Transformation Of Achilles In The Iliad

The Transformation of Achilles
In The Iliad, a book by Homer about the Trojan war, Achilles possesses a selfish rage that encompasses his entire being. Achilles stubbornly clings to his pride in hopes of gaining “kleos,” a term used to describe a sense of honor for Greek heroes. With the death of his dearest friend Patroclus, Achilles begins to let down his walls as a character, revealing layers of emotion. Love, pain, and grief are feelings that accompany Achilles’s rage as he shows that he is able to connect on a human level, as he does with Patroclus. Achilles further develops as a character when he shows compassion in returning Hector’s body to his father, Priam. Achilles reveals a sense of sympathy when faced against his enemy. It is revealed that Achilles is a dynamic character, one that has the ability to show sensitivity to even his greatest enemy. Achilles imparts on a journey that transforms him from a man overcome with selfish, prideful rage into someone that possesses a sense compassion. The beginning of The Iliad is

In what is called the embassy to Achilles, Agamemnon tries to shower Achilles with gifts to persuade him into returning to fight for the Achaeans, but Achilles rejects the gifts offered to him by Odysseus, Great Ajax, and Phoenix on behalf of Agamemnon. Achilles seems quite sad, almost dejected at this point in the epic. He is going through a period where he questions what role he is really meant to play in the Trojan war, and to an even greater extent he questions what path he is meant to take in his life. At this point, he blatantly ignores the deaths of the Greeks who are dying in battle, which he knows is partially on his account. The transformation of Achilles can be noted as Homer shows Achilles to be very lost in his life upon losing Briseis to Agamemnon and withdrawing himself from the