Victorious Achilleus of the Iliad
From reading book twenty two in the Iliad it is clear, from the beginning, that Achilleus will prevail in the battle against Hektor. The reader is given many hints from the text that Achilleus will succeed. Homer, the writer of the text, feels he will win, and so gives the reader hints of his victory though his narration, and through the words of Hektor's parents, and the gods.
First, Hektor's father encourages his son to allow other men to fight with him in battle against Achilleus. He says, "Hektor, beloved child to not wait the attack of this man alone, away from the others. You might encounter your destiny eaten down by Peleion, since he is far stronger than you" (Homer 436). Hektor's father assumes that if Hektor fights alone he will certainly lose. Hektor's father knows what a great warrior Achilleus is, and so seeks to convince his son to cast away his pride, admit he is weaker, and solicit support from his fellow Trojans. He has already lost a few sons at the hands of Achilleus and expects that Hektor cannot possibly win. Since his father recognizes his weakness, this is the first hint about the outcome of the battle. But Hektor, brave man that he is, will not be so easily convinced that Achilleus is stronger. Even Hektor's mom is skeptical he can triumph over Achilles and begs him, "Do not go out as champion against him, o hard one; for if he kills you I can no longer morn you..." (Homer 437). She too has little faith that he will overcome Achilleus and is concerned he will die at the hands of this great warrior. She is so worried she does not even want him to fight.
Next, Homer gives the reader a few more indirect suggestions about the outcome of the battle. When Hektor first sees Achilleus approaching, he does not act like a extremely brave warrior. Homer explains, "And the shivers took hold of Hektor when he saw him, and he could no longer stand his ground there, but left the gates behind, and fled, frightened..." (Homer 438). Obviously, it seems unlikely Hektor can slay Achilleus since he is so afraid he cannot even stand his ground. If he has no confidence in his fighting ability surely most readers will also think he is unable to win and that is why he chooses his only option-fleeing.
To be more specific, the body pain seems to be the route in order to find the true knowledge and can be shown as tow types- the martyrdom and the punishment, which are considering as voluntary behavior and compulsory behavior. Unlike physical pain, the psychological pain will be crueler, especially for women. Under the law and also because of the female body probably more inferior than male, women could only experience lighter punishment. However, they will lose the chance to gain true knowledge. Furthermore, Krik have gave some more examples of gendering pain like sexual molestation and the requirement of female corporal
The decision of Achilleus is a crucial moment in understanding how fate works in epic (Homerian) literature. Thetis tells Achilleus of his opportunity to win renown as the greatest warrior of all time, earning glory through his fearless acts in battle against a foe who is sure to overcome the Achaians. The fate of ten years of attack on Troy hinge upon the decision of Achilleus, who is given the choice to win glory for the Achaians and, more importantly, himself.
Their argument comes to a head when Agamemnon questions, “Are you to keep your own prize [geras], while I sit tamely under my loss and give up the girl at your bidding?”(The Quarrel of Achilles and Agamemnon, 130) He then moves to take Achilles‘ war prize, Briseis from him. This, however, is much more than robbing Achilles of his hard won prize, it is a blow to his honor, something that Achilles will not stand for. He is also quick to remind the king that many victories come from the edge of his sword, saying “You forget this, and threaten to rob me of the prize [geras] for which I have toiled, and which the sons of the Achaeans have given me. Never when the Achaeans destroy any rich city of the Trojans do I receive so good a prize as you do, though it is my hands that do the better part of the fighting.” (The Quarrel of Achilles and Agamemnon, 160-165) Achilles, with some guidance from Athena, quells his anger, but refuses to swallow his pride. He accepts that Briseis is no longer his, but explains to the king that he and his myrmidons will withdraw from the war and set a course for home as soon as possible. In a situation where his honor has been damaged and no retaliation can be executed, Achilles‘ only option is to remove himself from the situation with as much pride and dignity as possible. Similarly, Achilles urging Agamemnon to return Chryseis is taken as challenge of authority to
There are times in my own life in which I realize that a goal that I have been pursuing rigorously is really not worth my time and effort, or that the way I have been pursuing that particular goal is not the most effective way. After I come to these realizations I find it helpful, if not necessary, to step back and analyze the situation. This is what happened to Achilles throughout the first sixteen books of the epic.
Hektor is one of the most sympathetic characters in Homer’s famous epic, The Iliad. He stands apart from the other selfish heroes with his strong sense of duty, which motivates all of his actions. Though he is the main adversary of the story’s Achaian heroes, he is favorably established and likable. For this reason, the reader cannot help but be saddened by his death and look upon his character with admiration.
