Achilles was the leader of the Myrmidons he was also the son of Peleus and the Nereid Thetis. He was the greatest fighter in all of the Achaean armies. One of the main parts of being a hero is having arete and kleos. Arete are the virtues of strength, beauty, and intellect. Kleos is personal glory.
Freakonomics is a book written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner which was published after they met each other in an interview for New York Times. After the article was published, the two went on to have an unanticipated partnership. Freakonomics, a book of problems and answers with no unifying theme, is supposed to make you look at a situation a different way. One of the problems in the book included the monumental drop in crime across America in the 1980’s when it was expected to rise significantly. Levitt came across this problem by first looking at the accepted reasons for the sudden drop such as more police, stronger capital punishment, changes in the crack market, and the aging of the population.
Achilles is a hero because he was loyal, determined, and empathetic. Achilles was loyal to the achaean army and his friends and family throughout the Iliad. He joined the achaean army and he killed Hector to avenge Patroclus’ death. “Hector is hit by my spear first, losing his life and paying me compensation for killing Menoetius' son, Patroclus” (Homer 22. 93-95).
Achilles: The Best Warrior Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior. When Achilles was born his mother wanted him to be immortal, so she dipped him in the River Styx. She was holding him by only the ankle when she dipped him into the river, so she did not realize that his ankle was not dipped in. That then became his weakness that could kill him, his Achilles heel. He became so strong and fast.
Achilles’ actions on the battlefield or lack thereof portrays the hero’s absence of honor. Selfishly withdrawing himself from battle, Achilles allows his anger towards the king of the Argives to develop: “But Achilles abode at his ships nursed his anger. He went not to the honourable assembly, and sailed not forth to fight, but gnawed at his own heart”(10). Fighting the Trojans and leading the Myrmidons to sack Troy would have been the honorable thing to do, but instead Achilles lets his pride take over his actions and sulks in his ship in spite of Agamemnon. After Agamemnon offers Achilles many gifts as an apology when he sends an embassy to Achilles, Achilles responds,”[Y]ou have spoken much to my liking, but my blood boils when I think it
In Book Nine of The Iliad, the focus is of the story is on the character of Achilles, the desperation the Achaeans suffer in their need for this great warrior as well as his refusal to return into the fighting to assist his comrades, due to his rage with Agamemnon. In particular, one of the most important scenes of Book Nine is from approximately line 443 through line 473, in which Achilles bluntly refuses the gifts offered to him by Agamemnon in recompense for stealing away Achilles’ war-prize Briseis. This passage demonstrates the depth of the rage of Achilles as well as his sense of pride, as he chooses to remain absent from the fighting, even in the Achaeans’ moment of sheer desperation, due to his deep hatred for Agamemnon. As
In the Iliad, Achilles is responding to Odysseus’s speech attempting to convince him to return to the war. Achilles’ main argument against returning is his incalculable rage against Agamemnon for “the prize of honor / The warlord Agamemnon gave me / And in his insulting arrogance took back” which is not only an insult to Achilles’ status, but also to his honor as a warrior (Il. 9.378-379). In addition to focusing on the main argument of Achilles’ speech, it is worth noting the contradictions present within his speech as well.
The only thing on his mind is killing Hector. Achilles is so angry at Hector that he constantly thinks about killing him and getting revenge. His anger takes over his body and nothing can stop him from getting to Hector, not even the gods. Achilles gets to Hector and desecrated his body. Achilles does not give Hector a proper burial instead he parades Hectors body on the back of his chariot.
Hector, as well as Achilles, does not fear death but shows courage. Homer has many adjectives to describe Hector such as, “Glorious Hector.”(17.845) Achilles and Hector both parade many of the same qualities. Each demonstrates how their society and Homer determines a hero. They’re adored for their noble qualities and the difficult tasks they achieve.
These abilities are important as a warrior because both his men and the hero reflect and are influenced by them. Some of the abilities are excellence in war, courage, leadership and fighting qualities. These qualities are seen through the heroic characters Hector and Achilles. When Achilles is not present with his men, the Greeks are well defeated by the Trojans with no motivation or support. Achilles is also described by his men as a power figure when the poem says “These were his words,/ and all Achaeans gave a roar of joy/ to hear the Prince abjure his rage.”
In the epic poem, the Iliad written by Homer, several characters taking part in the warfare between the Achaeans and the Trojans are portrayed as embodying the heroic code of courage, physical strength, leadership, arete of value of honour, and the acceptance of fate. The heroic code is illustrated by the actions of the Trojan prince, Hector and the Achaeans strongest warrior, Achilles. Both of these characters display the Greek’s image of a hero, and can also let the reader discern what the society admires, looks up to and aspires to in its heroes. There are also characters who fail to be heroic, such as the Trojan “vivid and beautiful” prince, Paris. These characters in the Iliad illustrate the qualities that Ancient Greek society values.
Achilles was a hero of the Trojan War. His father was Peleus, the mortal (human) king of the Myrmidons who were skilled soldiers. According to Greek myth, when Achilles was a baby it was foreseen that he was going to die. His mother Thetis was a nymph and did not want this happening to Achilles. She did various acts to ensure that this was not the case.
In Homer’s The Iliad, epic hero Achilles serves as an example of how rage, when unchecked, leads to disastrous repercussions. Achilles, though nearly superhuman in his physical abilities, struggles repeatedly to contain his anger. Throughout The Iliad, as Achilles’ fury compounds, the consequences of his actions become catastrophic, eventually leading to the death of his best friend, Patroclus. Although Achilles ultimately chooses to avenge Patroclus’ death and achieve his own kleos, or honor, his rage-driven actions lead to the death of many Achaean soldiers, and change the course of his fate.
The Iliad also spotlights the individual qualities of a Greek hero or non-hero. Numerous characters in the Iliad demonstrated exceptional qualities of a Greek person that was valued, such as bravery and helpfulness and that was disproved of like selfishness. One trait that is highly appreciated by the greeks in the Iliad is bravery. In battle Hector killed Achilles´s best friend Pactorlos in battle.
These characteristics are traced in multiple contexts, and it creates an extensive picture of the character. Honor, pride, loyalty, courage, and vengefulness are the fundamental traits of Achilles’ character that determine his behavior and manifest themselves in his speech and actions. Pride and honor are the fundamental characteristic of Achilles, and there are several key episodes that can prove it. From the very beginning of the poem, one can see that Achilles is very sensitive when it comes to honor and reputation. The conflict with Agamemnon related to Chryseis, who was taken as a slave, is the turning point.
