Socrates And Achilles

The great talents that Achilles’ possesses cause him to become much admired and well known by both the Greeks and the Trojans. He begins to believe all the good things people are say and becomes an arrogant, child-like, selfish person which all mark Achilles’ hubris part of his behavior cycle. Achilles shows his arrogance when he gets angry with Agamemnon for him wanting take his prize of honor, which Achilles worked very hard to get. Because of this, Achilles begins to lose his capability to think straight and weigh all the factors in situations, and withdraws himself from the battle. Later on after Achilles overcomes the death of his best friend and regains back his courage and pride, Achilles kills Hector and thinks he is invincible for doing the great deed he did. Achilles fought Hector for honor over all else and performed the death of Hector almost as a duty and feels proud of himself for doing so. Before he kills Hector, Achilles declares, “I will go forth to slay Hector, who killed the man the I loved… Until then, may I win great fame and glory, and may every Trojan realize that the greatest of the Greeks no longer remains apart from battle”(145).

The Iliad shows a cause of death as a decision an individual makes, which places them in said situation. Characters such as Achilles, Patroclus and Hector all face the dilemma of knowing their fate. This places them in the position to fight for their pride -- resulting in nemesis -- or make a rational decision. All three characters follow the Homeric pattern. They strived for excellence, went too far, and faced their destiny. The most notable example of the Homeric pattern in this epic is the death of Hector. It has been predetermined that Hector will fall at the hands of Achilles, which Hector is aware of, but Hector must fight to the death in order to "...win glory for my father" (129). Hector’s pride would be ruined if he hadn’t "..stuck to his post..."(399) and fought the great Achilles. He stands as the only Trojan left outside Troy, and his choices in battle led to his fate. His arrogance caused him to give the overconfident command for the Trojans to camp outside the walls. Without doing so he wouldn’t feel as ashamed, and would join his comrades in the retreat. *Achilles is faced with a very different situation where he knows both possible outcomes of his choices, but he follows the Homeric pattern, electing to go back into battle. This really lends color to the fact that Achilles has the choice to live a full life away from battle or die with glory. It wasn’t fate that made

Nestor, noble charioteer, captures best the essence of Achilles when he says, “Achilles, brave as he is, he has no care, / no pity for our Achaeans” (Homer 11.787-788). Most readers of the Iliad, consider Achilles the greatest warrior of The Trojan War, however, he lacks an important characteristic; care for others. Achilles’ best friend Patroclus, has described him as a great warrior, but a terrible person (11.774). In Homer's Iliad, Hector the great warrior of the Trojans, exhibits a selfless leadership approach, which contrasts to Achilles’ selfish actions as a leader. In order to be a great warrior, one’s loyalty must belong to something outside of themselves, and it’s through Achilles’ self-centered actions, that he loses the title of the greatest warrior to Hector. As the two capital warriors of the different sides of the Trojan war, Hector and Achilles provide an interesting contrast between two powerful leaders. Known for being loyal, selfless, and dedicated to his army, Hector contrasts to Achilles, who is self-serving in every aspect of his life. Despite his defeat at the hands of Achilles, Hector proves to be the greatest warrior of the Trojan War. The first characteristic Hector possesses, making him the superior warrior, is his ability to set his pride aside when he knows it will benefit his army. In contrast, Achilles allows his pride to control him and detriment his army. Another vital characteristic Hector’s possesses, making him a better leader, and

“Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus’ son Achilles and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians, . . . and the will of Zeus was accomplished since that time when first there stood in division of conflict Attreus’ son the lord of men [Agamemnon] and brilliant Achilles” (Homer I. 1-7). The beginning epithet of Homer’s Iliad briefly summarizes Achilles’ character arc: he is exposed to injustice, he gets angry, then he deals his brand of justice. Homer’s beginning epithet also describes the Greek gods’ self-focused reaction toward injustice and their apathetic inclination toward humanity. When Achilles acted as a magnanimous man, a god, he was pitiless and unbiased and only focused on honor; however, after the death of Patroklos—