The subject of Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, is very clearly stated--it is “the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles.” The reader remains continually aware of the extent of Achilles’ rage, yet is never told the reason why Achilles remains angry and unreconciled. There is no definitive answer to this question. Achilles is not a static character. He is constantly changing; thus the question of why he remains angry solicits different answers at various stages throughout the poem. To find an answer, the reader must carefully examine Achilles’ ever-changing dilemma involving the concepts of mortality and honor. At its simplest, Achilles’ dilemma is that if he goes to war, he will die. But he will die with glory.
Pain is much easier to endure if we know that it has purpose. We can accept pain, if we know it will lead to a better outcome. Doctors tell us that pain is a friend. Without it, we would not know something is wrong. The nerves in the body radiate sensations when the body is harmed. This leads to seeking aid because we feel the pain of the injury.
In 1931, the French medical missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer wrote, "Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself." Today, pain has become the universal disorder, a serious and costly public health issue, and a challenge for family, friends, and health care providers who must give support to the individual suffering from the physical as well as the emotional consequences of pain (1).
Pain is a complex and subjective phenomenon that involves biological, psychological, social factors, and cultural. It is interpreted and perceived in the brain. Each individual responds differently to pain because every person has different pain thresholds and tolerances. According to Porth (2009), pai...
“The greatest evil is physical pain.” Saint Augustine understood that experiencing pain is horrific, and most would agree. However, it is perhaps emotional pain, rather than physical, that causes the most damage. Whether physical or emotional, painful experiences are upsetting at best, and in severe cases, they can be life-changing. Pain is a feeling of distress that is often an underlying problem or symptom of an illness.
Achilles agreed that Patrokolos should wear his armor into battle, this decision along with the fact Achilles was no longer fighting, ultimately caused Patrokolos’ death. When Patrokolos died at the hands of Hektor, two things happened. First, being distraught over his friend’s death, Achilles feels responsible/ Guilt ensues but is channeled to more anger. Hektor, the slayer of Patrokolos now becomes the target of Achilles rage. Achilles is ready to fight, but more accurately ready for revenge. Achilles said, “I will not live nor go about among mankind unless Hektor fall by my spear, and thus pay me for having slain Patrokolos son of Menoetius,” (The Iliad, Chapter 18, Lines 89-91). When Achilles decided to fight, the fate of Hektor was already decided. Also, because he decided to fight, many more Trojans died. His fury with all of Troy was unleashed. Achilles killed and killed. The carnage was
Pain can stem from so far back as childhood, your parents child hood, or even as far as your ancestors child hood. My ancestors were slaves; a long with the majority of African Americans that live today. Being a slave you would endure the most agonizing pain. African Americans were left to wither in this pain for hundreds of years.
The price that heroes pay for the glory they obtain is something readily forgotten if one does not read The Iliad in the context of the times. In the time of the Iliad, glory and honor was even more important than it was now. One can get easily get lost in the descriptive nature of the epic poem, which gives reason to a belief that the Iliad is simply a glorification of combat, however, this is not the case. The Iliad is based on much deeper principles than combat, it glorifies the search for honor and the sacrifices that great men will take to achieve this honor. If Achilleus had not rejoined his comrades, taking pity on them, he would never be remembered even if he still had great prowess in battle, because he did not use it to help help his friends.
In class we have discussed the concept of pain, concluding that a conflict between what the brain anticipates occurring and what actually occurs has the potential to cause the perception of pain. Furthermore, it was suggested that genetics might have a role in the experience of pain, particularly when applied to the discussion of phantom limb pain. However, I found these inferences a bit unsatisfying and walked away with more questions than answers. Where does chronic pain come into the picture? Why is a stimulus that is painful for one person not for another? And the question that puzzled me the most: how, from a neurobiological perspective, can an individual experience pain in her arm if she was born without one?
In Homer’s The Iliad he tells of the battles and events during the time of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. This was just a small portion of the Trojan War that had lasted ten years. The Iliad shares the ideas of the glory of war, military values over family life, and the impermanence of human life and its creation. One thing that Homer does is characterize the two different warriors Achilles and Hector. These two great warriors both show different kinds of traits that shape the character they become throughout the The Iliad. Achilles is the main hero in The Iliad, but Homer subliminally tries to persuade the reader that Hector is the true hero in this story.