Who Is Achilles An Epic Hero

Epic Hero in Black Ships Before Troy

Heroes are part of many stories, legends, and folktales, where they rise against their legendary foes and have a journey where they fight for what is right. True epic heroes show values of their culture, have a noble birth, trustworthy and loyal guides and friends, and have an ability that gives them an advantage in their journey. In Greek mythology, there are many epic heroes, especially in the Trojan War, where the Greeks and Trojans fight for Helen after being taken away from the Greeks and King Menelaus by Prince Paris. Well-known epic heroes include Hector, Odysseus, Paris, Achilles, and many more. In the epic novel, Black Ships Before Troy, by Rosemary Sutcliff, the true epic hero is Achilles, the

Achilles was born the son of Thetis, a sea nymph. “Before Paris was born, Thetis of the Silver Feet had given a son to King Peleus, and they called him Achilles” (Sutcliff, 12). To protect Achilles, Thetis attempted to make Achilles immortal, yet while doing so, she left his heel unprotected. Nevertheless, Achilles fought courageously in the Trojan War, with his immunity, great speed, and powerful strength along with wearing the armor Hephaestus had made him. This shows his noble birth and Achilles’s ability and weapon. Because of Achilles’s immunity, he was a well-known warrior, something significant in his culture since many had been fighting in the war for the past ten years. Achilles wept to his mother when Briseis was taken away from him. Not only did Achilles value the love between him and Briseis, but he also valued the trust he had in his mother to let her know what he felt and what he needed help with. Trust is an important value of culture, especially during the period of war between the Trojans and Greeks. Alongside trust, Achilles valued his loyal friend, Patroclus, who Hector killed in battle. This led to Achilles growing full of grief and anger. The emotions that came from Achilles emphasize how important his loyal friend was to him, which is a key factor in Achilles's culture. Other loyal friends

One may say that Achilles isn’t the true epic hero of the novel, Black Ships of Troy, for he dishonored himself, Hector, Agamemnon, and Penthesilea. This is wrong for numerous reasons. Achilles is known to be hot-headed which led him to be upset. For starters, Hector killed Patroclus, a very dear friend to Achilles, leading Achilles to be filled with rage and drag Hector multiple times around the walls of Troy. One may say that this makes Achilles dishonorable for not respecting Hector’s body, but one must remember that Achilles was filled with rage and grief, feelings that are difficult to control. Achilles redeemed himself when he had a conversation with Priam, acknowledging what he did wrong. “And Achilles thought of his own father, who was indeed very old, and who he knew would soon have as good cause as Priam for griefing” (Sutcliff, 93). One may also say that Achilles had dishonored is Agamemnon for he did not want to fight for him nor the Trojans after Brisies was taken from him. When Menelaus took Brisies away from Achilles, Achilles said that he would stop fighting until he was respected. “But when she was gone he went down to the cold sea shore and flung himself down upon the tide line and wept his heart away” (Sutcliff, 20). This shows how important Briseis was to him, and just simply giving her back wasn't good enough to fill the hole in his heart. Lastly, one may say that Achilles had dishonored Penthesilea, or at least had acted in a dishonorable