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Achilles Love And Deception In Greek Mythology

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As it is acknowledged in Mythology, by Edith Hamilton, the Trojan war depicts a classic myth of both love and deception. This tale starts with the conflict between the Greeks and Trojans, due to an abduction of Greek Spartan queen, Helen. Because of this tragedy, Menelaus and Agamemnon gather an army of Greeks to defeat Paris and Troy. Achilles was known to be the best warrior at this time; therefore, he was sent to the war to fight for the Greeks. Due to him being alongside his best friend, Patroclus, Achilles finds his motivation to fight. Unfortunately, Achilles loses this desire to fight after he loses his war prize, consisting of a beautiful young maiden. Achilles is in high demand in the battle, which leads Patroclus to disguise himself in the armor of Achilles and fight in the war. Death soon follows Patroclus, and Achilles hears word of it. Because of the genuine love that he held for Patroclus, he rejoins the war full of rage …show more content…

Another case of this is seen in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. To start, Achilles is very similar to the “protagonist” of Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker. They are both lovable characters, as well as skilled warriors, known for their outstanding abilities in battle. Achilles and Anakin both get introduced to someone they will soon learn to love early on in their stories, whether romantically or platonically (Patroclus and Padme). These characters are both seen to be extremely vulnerable to their own emotions, which lead them to make unwise decisions, resulting in negative consequences. When Achilles lost his best friend, Patroclus, he turned to violence. Similar to this, when Anakin had a vision of his beloved wife dying, he looked to violence as well, but with the intentions to protect her. This consequential violence only provided the fate of Achilles and Anakin, as they both died as a result of their

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436 Words | 2 Pages

Achilles began his revenge, he stabbed Hector in his throat and killed him. Apollo told this to Hector’s brother Paris, and helped him to kill Achilles. Apollo knew Achilles’ secret which his weakness is at his heel. Finally, Achilles was killed by Paris by an arrow which was guided by Apollo. Well, in these

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151 Words | 1 Pages

Achilles’ anger has lead to him committing cruel behavior; a large majority of the horrific violence within Homer’s story, comes from Achilles’ relentless rage. But is his rage truly without proper cause and justification? King Agamemnon forced Achilles’ to hand over his beloved Briseis to him, which caused Achilles to withdraw his men from the Achaean army. Achilles’ closest

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509 Words | 3 Pages

It is so deeply rooted that it encompasses Achilles, becoming a characteristic of this great warrior, influencing his actions and chooses throughout the story, such as leaving the fighting and considering the idea to return to Pythia. The depth of Achilles rage and hatred is demonstrated through in his response to Agamemnon, concerning the gifts he offered as compensation for his wrongs, saying that “not if his gifts outnumbered all the grains of sand and dust in the earth, no not even then could Agamemnon bring my fighting spirit round” (9.470-472). The true rage of Achilles is extremely important to the entire story of The Iliad, as from Book One through Book Nine Achilles allows this rage to control his actions, causing him to Achilles remains absent from the fighting as well as causing him to pray to Zeus that Trojans may receive the upper hand in the fighting so that the Greeks may suffer for Agamemnon’s actions. Therefore, this profound rage is an extremely important aspect of The Iliad, as it ultimately effects not only Achilles actions but also course of the

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1344 Words | 6 Pages

He becomes a whole different person at the end of the poem in order to respect the wishes of his dead friend, Patroclus. When approached by Antilochus the news of his beloved friend passing, Achilles dishonors himself and completely takes the blame for it. Even though Hector was the one who took down Patroclus, Achilles feels that it was his fault for not defending him in the first place. This changes Achilles' character because he is known to be egocentric and selfish, however, in this situation he almost became human and took fault for what had happened. Achilles had become obsessive over the glory that he was favored with but, now he wishes only to die and regrets that his mother even gave birth to him.

