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The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
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More handpicked essays just for you.
The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
The character of Achilles
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Who is a hero? A hero takes many forms, such as an allegorical hero, a tragic hero, or an epic hero. In the age of postmodernism, there are instances where a person can be both a hero and a villain. Odysseus is difficult to identify as a hero because of his many vices.
Percy Jackson vs. Perseus “Percy Jackson” draws on the legend of “Perseus” by showing the hero archetypes are both “The prodigy” and transforms it by having the same aspect of events in the story. One similarity between the two myths is that the are both the missfit. I know this because Percy didn’t fit in in his school. “Sorry don’t know” (Percy Jackson and the lightning thief, scene 3) This shows that he was an outcast in his school.
Ruled by the patriarchy in Greek society, women were left behind to attend to household needs while the men left home to fight or hunt. Outside of this societal rule were the Amazons, a race of women that were shaped to be the strongest and bravest warriors. During the Trojan war, the Trojans ask for the Amazons to aid them in battle and fight against the Greeks. Among these warrior women is Penthesileia, the female counterpart for the Greek hero Achilles in The Iliad. Despite the tragic death of both Achilles and Penthesileia, they both exemplify what it means to be a Greek hero.
There are many contributing factors to support the reason that Odysseus is more of an admirable hero than Achilles. During the Ancient Greek time period, heroism was greatly valued, and heroic characters in epic poems were courageous warriors who showed expertise in their ability to fight in battle. Both of these individuals, Achilles and Odysseus are heros in themselves, but Odysseus is known for being a more credible hero due to his actions. In the Odyssey three major events occur: Odysseus defeats the cyclops, escapes Calypso’s island, and visits the underworld. Odysseus is more of an admirable hero than Achilles due to his extreme leadership skills and his talents he portrays in difficult situations.
When Thucydides says “war is a stern teacher,” he is referring to how war strips people of their choices, and leads them to make more brutal decisions that they would normally never make. War, particularly for the Athenians in History of the Peloponnesian War, means the degradation of their higher society, as war has taken away their choices. Homer, however, does not depict a cultural change occurring. Instead, it is a change of the individual, as Achilles learns that kleos and geras will only lead to destruction. War teaches him philotes, caring for those other than himself.
Greek mythology has had many great heroes, such as Ulysses and Perseus. In a comparison between the two, Ulysses better fits the term ‘hero’ than Perseus. Ulysses is a leader of men, he is extremely intelligent and clever, and he has overcome many more challenges than Perseus has. As a leader goes, Ulysses fits the role much more than Perseus does. Ulysses demonstrates his leadership so much more than Perseus.
A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities (Hero). A Villain is a person who has evil actions or motives to harm people (Villain). In my opinion, a hero is usually the person in the story that everyone likes or looks to for help and the villain is the misunderstood or worst person in a situation. As humans we can be portrayed as a hero or villain when diverse situations occur. In August Wilson’s play, “Fences” Troy Maxson’s past, present and future caused significant traits of being called a hero and a villain in segments throughout the play.
As for Achilles prophecy, I would choose to be well known and die young. Being famous is not something I strive for, but I would like to have a legacy before I die. A legacy that isn’t about being the greatest killer or warrior, but about being someone who brought something good in this world. Instead of wanting to be famous for oneself like Achilles, I would rather be famous for doing something that will benefit most people in the world even if it means I would die young. I think Achilles’ choice is selfish in some ways at it shows that he only cares for his name to be known especially that he earned his fame by fighting in a war for an unfaithful woman.
In the story “Danaus, Perseus, and the Gorgon” and “Percy Jackson and The Olympians The Lightning Thief” the similarities and differences between the events, archetype, theme, and how these three points have been modernized. One event that that was modernized was how Perseus/Percy was called to adventure. Perseus was called by the evil king to go kill Medusa to protect his mom from the king. Percy was called in a different way to save his mom, and that was by Hades. He needed to retrieve the lightning bolt in order to save her, and so he set off to go tell Hades he doesn’t have it.
If I told my sister not to eat the strawberries, but she still eats it- is it my fault? I did not force her to eat the stawberries, I in fact did the opposite. She is an adult, fullly capable of making her own decisions. The actions of others are not the responsibily of mine. As such, a similar case can be seen through the iliad, particulaly the relationsohip between Achilles and Patroculus.
Although the word “hero” has transcended time, the definition has not. When modern-day humans go into reading about Greek heroes, expecting them to resemble our current ones, they are unpleasantly surprised to find selfish people who sometimes indiscriminately murder in the name of honor. In comparison, we value the firefighter that puts their life on the line to save others, the person standing up to the bully with pacifism rather than fists, and those that learn to forgive and forget instead of spending their entire lives seeking revenge on those that have wronged them. Thus, Achilles would not be considered a modern-day hero like he was in ancient Greece, because whilst they valued glory, brutal strength, and revenge, today we value selflessness,
All four characters have many character flaws but only one flaw admittedly lead to their downfall. Achilles is the greatest warrior in Homer 's The Iliad but he has many positive characteristics but he also has a few negative characteristics. Achilles was heroic, strong and brave but he has negative characteristics such as anger and rage. Sequentially anger lead to Achilles downfall. When Achilles finds out that Hector has killed his dear friend Patroclus, Achilles becomes very anger and vengeful.
He is known to be such a great leader to his army, and has a very clever mind. His resourcefulness helped their victory during the Trojan War. The goddess Athena often give him aid especially when he is fighting in a war. PERSEUS Last but definitely not the least is Perseus.
The Story of Perseus started out with a king named Acrisius, who ruled the land of Argos. Once an oracle told Acrisius that he would be killed by the offspring of his daughter, Danae. In a reaction to this life-threatening news, Acrisius locked his daughter in a room in his palace, so she could never bear child. Zeus was engrossed by Danae’s beauty and instantly fell in love with her. To meet Danae, Zeus changes his form into what is called “a shower of gold” which seeped into her room.
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.