Sacrifice In The Odyssey

Throughout the poem of the Iliad, Homer does an excellent job portraying the various sacrifices that the gods requested at the expense of the heroes. In Greek mythology, there are many instances where heroes had to sacrifice their beloved things to gods and goddesses because it was respectful and appeased them. In most cases, it is almost mandatory because they are usually punished by the god until they sacrifice something. On the other hand, Homer shows many representations of heroes sacrificing everything to gain immortal glory and be favored by other gods. In the Iliad, the motif of sacrifice permeates the epic poem as Achilles and Apollo exemplify different variations of respect to show their humanity and glory.

In the beginning of the

Achilles and Agamemnon clashed over war prizes which created a deep antipathy within Achilles towards his leader. When asked by Agamemnon to fight in the battle between the Greeks and The Trojans, he refuses to fight even though they would suffer immensely without him. Achilles wanted to keep his pride and dignity since he felt that Agamemnon was not giving him the respect and acclaim that he deserved. He decided to sacrifice his glory of being one of the greatest gods to ever go into battle to go back to his “fatherland of Pythia'' (Il.9.265). He knows what it would cost him his title and that if he chooses not to fight then he might not get the opportunity to have all the glory again. However, he knew this would only bring Agamemnon down so despite the glory he would receive he wanted nothing but to bring Agamemnon down. This brought limitless amount of anger towards Agamemnon because he knew that he was not going to be able to win if Achilles did not fight. Achilles is known to be extraordinarily strong and courageous in battle and was exceptionally favored by many gods. Agamemnon wanted to resolve the situation as fast as he could and decided to bribe Achilles with “his gifts'' to earn his trust back

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. He starts to gain more human characteristics of humility and respect for others. Despite the hurtful things that Agamemnon said to Achilles, he decides that he is right and that he is not above Agamemnon. He gives in to the hurtful things he said because he realized how selfish he was at the beginning of the poem. He is so hurt by the death of his friend, that he continues to not just sacrifice his pride but his mortality and glory in respect of his friend. He also shows his courtesy to Priam by sacrificing his hatred towards Hector and giving Priam his body back. This also changes his mind about the war and in honor of his friend he decides that he