Achilles: The Hero's Absence Of Honor

The decisions and actions Odysseus makes throughout his Odyssey, not only call upon the person he is but shape the person he becomes, with many of the challenges honing his character. Homer uncovers the traits that most befittingly define Odysseus as honor, courage and guile. The traits that are glorified in The Odyssey, connect to recent times because they are comparable to those we think of when defining a hero or an impeccable human being. Odysseus’ use of his honor, courage and guile showcase how these traits allowed him to excel in his time and also are key traits all should have for the challenges we must face in

The Odyssey of Homer is about the hero Odysseus who starts an adventure to return to

During Ancient Greece, the value of Kleos or glory is equivalent to fame and honor. Kleos is separated into two different aspects which incorporate war stories and privileges in the underworld. The people of Ancient Greece tell and recollect the war stories of Achilles, Odysseus, and Ajax during the Trojan War. The souls that achieve glory during life are given privileges in the underworld. Greek culture is notorious for hero worship. Hero worship is the excessive admiration of a historical figure who played a major role in an important battle. Upon departing for Troy, Achilles receives a prophecy. It states that if he goes to Troy, he will obtain immortal glory and die. However, if he stays home, he will live a prolonged life, but his name will disappear. Achilles’ prophecy is fulfilled when he dies and gains immortal glory. 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. However, after he reflects on his life in the underworld, he

Honor is one of the major themes in The Iliad. However the concept of honor in The Iliad is not the same as our current understanding of honor. Honor plays a key role in how the characters in the Iliad act, why they make certain decisions, and why the events in the Iliad occur the way they do.

In the Iliad, the character of Achilles has numerous character flaws that cause him to have blinded judgement towards his actions as well as shutting out everyone around within the epic poem. Achilles’ rage keeps him from being the hero that we were supposed to see him as. 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

In The Odyssey, the author Homer writes a fascinating epic poem. It all began when Helen the queen of Sparta was kidnapped. Her husband sent an army of great warriors behind her, including Odysseus. A 10 year war was fought between the trojans and Odysseus’ army. It ended when the

I think achilles is an actual hero. Achilles represents being a greek hero the best because he fights for himself and that shows that he doesnt need anyone to back him up he is strong enough to fight alone. He also is a great fighter and to be a hero

In the Iliad, hospitality is a reoccurring theme that can change situations, inspire character development, and link itself with other themes to make concrete points. Throughout the Iliad, situations are dramatically shifted when hospitality is used. In many cases, when things are going awry, hospitality allows the characters to, instead of acting like animals, find the humanity inside themselves. For example, in book nine, Nestor proposes a feast for Achilles to try and get him to rejoin the Greek force. Hospitality is especially important in this example, because Achilles was angry but also hospitable. If Achilles was angry but not hospitable the scene would have played out much differently. When Achilles is angry but not hospitable, like in the original fight between him and Agamemnon which

“Imagine a king who fights his own battles. Wouldn't that be a sight” This is a quote from the movie troy. This really does explain him pretty well. Achilles who was technically a mortal man but his mother held him by the achilles which is the

Greek heroes are mortals who show great strength and courage, and are favored by the gods. Diomedes, son of Tydeus, can be seen as the normative Greek warrior because of his superhuman prowess in battle as a mortal. Heroes can be identified through their bold feats, which Diomedes displays in book 5 of the Iliad. In battle it is noted that “the Trojans were scattered by Tydeus’ son, and as many as they were could not stand against him.” Diomedes is presented as an unstoppable force, strong enough to take on many of the Trojan warriors at once. His exploits in battle continue when the goddess Athena endows Diomedes with superhuman strength and the ability to distinguish gods from mortals. He then battles and kills several Trojan warriors, injuring

Similar to The Iliad, fate, honor, and shame are themes present in Chushingura. However, while The Iliad relies heavily on the role of fate, and less on honor and shame, Chushingura does the opposite and places less emphasis on fate and more on honor and shame.

Vietnam veterans experience intense and traumatic events in war. One of the many things they experience in war is a leader's betrayal. A leader betrayal is when the leader loses his sense of what’s right, mind and morality. They refuse to take responsibility of things that happen under their watch.

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. In the first few lines of Achilles speech, he states, “I hate it like I hate hell / The man who says one thing and thinks another” (Il. 9.317-318). The accuracy of this statement comes into question twice within the confines of a few pages. First, Achilles changes his plans for departing with his ships, not once, but twice. At the end of his first speech, Achilles asserts that “Tomorrow / he [Phoenix] sails with me on our voyage home,” but in his next speech in response to Phoenix, he reassures his old friend by saying “At daybreak / We will decide whether to set sail

Achilles is an example of losing and gaining back arete. In book one, Agamemnon is forced to give Chrysies back only if Achilles gives up his prize, Briseis, to him (1.220). This infuriated Achilles and humiliated him. At the end of their quarrel, Achilles decided he would not fight for Briseis and he would simply withdraw from the battle and he would not fight. This was Achilles’s way of revenge for Agamemnon because he too away the one thing that gave him honor and respect. Agamemnon violated his honor and Achilles would not let him have his way. Instead of fighting and trying to get back his prize, he did what he thought would dishonor Agamemnon which was to withdraw from the battle. Later in the Iliad in book 18, Achilles learns that his

I love to write, and I have always managed to be rather successful at it. Despite my good fortune, I am aware of the fact that some people loathe writing, and I can understand that because math is my Achilles heel. But, if I may be so bold as to offer a few words of advice- I hope that isn 't too presumptuous? Try to relax when you 're writing, go somewhere where you are comfortable, writing is just putting words down on paper, so try not to stress over it either! Have fun with your writing, for the most part, the writer is in control of the conversation, recognize that and use it to your benefit. If you feel yourself getting frustrated, contemplating throwing your computer across the room, just take a break, and pray. In the book of