Achilles, before this moment, could have been considered sympathetic in many of his battles. Although he brutally killed many a Trojan, he was usually willing to take people for ransom. Although his rage at Agamemnon has faded, with the death of Patroclus, any mercy or compassion Achilles once had is now gone, destroyed by grief and rage.
His denial of Lykaon's pleas for mercy can be considered one of the Iliad's most frightening passages. Achilles has become cold, inhuman. As many other Trojans before him have hoped, Lykaon hopes that his family's lineage will be able to save him, but Achilles is so far past the breaking point that life can no longer be spared. In the translation, Lykaon speaks of Patroclus to Achilles, describing him as "your
Philopeliades thinks that Achilles is doing the right thing and no one should stop him. But then there is Misopeliades who thinks anything Achilles does is wrong. Luvion is the only person who think Philopeliades and Misopeliades is wrong. This conversation goes on for a while before they realize everyone has a different opinion.
In the Illaid written by Homer, Achilles is the leader of the greek army and uses that army to his advantage. Achilles only fights with honor until he finds out about his friend that was killed. In the poem Achilles says “Hector had you thought that you could kill Patroclus and be safe?”(Homer 80). Achilles is basically telling Hector that he is going to get revenge on him for killing his beloved friend.
Achilles pours a libation and prays to Zeus for Patroclus' success. • The battle 1. Patroclus himself kills many Trojans between the ships and the ditch, while others flee back towards Troy. 2. Sarpedon comes up to face Patroclus in single combat, and Zeus wonders whether he should rescue his son; but Hera advises him to let destiny take its course, and Zeus agrees.
In the Iliad, Achilles doesn’t go through any stages of personal development, except for possibly when King Priam begs him to return Hector’s body. This may have been development, or it could be his grieving for Patroclus, so he didn’t really care. Throughout the book, he keeps his blind anger/bloodlust, causing him to maul his enemies (Hector), without morals, and easily wounded pride, which puts him into a full blown rage and holds a long grudge for it, like what happened with
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.
After his death, Achilles contradicts the ideal of dying honorably and obtaining kleos. Achilles states that he would rather “slave on earth for another man--/some dirt-poor tenant farmer who scrapes to keep alive --/ than rule down here over all the breathless dead” (11.555-558). Achilles believes that life is more precious than immortal glory. Achilles contradicts the supreme value of kleos in the Iliad. Initially, he once believed that glory was more much important than life.
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.
ACHILLES Achilles was very mad at Hector, he wanted revenge. Achilles best friend died by the sword of Hector. Achilles best friends name was Patroclus , he was a very good fighter. Achilles missed his friend it broke his heart that he was gone. He wanted to kill him self because he thought that it was all his fault that Patroclos died.
Achilles epitomizes the most and least desirable traits of an ancient Greek man. The “swift runner” (2.66) is virtuous in his piety towards the gods. A demigod, favored by Zeus and Hera, he shows his reverence of (to?) the gods in wishing to placate Apollo and in heeding Athena, “Goddess, a man submits though his heart breaks with fury. Better for him by far.
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.
Now I must go to look for the destroyer of my great friend. I shall confront the dark dear spirit of death at any hour Zeus and the other gods may wish to make an end (Q 65-68). Here, Achilles shows fearlessness and audacity in his acceptance of death. However, he accepted his fate, to avenge the killer of his friend Patroclus.
Achilles is seen to be full of wrath in the beginning of the book. This wrath is not caused only because Agamemnon takes his prize of war. He is angry at the system which allows Agamemnon to play around with other people’s honors and the system which allows him to decide who gets how much honor. In other words, Achilles does not like the idea that someone else can decide what happens to his honor, despite him deserving most of the honor in relation to how much he contributes in war. As the story proceeds, Achilles seems to contradict himself a lot, and the concept of honor helps us understand this better.
Despite the centuries separating them The Iliad and the Commedia both stress the importance of balance as a divinely ordered phenomenon. Achilles in the Iliad characterizes both a wrathful and a sullen soul found in Dante’s fifth contrapasso. The difference being Achilles showing the isolation that sin gives the living. As Dante illustrates the collective whole that all the wrathful and sulking souls become, indistinguishable, naked and either combative or bubbling in a living swamp. The portrait Homer gives of anger in Achilles is most helpful in understanding the forms anger can take.
In Iliad, Achilles was given a choice between living a long but unremarkable life or choosing to fight in the Trojan War, which would lead to either death or eternal glory. He risks his life to gain "kleos aphthiton," which means "imperishable glory" and will secure his position in history. Achilles understood that the "great risk" that he was faced with would not only involve physical danger, but also the possibility of living an ordinary life without any
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.