Achilles: The Legendary Greek Warrior

Achilles, the legendary Greek warrior, and his story of rise and fall by Homer. At the start of this story, it is noticeable that it is one of very few where the adventures of the hero leads him to have a feeling of invulnerable power, which instead of creating an unbeatable skill for himself instead leads to his own demise. The start of Achilles' power struggle begins with the irresistible desire of his mother, Thetis a deity of nature known as a Nymph or a Sprite to grant Achilles with Immortality. The child Achilles is given this power on one of two obsessive attempts by Thetis. The first attempt, Thetis committed a sacrificial ceremony to burn Achilles' mortal flesh off in return for Achilles to keep an immortal body that would be left

Knowing this, Thetis fears an early death of Achilles and sends him away to the Court of Lycomedes in Scyros disguised as a young girl. At the period of time Achilles is alone, he has an affair with Lycomedes' daughter Deidameia, who had a son Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus. Ultimately, Achilles' disguise was seen through by Odysseus when he placed a set of armor and sword among a display of women's apparel. Achilles, the only "maiden" who took an interest in the armor, was requested by Odysseus that "she" come with him to Troy. Achilles was quick to accept Odysseus' offer and came willingly. Following Achilles was his band of legendary warriors, the Myrmidons, as well as his close friend Patroclus and his tutor Phoenix. Arriving in Troy, Achilles quickly maintained a fierce reputation as an unrivaled warrior capturing twenty-three towns within Trojan territory, including Lyrnessos, the town of his captured war prize, the woman Briseis. Unfortunately, following Achilles' many victories, Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks, was visited by an oracle of Apollo who forced Agamemnon to give up his war prize, the lady Chryseis. As compensation, Agamemnon took Briseis away from

Soon after, the Greeks with dragging feet slithered around the inside of the wall just as a snake moves in a rabbit's nest. Soon after slaughtering the guards in their sleep one by one until there were none left defending the insurmountable wall, Achilles lifted the gate to allow the hidden Greek army passage to their easily-seized amount of wealth and treasure swelling from within Trojan city. Almost simultaneously after the Greeks made way into the city, Achilles and his men sprinted ahead; Achilles with a different objective in mind than pillaging the burning city. Achilles quickly searched the city for Briseis, while Priam sat and watched his city crumble atop itself. Soon after, the king watched the last of his soldiers attempt to defend the royal palace, but too many of the Greeks slammed through the doors, killing any and every Trojan that stood in their way. While Priam was kneeling before a statue of Apollo praying to ask as to why he had forsaken Priam's city, Agamemnon came from behind and stabbed Priam in the back. Amid all the chaos of the fiery city, Paris, son of Priam, and Andromache, the wife of Hector, were both leading citizens away from the panic into a secret passage of escape. At this moment, Paris gave a young boy the sword of Troy and, reciting the same verse his father told him, Paris left with bow and