But you, you gave way to your overbearing anger, disgraced a great man the gods themselves esteem-- you seized his gift of honor and keep her still’” (9.129-132). For the first time, someone blames Agamemnon for his own self-pride. Nestor tells Agamemnon to apologize to Achilles and to acknowledge his own fault. When Nestor tells Agamemnon to apologize, the audience can see Agamemnon should take responsibility for his actions. Nestor tells Agamemnon that it was his own fault that he was angry and he should not blame it on the gods.
Unfortunately for Agamemnon, this plan backfires and the men all run for the ships. Agamemnon has to get divine help from Athena to get them to come back. Agamemnon is always happy to blame someone else for his shortcomings. He whines, in Book 19, ' I am not responsible/ but Zeus is, and Destiny '. Lesson Summary Agamemnon is a king of the Achaeans, but that does not make him worthy of the title.
Jason is insensitive and in the end it cost him his family. All four of these characters have many character flaws but in the end only one really lead to their downfall. Achilles is the greatest warrior in Homer 's The Iliad but he has many positive characteristics but he also has a few negative characteristics. Achilles was heroic, strong and brave but he has some negative characteristics such as anger and rage. I think ultimately anger is what lead to Achilles downfall.
In the first half of the Iliad, Agamemnon had control over everyone’s fate. The first was Achilles. Achilles’ fate was first shaped when he left Agamemnon wailing to his mother Thetis about not wanting to fight in the Trojan War. Just like what was previously said. However, in Agamemnon’s view, he wanted to form the fate of death towards the Trojans by having an extra number on their side, and by having a great advantage with using the greatest warrior as their “secret weapon”.
Homer underlines that this behavior is foul, for Achilles allows his soldiers to wound the body and then bounds Hector’s feet to his chariot in order to harm the body. Although Hector asked him to give his body to his family, Achilles ignores the last will of the dying Trojan hero because he is still obsessed with his revenge. One should remember that the Greeks believed it was the issue of primary importance to bury a person’s body in a decent way so that their spirit would find the sanctuary. In other words, Achilles takes revenge in the most horrible way
Both of them were brave Greek warriors who fought in the Trojan war seeking glory. Where Odysseus was just a common man, Achilles was a God among men. His wrath knew no bounds as illustrated in the Illiad. Odysseus on the other hand was cunning and could defeat his enemies or escape danger merely using his intellect. We could say that the fact that Achilles knew his fate beforehand makes him capable of less emotions as he had only glory in mind.
Homer’s “The Iliad” uses Achilles, our epic hero, as a demonstration of the power rage has over men, and how that in turn affects fate. Achilles, though sometimes considered godlike in his sheer power, often succumbs to his overwhelming rage--eventually at the expense of his best friend’s life, and nearly his own honor. Although Achilles ultimately chooses to avenge Patroclus’ death and achieve his own kleos, his initial rage-fueled decision to withdraw his participation in the war leads to the death of many Achaean soldiers at the hands of the Trojan forces, thus demonstrating the power prideful rage has in determining fate. Achilles’ initial refusal to battle alongside Agammemnon, motivated by his fury at being publicly shamed, leads to
In The Iliad 2.246-324, Homer discloses quite a bit about the society his characters live in and displays important aspects of the martial code. This sequence begins with Thersites, a common soldier, berating king Agamemnon. He his speaking out of anger, since he and his comrades had been at war for nine years, and also attempting to entertain his fellow troops. Thersites is exceptionally ugly. The author says the following: Here was the ugliest man who ever came to Troy.
Beauty pertains to the goddesses and women. Homer infers that a woman’s importance lies in her looks while for men their importance lies in their heroism. Throughout The Iliad, Homer highlights the gender inequalities between Helen and her male counterparts Agamemnon, Achilles, and Paris. Homer accentuates the objectification of women through conflicts between male characters. In Book 1, the audience is first introduced to this idea in a speech by the King of Mycenae, Agamemnon.
Achilles is the son of the goddess Thetis, and therefore one of the strongest immortals. He is famous for being the fastest runner and the greatest warrior of his time. Book I is where we first see characteristics of Achilles, specifically his anger and rage. Achilles wants to escape death and flee back home. However the Achaean king, Agamemnon, has ordered that they stay and fight.