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.
This is demonstrated through the contrast between the dependence that various mortal characters exhibit in their ‘devotion’ to a higher power, and the way in which the gods themselves react to the loss of a mortal being. In particular, the death of ‘noble Hector’, illustrates a divide between the gods who merely ‘pity’ and the god (Apollo) who ‘rages’ at those who ‘shame’. Thus, accentuating the influence the gods have over humans, and the way in which their favouritism and judgement ultimately seals their fate. This is further reinforced through Homer’s negative connotations of Achilles: ‘barbaric’, ‘murderous’, brute’, which consequently guide the god Apollo to preclude the mutilation of Hector’s body, causing Achilles great frustration and revulsion and therefore influencing his sense of ‘wild pride’ In the film Troy, it is evident that both Achilles and Hector are sceptical about the sovereignty of divine intervention, and in the case of Achilles, whether their existence is merely a fable.
Achilles,“but I also well know that I sent my friend to his death, and I, the best in battle of all the Greeks could not help him . . . so to cause the death of my dearest friend. What does my fate matter now? Let it come when it may, but let me first have my vengeance upon Hector”(Russell, Book 5, Pg. 180).
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.
(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
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
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 Ancient Greeks value specific qualities in a person however they did not value other. Ancient Greeks valued these qualities based on certain achievements or on a performances in war or even inside the city walls making substantial decisions. The Iliad is a epic novel by the Greek poet Homer. The Iliad is based off of the Trojan war between the Achaeans led by King Agamemnon and the Trojans led by King Priam of Troy. This novel focuses on the actions of several characters and how the disparate gods interfered with the war to help one or the other side have a chance to win.
Why do translations differ from one another? Well,“ translations" are like a written puzzle that is incapable "to produce equivalent versions of verbal stimuli” (Sechrest, Fay and Zaidi). Deciphering the meaning of a massive work could possibly be as difficult as translating a single word. For example, a tyrant king might look at his regime as beneficial; while, citizens might dispute otherwise. It does not matter how, but to make sure to be inside the walls of Troy.
In grief Achilles wants to fight Hector for what he did. Hector has two choices, either to fight Achilles or hide behind the walls of Troy. Hector exclainms doubtedly “What shall I do? If I retreat behind these walls, … And now that I have ruined them all by my rashness, I am ashamed to face the men and women of Troy, or some base fellows may say-Hector thought too much of his own strength, and ruined us all!”
In this story, the final years of the Trojan War are described and explained from different sides. The book’s main focus is on the Achaean side, specifically the character Achilles, in whom we can see correlations with Joseph Campbell’s Hero With A Thousand Faces and the Homeric Pattern. Achilles was seen as one of the biggest heroes of his day, however, some people today disagree. After examining Achilles’ actions and motivations throughout the story, it can be seen that he is not the hero his people believed him to be. Achilles is the son of the goddess Thetis, and therefore one of the strongest immortals.
In short, Achilles’ story is strategically played out differently from other Greek works of literature. Grief is a major strategy in the storytelling of this book. In the first paragraph we learn of Patroclus’ death, he is a close friend of Achilles, who is the main hero of the book. First hearing the confirmation of his friend’s death, Achilles’ clawed the ground for its dirty, and poured it over
Out of all the deaths, one of the most prominent and important one was the death of Patroclus, Achilles’ best friend. As a warrior, Patroclus was not considered one of the greats like Achilles, but Patroclus did play a major role in the Greek victory over Troy. Fate and free will played some significant roles in many characters that helped determine
The idea of who a hero should or should not be has changed drastically over the years, as have most things. In modern-day society we see a hero as someone who is selfless, bold, courageous, and honest. We see heroes as strong leaders of our society, someone who we would not mind our kids looking up to. In an era such as when the Iliad is written, the definition of a hero is much different. One of the main characters in the novel, Achilles, is looked up to by his peers as a fearless heroic warrior.
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.
