraged? Is his rage ignited solely by his human adversaries or do the gods destine him to the experience? Achilles' rage has many facets. His rage is a personal choice and, at times, is created by the gods.

In the Iliad there are many characters that could be considered heroic. But the two main characters that stand out as heroes to me are swift-footed Achilles and flashing-helmet Hector. Numerous times throughout the epic they display qualities and traits that are unsurpassed by anyone on their side. Many times throughout the epic Achilles and Hector are tested for their strength, and will to win in battle, which for both warriors always ends up positive because they always win their battles. Although both fighters are among the elite status in the armies, they each show human and god-like qualities that help them be as a fierce and feared as possible.

While idealizing the glory of war, as well as exaggerating the grief caused by it, Homer attempts to balance the dual nature of war in the Iliad; however, in an attempt to balance this duality, he winds up demonstrating that even the glory and honor of war is tainted with grief. Rather than being an epic that portrays the glory of war, The Iliad illustrates the grief that is brought by it, “‘war, in the Iliad, is a frightening and sorrowful thing’” (Giles 54). All soldiers, not only in the Iliad, attempt to attain kleos, or glory, however the damages of attaining it far outweigh the benefits. Rather than morning the deaths of their fellow soldiers, they continue on their search for kleos. This bubble of grief that was overlooked builds up, and eventually, like all bubbles, pops. In the Iliad, the pop is represented through the interaction between Achilles and Priam, and in today’s contemporary society, it is demonstrated by the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that many soldiers are faced with. Through the imagery of war, Homer exemplifies how both glory and grief are forms of trauma, as the glory forces soldiers to fall victim to the pressures of being an honorable man while dealing with the grief of losing brothers-in-arms.

The poem in Book 1 lauds Achilles as the finest warrior of the Athenian army. Nonetheless, when his commanding general, Agamemnon refuses to return to return the captive Chryseis to her father, the priest of Apollo, and a plague ensues, Achilles becomes an insubordinate (disrespecting his commander) by demanding that he return

The Iliad is populated by heroes; Odysseus, Agamemnon, Diomedes, Hektor. Nestor appears in Book 1 as a veteran kind of hero, and injects it with even more notable figures – “Pirithous and Dryos and the guardians of the troops, / Caeneus and Exadius and even godlike Polyphemus, / and Theseus, the son of Aegeus, all like the immortals. ”[1] These are only the main cast; the Iliad delves into the intimate details of the lives and genealogies of countless soldiers, gives attention to Trojan princes and Achaean foot-soldiers alike. Homer’s text is rich with great men, all chiefs, all bearing the marks of a hero – divine parentage, or beauty, or aptitude in battle, or gifts of cunning and strategy, as per Odysseus.

In Homer's The Iliad, we find the greatest, bravest, and most revered warrior of ancient times. Achilles was the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidones in Phtia, and Thetis, a sea-nymph. As the legend goes, Achilles got his strength and battle skills when his mother dipped him in the river Styx. Achilles was thereby made invincible. However, Thetis forgot to wet the heel by which she held him and because of this grievous error, Thetis destined her son to defeat. It was prophesied that he would be defeated in battle by being pierced in his only vulnerable spot: Achilles' heel (thus the expression). This single weakness would inevitably be Achilles' downfall, but in the end he would still be defined as a true hero. The prophecy that