Warriors of ancient Greece were considered heroes by following the Heroic Code of excellence. They achieved this by acquiring a kleos; establishing fame, glory and a positive reputation. It was not an easy task to become a Grecian hero. Building and maintaining kleos meant that a warrior must be brave and strong, be “a speaker of words and a doer of deeds.” The solider had to protect his friends and harm his enemies, respect the gods and his elders, and most of all value his honor over his life. To die in battle, and be spoken of after death was the most important act of honor for a hero. The Greek tragedy, Iliad, attributed to Homer, portrays Achilles as the most gallant hero of the Athenian army. The story tells of Achilles, who develops into the greatest hero of the Trojan War. While the end of the end of the poem does portray Achilles as the solider that the story foretells throughout the poem he does not act like that. Many times in the story Achilles actions are perceived as unheroic but ultimately they shape the course of the few weeks of the Trojan Wars described in the Iliad, the Achaean’s final victory at Troy and his emergence as a hero.

"Sing, goddess, of Achilles ruinous anger Which brought ten thousand pains to the Achaeans, And cast the souls of many stalwart heroes To Hades, and their bodies to the dogs And birds of prey" (Homer). Containing a war that echoes through the ages, the Iliad was an epic writing of conflict and struggle between two kingdoms. The poem is one of the most insightful, eventful, and influential writings of Greek mythology. Homer, whether or not if he was real, wrote these poems based on oral stories passed down by bards that traveled across the lands. In the Iliad one of the major characters is named Achilles, who is a superhuman born from an immortal nymph named Thetis.

“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” These famous words, spoken by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his first inaugural address, have famously resonated throughout history, and although they were said nearly 2000 years after the events of Plato’s The Apology, they perfectly correspond with what is perhaps the most noteworthy moment of the Plato’s text. The Apology is Plato’s recounting of Socrates’ trial, in which he faced charges of corrupting the youth, and believing in Gods different than the Gods of the state of Athens. In the trial, Socrates makes his argument as to why he should be found innocent of all the charges placed upon him. One of the most interesting arguments that Socrates makes in his defense is comparing himself to Achilles, the great Greek warrior from Homer’s The Iliad. He makes this comparison multiple times in his argument, and although it may seem like Socratic irony for the short, fat, philosopher to compare himself to a great Warrior, Socrates is completely serious in his comparison. He used a comparison between himself and Achilles as an analogy to represent his immense motivation to Philosophy. Achilles, living in an honor culture, was willing to die over what he believed was right, and Socrates was no different in that regard.

Achilles refused extra service, and therefore the Greeks were very defeated because Achilles allowed Patroclus to come like him, giving him his car and his weapons. Hector (King Priam's first son of Troy) killed Patroclus, and Achilles, who eventually joined Agamemnon, received new weapons from Hephaestus and killed Hector. After hitting the body of Hector behind his car, Achilles gave Priam to his hard request. Iliad has ceased with the Hector funeral ceremony. It does not mention the death of Achilles, though the Odyssey says its funeral. Poetry Arctinus in his Ethiopia gathered the story of Iliad and explained that Achilles, after killing the Emperor Memnon and the Amazoni Penthedonian, was killed in the battle with the son of Priam, Paris, whose arrow was led by Apollo.

Throughout human history, mankind has venerated heroes because they possess the ideals that people strive to achieve themselves. The appearance and importance of heroes in The Iliad form a major part of what makes it such a celebrated tale. The concept of heroism, however, for the ancient Greeks and modern society is quite different. The Greeks viewed heroes as humans usually descended from the gods and in possession of superhuman strength and an aptitude for battle . Achilles clearly fits the above definition and therefore it comes as no surprise that he has historically been viewed as the main hero of the epic. However, the modern day definition of heroism, more than just strength and prowess in battle, encompasses the idea of a moral responsibility: defending one’s people from harm and sacrificing one’s own desires or life for the sake of others. Hector proves to be a great warrior, referred to as ‘man-killing Hector’ by the Achaeans, and therefore can be seen as a hero by the Greek perspective. However that is not the defining characteristic of the Trojan Prince. His character revolves around a sense of moral responsibility towards his people, his culture and his family, and using his power to defend them, sacrificing his own life in the process. The goal of this paper is to prove that Hector, not Achilles, is the true hero of The Iliad.

