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Achilles in the iliad
Achilles in the iliad
The character of Achilles
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Achilles in the iliad
Achilles in the iliad
The character of Achilles
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Recommended: Achilles in the iliad
There are many important battles in the civil war. The battle of Antietam was the most important. Because it was the bloodiest battle, the Emancipation Proclamation and it was the beginning of the end of Mclean. Antietam was known for having more than 22,000 casualties, just in 12 hours of fighting. Manly because the battle was fought at close range.
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.
The first battle I fought in was the Battle of Cantigny. When I first got to France for the Battle of Cantigny I met a boy named William who so happened to be my age and was also drafted for war. We started talking about the plans that we had made for the summer vacation and then he started telling me the reason why this whole war was happening and he said “The direct cause of WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914.” I kinda had an idea of what had happened but he just refreshed my memory. Then we headed to the battlefields.
The confederates surprised the union soldiers which resulted in a confederate win. There were many other battles, however there is one that really stands out. The most known battle, and the deadliest battle, Gettysburg. The battle at Gettysburg resulted with by far the most deaths. With over 50,000 casualties, this battle would be remembered by all.
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
Achilles’ heart is described as having “no feelings of justice, nor can his mind be bent…”. Achilles’ resolute mindset is then
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
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,
If I return home to my dear fatherland / My glory is lost but my life will be long,” (Il. 9.325-328). Neither Achilles or Nicias are successful in staying out of battle, both getting dragged into fighting a war they don’t believe
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
Pride and glory were worth dying for. This is demonstrated through Homer’s book, the Iliad. One of the character that shows this is Achilles
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.
Once Achilles decided to return to battle, anger and pride still possessed him, and the actions of Achilles after killing Hector that he did not care about his reputation. Homer writes, “Achilles still would not dismiss his Myrmidons... “Charioteers in fast formation - friends to the death!” (559). Gloating in victory, Achilles did not refrain himself from killing even more Trojans and fought to death just so that he could bask in more glory.
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.
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.