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Achilles Nature In The Iliad

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One of the most interesting sections in Book 24 of the Iliad when Priam knelt at the feet of his son’s killer. Not only did Achilles kill Hector but had been dragging him around his cart, and attempting to mutilating his sons body. And yet despite this he has the courage to appear before Achilles a man who has been torturing the broken body of his son (scorning the gods by doing so) and ask for the return of his son. The entire passage where Priam appeals to Achilles nature outside his need for revenge by saying:

This is incredibly courageous, and works to force Achilles to see the humanity in his foe and recognize Hector as a son with a loving father, rather than just the enemy. Even when Priam takes Hectors body and slips out in the middle
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257 Words | 2 Pages

In the Iliad, Achilles is faced with two choices which he learned of through his mother, Thetis, which are kleos,”fame,” and nostos, “homecoming.” If Achilles decides to return home, he will lose his kleos, but will have more time at home and an unchallenging death. Though if he stays in Troy and fights his nostos will be lost, but he will obtain kleos. Achilles understands that living would be an extension of time, but that just time itself has no value. At first he chose nostos and after the shift in his anger towards Agamemnon he chose kleos.

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151 Words | 1 Pages

James Galetti Professor Russell Western Heritage 1 05 October 2016 Is Achilles’ rage justified? In the Iliad, the character of Achilles has numerous character flaws that cause him to have blinded judgement towards his actions as well as shutting out everyone around within the epic poem. Achilles’ rage keeps him from being the hero that we were supposed to see him as.

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751 Words | 4 Pages

This shows that Achilles’ always cared about the Achaeans but he wanted to be petty and make a big deal out of all of it before he came back. Following Achilles returning to the war, he has men clean Patroclus’ body and will not bury him until he kills Hector. Agamemnon and Achilles reconcile at the assembly. Agamemnon feels bad for Achilles so he agrees to give Briseis back to him. Towards the end of the epic, Achilles kills Hector and ties his body to the back of his chariot and drags

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448 Words | 2 Pages

However, Priam sought hospitality and mercy rather than revenge. Hospitality is also important because of its link with honor and glory, another common theme in the Iliad. By combining the theme of honor into situations that also relate to hospitality, characters can make concrete points and develop the story. Achilles, when being to rejoin the army by Phoenix in book nine, is hospitable, however, he is also concerned with his honor as Agamemnon had just dishonored him. The combination of these two themes allow Achilles to make the point that he will be hospitable to his friends and fellow soldiers but due to the slight on his honor he will not be able to forgive Agamemnon.

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509 Words | 3 Pages

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

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707 Words | 3 Pages

The Gods saw Hector as a righteous man and stopped Achilles in order for Hector to have a proper burial. 9. Achilles frightens Priam into doing what he asks. They have a respectful meal with each other. 10.

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1035 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout Book 22, Achilles tries again and again to chase down and kill Hector, and is finally able to do so. Before he actually kills Hector, he tells him “I wish my stomach would let me cut off you flesh in strips and eat it raw for what you’ve done to me” (Iliad, Book 22, 384-86). Shortly after Achilles allows the Greeks to stand around and continually stab the corpse of Hector. However, not even this brutality satisfied Achilles. Eventually, he ended up completely disgracing Hector’s dead body in front of all of Troy, tying him up to a chariot and dragging him around, being “defiled in his own native land” (Iliad, Book 22, 449).

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980 Words | 4 Pages

Because these characters represent their respective nations, the end of their stories portray what their authors predict the future of their countries will be like. In doing so, these novels impact the culture of their countries by providing a voice to groups of people who had none before. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, the downfall of the Buendía family is caused by the repetition of their sins. The family line comes to a tragic end in an event predicted decades ago, as “it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of man,” which happened only because the Buendía family kept repeating their incestuous ways (Marquez 417). They are trapped in a cycle of history, and Marquez predicts the same tragic, yet realistic, outcome for Colombia if the country keeps repeating the same mistakes.

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780 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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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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496 Words | 2 Pages

The Three Gs And Their Meanings The Iliad’s book eighteen shows a strategically different way of storytelling. Achilles, the hero of the story, begins in this book as a worried and mourning hero after the death of one of his closest friends, Patroclus. Achilles, hurt by his friend’s death, destines himself to avenge his friend to a potential glory.

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475 Words | 2 Pages

Nature of Man Though often over analyzed, man’s nature lies within a simple statement- man possesses a propensity towards evil. People might argue that humans sometimes express virtuous desires or commit upright deeds, but this does not change the nature of man. However, man does have the opportunity to atone for his sins through God. Man’s stance in sinfulness remains unchangeable, and despite infrequent righteous actions, only through God does he redeem himself. In short, man leans towards wickedness, and principled actions do not change his core.

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1512 Words | 7 Pages

Iliad is recognized as one of the most famous ancient monuments of literature. The full understanding of this epic poem is hardly possible without thorough analysis of its main characters. Among all the episodes of the Trojan War, Homer chooses the moment of Achilles’ wrath and thus creates a poem in which he becomes the central figure. From the Ancient Greeks’ point of view, Achilles represents the ideal of manliness and pure heroism, for he is brave and fights for heroics, not profits. Today, one can agree with this interpretation, yet Achilles is probably the most controversial character because he combines various personality traits and acts in accordance with his ambiguous nature.

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