What makes a man great? The Ancient Greek definition of a great man was based on the concept of arete, or, moral virtue. Arete was considered one of the key elements that an Ancient Greek man (especially a nobleman or a hero) should possess, it was the ability to “…make his hands keep his head against enemies, monsters, and dangers of all kinds, and to come out victorious.”1 In the Homeric epics The Iliad and The Odyssey, both Achilles and Odysseus provide examples of this trait. However, Odysseus is the better man because he more closely fits the role of a hero, leader of men, and shows greater faithfulness of character.

In Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s Iliad, both heroes possess values that define their lives. Although Achilles and Aeneas are somewhat similar, yet they portray different heroic codes within their cultures. Achilles’ idea of social status was keeping in with the heroic code as well as gaining honor and glory in battle. After he gives Patroclus his armor he states …” but when you have done this, come back and fight no more with the Trojans, for it is my business to conquer them, and you must not take my glory from me.” After Patroklos’ death, Achilles felt like it was his obligation not only to fight the Trojans but also to revenge the death of his great friend. This part of the story portrays most of Achilles prideful and angry character. Furthermore, after Briseis is taken away,

The Trojan war hero, Achilles, and the Greek god Apollo share an uncontrollable rage, which revealed itself throughout The Iliad. An example of their wild anger is at the beginning of The Iliad, when Agamemnon irrationally took two women to be slaves for himself and Achilles. Chryses, the father of Agamemnon’s servant, pleaded to the god Apollo for assistance in returning his daughter home. Infuriated, Apollo sent plague-carrying arrows upon Agamemnon’s camp for nine consecutive days. In a fiery argument with Agamemnon, Achilles was seriously considering killing Agamemnon, but Athena intervened, and the furious Achilles swore that Agamemnon would become the core of the wrath of Zeus. Both Achilles and Apollo acted rashly and wickedly towards

In accordance with temperance, battle is the most important aspect of Homeric Heroes. It is on a battlefield that heroes gain glory for fighting, prizes for their accomplishments, and honor for their actions. However, hero he may be, Achilles “was not to be seen in council, that arena for glory, nor in battle” (Book 1, 518-519). He was “throwing his heroism away” by not taking part in the event that made people heroes. Prior to this, Achilles was a well-recognized hero. Goddesses said “when godlike Achilles used to enter battle the Trojans wouldn’t so much as leave their gates out of fear of what his spear could do” (Book 5, 840-842). He was among the greatest of heroes and he was turning away from what made him that hero. He was

The warrior Achilles, within the final year of the Trojan War, has shown why he is a skilled warrior and revved individual, nearly godlike. In addition to that, at times throughout the lliad, showing his humanity in moments that have touched him dearly. As it is portrayed throughout the lliad, when it came down between the embassies of Priam and Agamemnon’s, it would be a decision which Achilles makes ultimately for his own reasoning and benefit. It would be Priam, who would be able to sway the great Achilles in the return of his son’s body, while Agamemnon’s would ultimate fail. It would be for the reason which Priam and Achilles shared in a moment of loss for individuals they cared for deeply. That it is with the aid of Priam’s embassy, that Achilles is able to further reach in achieving his goal of honor and undying fame.

For the ancient Greeks, a hero is defined by ones military success. Honor is earned in combat and glory is earned by soldiers who live to tell the tale. Achilles gains honor and glory as he gave Greece a military feat as he finally kills Trojan’s greatest warrior, Hector. However, from a modern perspective, Hector would have been the more honorable character. Hector was a family man. He cared for his family and worked hard to save them from harm’s way. But in ancient Greece, Achilles was seen as more heroic and honorable by just being the best in the