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697 Words | 3 Pages

Patroclus tries to persuade Achilles by telling him to “at least send him out, let him lead a troop of Myrmidons” so that he can “light the way for their army” (Homer 16.43-44). Patroclus expresses that he loves the Greeks too much to just sit around at the camp. He feels very emotional for his friend, so he wants to take his place and fight this war for him. Patroclus still has a mindset that “If the Trojans think” he is Achilles then “they’ll back off and give the Greeks some breathing space” (Homer 16.44-46). Patroclus believes his cleverness can outdo the Trojans in battle.

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1074 Words | 5 Pages

“A mist of black grief enveloped Achilles./He scooped up handfuls of sunburnt dust/ And poured it on his head/…./Tearing out his hair with his hands.” (XVII 27-29). In fact, Achilles showed his level of grief by continuing on and claiming “He would lay open his own throat with steel” (XVII 37). This shows the true depth of his grief because committing suicide was considered to be very dishonorable which went completely against his character. Achilles vowed vengeance on the Trojans in order to avenge his friend’s

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1661 Words | 7 Pages

Nicole Tschida ENG 210 Paper 1 2-26-18 The Iliad and The Consequences of War The plot of the Iliad takes place in the middle of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans that lasted for ten years. This conflict according to Homer and ancient Greek mythology occurred because the Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus, brother to king Agamemnon. In this paper, I will be examining the consequences of war, as outlined by Homer.

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977 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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995 Words | 4 Pages

When Patraclous is killed Achilles returns to the battle after he said we will not be fighting for the Achaeans because of the insult that it was made to his honor. He decided to go back and kill Hector for killing his best friend and most loved person, and to get the body which illustrate the idea of the glory after life. The idea of family honor adds a new level of understanding how important is pride is in ancient Greek literature. Another Example of this can be shown when Achilles kills hector, The reaction of Priam Hector’s father. Priam says “I have gone through what no other mortal on earth has gone through; I put my lips to the hands of the man who has killed my children (Homer, Iliad 24.505)”

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1051 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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1381 Words | 6 Pages

If I stay here and fight before the city of Troy, there will be no home- coming for me but my fame shall never die; if I go home to my native land, there will be no great fame for me, but I shall live long and not die an early death.” (Homer 110) This shows that he is selfishness and fearful at the same time of losing and dying in the war. In the very beginning of the Iliad, King Agamemnon and Achilles have an argument for a couple of different reasons. After, the Achians won a battle against a city that was allied with the Trojans each of them received a prize consisted of a young woman from the war.

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1125 Words | 5 Pages

Males in The Iliad saw glory to only be able to be sought through winning battles, as the females saw war as a terrible aspect, since it could take the lives of the ones they loved. Characters in The Iliad, Achilles, Homer, and Paris, all had contrasting views and understandings of the meaning of war, depending upon their fighting ethics, confidence, and courage. They all hoped to gain honor through kleos, which may allow them to gain approval from the Gods to enter Mount Olympus (Puchner 225). War is an act that tears everyone in competing areas apart, yet is the only thing that brings contrasting individuals together.

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394 Words | 2 Pages

Achilles is maddened and appeals to his goddess mother saying, “If I am to die soon, shouldn’t I have what I want?” Feeling only sorrow for her son, Thetis requests Zeus to cause to Greeks to lose until Achilles fights again. Slowly the Greeks are pushed back farther and Agamemnon pleads with Achilles, offering Briseis back. Achilles declines due to his pride and the Trojans come close to burn the Greek ships. Even when a ship was burning, Achilles refused to fight and instead sends out Patroclus.

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1785 Words | 8 Pages

(R 23-35). The Greeks hearing Achilles return, gain strength, will and perseverance to carry on the war. The responsibility that Achilles takes plays massive role, affecting the men 's actions throughout the

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1201 Words | 5 Pages

Homer’s Iliad is one of the earliest depictions of war ever written. At face value, the epic is the story of Achilles’ rage, beginning with his honor being insulted by Agamemnon and it continues with the death of his best friend, Patroclus. Yet, the Iliad showcases so much more. It illustrates two very different perceptions of war: one one hand glorious honor and victory, and on the other, the the jarring horror of death and destruction.

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