The Humanity of Achilles Essay

Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity

In the Iliad is a very interesting epic with features two main central characters that are similar in some ways but totally different in other ways. In this epic you will be introduced to Hector and Achilles. Two men from each side in the great Trojan-Greek war. They were both heroes to their people despite their clearly different contrast in their personalities. In this paper I will highlight the life of both of these two leaders of the Greek and Trojans in this epic the Iliad. Also a little will be shed of how Homer portrays the characters deeper then an average thought. I will attempt to show the complexity of his thought process in forming the climax of these two characters coming to battle.

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 Song of Achilles, a book written by Madeline Miller. This book is a version of the Iliad, but with Achilles and Patroclus clearly stated as lovers (this has historically been debated). The themes of the novel are love, war, and destiny (challenging prophecies).

    Homer's Iliad enthralls readers with its’ valiant heroes who fight for the glory of Greece. The Iliad, however, is not just a story of war; it is also a story of individuals. Through the characters' words and actions, Homer paints portraits of petulant Achilles and vain Agamemnon, doomed Paris and Helen, loyal Patroclus, tragic Priam, versatile Odysseus, and the whole cast of Gods. Ironically, the most complete character in the epic is Hector, enemy hero, and Prince of Troy. Hector is in many ways the ideal Homeric man: he is a man of compassion and piety, a man of integrity and bravery, a man who loves his family, and above all, a man who understands and fulfills his social

The death of Patroclus, Achilles’ closest and most beloved companion, causes Achilles to be driven into a rage so intense and so focused at the source of his fury that he loses all common decency towards his target. After Hector slays

The Iliad, by Homer, is an epic poem set in the era of the Trojan War, accounting the battle logs during the time of conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles, the text’s tragic protagonist. The heroic outlook on life, in Iliadic terms, is exemplified through the construction of one’s honor through hard work. Being an aspect of the heroic outlook of life, this value is demonstrated through his contribution and dedication to the Trojan War, his experience with neglect from the deities, Achilles’ overall disdain towards Agamemnon, and, lastly, his longingness towards Briseis, his dear lover.

A comparison of Homer’s Achilles and Virgil’s Aeneas brings up the question concerning what makes someone an epic hero. Although each poet lived in a dramatically different time period, with different literary integrity, Homer and Virgil each portray an epic hero using different development of the characters, but similar themes and influences. Achilles and Aeneas demonstrate that an epic hero will do whatever it takes to fulfill their duties while simultaneously displaying the difference between Greek and Roman Society. The question will be answered by first, analyzing the individual characteristics of Achilles, a merciless warrior, and Aeneas, a civilized leader, then

When he claimed Achilles’ ‘prize,’ Briseis, he insulted Achilles’ pride. That caused Achilles to withdraw from the fighting and call Zeus’ rage down to the Achaeans. It is that same pride that prevented Achilles from joining the battle, resulting in the death of Patroclus, his life long friend. Another instance of pride’s

Violence has a way of changing the course of both someone’s actions and thoughts. In the famous Greek literature, The Iliad, by Homer, Agamemnon, the commander in chief of the Achaean forces, does not like his possessions being taken away from him. This would be somewhat understanding, only if that possession wasn’t a beautiful girl named Chryseis, whose father is a priest of the god Apollo. When Agamemnon agrees to finally give up the girl, he feels like he needs something to replace her, a prize of some sort. Achilles is angered at his proposition, and fights with the chief. Achilles refuses to fight anymore, so Agamemnon responds by taking his girl, Briseis, by compensating for his loss of Chrysies. Even though the fighting has temporarily

I can relate Achilles the modern character of the Avengers, from the marvel movies. They are super heroes who stop the villains but usually cause a lot of destruction to the city in the process of stopping these villains. It’s not a direct relation in their morals, but more a relation to the dramatic irony in the character of Achilles. Achilles doesn’t want to fight and says he will not go to war and issues this ultimatum to Agamemnon even though he is the best fighter and will hurt the others by not fighting. This is dramatic irony because Achilles doesn’t think he is doing any wrong by saying this, when in fact he is and we as an audience can clearly see this even if the character can’t. I can relate this to the characters of the Avengers because they all think they are doing a good thing by saving the civilians from the enemies who are trying to take over the world. They do save the city from the enemies, but they usually end up destroying the city and sometimes hurt civilians in the process even though they think they saved the world and did no harm. The Avengers are also representing dramatic irony because they think they are only doing what is best, however as an audience we can see by doing the good by killing the villain they are also causing tremendous damage to the city which is bad.

In the battle between Hector and Achilles, there was more on the line than winning the war. Until the end of the poem, it can be argued that both Achilles and Hector fit the role of an epic hero, but there can only be one. The battle represented who would ultimately be determined the epic hero. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is crafted into an epic hero throughout the poem by the illustration of the qualities of an epic hero: a great warrior, help from the supernatural, an epic flaw, and an epic journey.

Humanity has always strived for greatness, and is destined to continue this attempt till the world stops spinning. Through the art of storytelling, and literature, we have weaved images of what the ideal human should be. Countless works of literature depict such humans as “heroes”, due to the inspiration they stir within our imperfect souls. Truly epic heroes shape future stories, and remain influential despite the weathering of time. Two heroes of epic proportions can be found in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, through the grand tales of Achilles and Odysseus. How are these two men heroes? Better yet, what makes each unique in their

As a result of his inner conflict, his alienation from his society, and his inability to solve this conflict, Achilles sends his companion Patroklos into battle. Patroklos even wears the armor of the great warrior, so that the Trojan will think that he is Achilles who returned to battle. Patroklos is killed, and the anger of Achilles is growing. Also, now he bears responsibility for the death of his friend. At this point, Achilles has the even greater wrath that results into death of Hektor and almost takes Achilles beyond the bounds of humanity. He is on his way of complete alienation from human feelings. So, anger is also the vice, which can lead to alienation from the society.

A key element of the heroic ideal in a society is attitude and mentality. In The Iliad, Achilles is widely known for his brute force and rash actions. Homer establishes the importance of this trait to Achilles’ character by opening the epic with a description of Achilles’ anger: “Achilles’ rage, / Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks / Incalculable pain…” (The Iliad I.1-3). The heroic ideal exhibited in The Odyssey is different because of Odysseus’ deviation from the use of brute force. The epic opens the same way as The Iliad, with a description of its hero: “Speak Memory—Of the cunning hero… After he plundered Troy’s sacred heights” (The Odyssey I.1, I.3). While Achilles key traits are his rage and violent tendencies, Odysseus’ most significant characteristic his mind and his ability to think his way out of a