Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Achilles as an epic hero
Achilles as an epic hero
Character of Achilles
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Achilles a tragic hero or an egoistic glory hound. The son of Thetis the goddess of water, Peleus the kind of the Myrmidons. A Greek hero of the Trojan War, the greatest warrior, the slayer of Hector the prince of Troy. Achilles is deeply loyal, understanding, has superhuman strength.. Achilles only shows up to fight, but he is admirable in his own special way.
Achilles? Mother did everything she could to obtain immortality for him. She burned him over fire every night as well as covered his burns in ambrosial ointment; she dunked him in the River Styx. The water was said to create the invulnerability of the gods. This gives Achilles is superhuman strength. That everyone in Greece along with far off lands knew about. Achilles is looked upon as this great warrior, because he has immortally but if he would have never been dunked in the Styx would he still be a this famous great warrior.
…show more content…
Achilles believes he is free he has no king no one to follow too. No one special to fight for until his close cousin, friend Patroclus is killed by Hector the Prince of Troy, the son of Priam. Now Achilles has a reason to fight, to fight for Patroclus. He has a death warrant out for Hector, even though Hector thought he was actually killing Achilles. He?s being loyal to his family, friend by going out to fight for Patroclus, making it his goal to kill
The Iliad, Achilles is described as the greatest warrior in the world. Also, he was practically invulnerable as a fighter because at birth, his moth had dipped him in the River Styx, rendering him immortal everywhere but the heel, where she had held him (Sources of the West 40). As apparent by Achilles reputation as the greatest warrior in the world it is evident that society held him up as the example of a virtuous man.
The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.
When researching heroes of classic literature it is impossible to ignore Achilles from The Iliad by Homer. Starting from the time that his mother Thetis dipped him in the River Styx, making his body practically invincible, it was obvious that the Greeks had a hero in the making (Achilles, 173). His physical strength and persistence to extinguish the Trojan society is untouched by any other figure in mythology (Achilles, 173). In The Iliad Achilles is not only a hero, but a tragic hero who experiences a downfall and realizes that it is a direct result of his actions. Along with this basic definition of what it means to be a tragic hero, there are also three notable characteristics. Tragic heroes exhibit “fatal ignorance”, are “prompted by will or circumstance”, and are involved in a “binding obligation” (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, 1126). These three aspects can be synthesized into the idea that tragic heroes make one or more errors, resulting from ignorance or a personal impediment and are obligated to live out their error(s) in the form of a downfall. Achilles in The Iliad by Homer is a tragic hero because he exhibits “fatal ignorance”, is “prompted by will or circumstance”, and is involved in a “binding obligation” throughout the entire poem.
The Greeks also had their share of icons and heroes. They admired Jason and his quest for the golden fleece, and Perseus, the killer of Medusa, but their finest heroes come from Homer’s Iliad: Hector and Achilles. Hector was the best warrior in Troy and the son of Priam, the king of Troy. Achilles was the great warrior of the Greek army and killed Hector. The Greek citizens, siding with their own nationality, declared the Greek warrior Achilles the hero of the Trojan War, but since ancient Greece no longer exists an unbiased view of the Ilia...
In the introduction of the Essential Illiad given by Sheila Murnaghan, Achilles is labeled as “the greatest of the Greek heroes”. In classic mythology a hero is a person of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits and is often the offspring of a mortal and a god. Achilles was the greatest fighter among the Greeks or Trojans and feared no man in battle. He was also the offspring of a mortal and a god so by classic mythology definition, Achilles was indeed a hero. A hero is defined by the present day Websters Dictionary as: “one who inspires through manners and actions; an individual who leads through personal example and accomplishments requiring bravery, skill, determination, and other admirable qualities.” Achilles, in no manner, fits this definition. By contemporary standards, he is instead a pathetic villain. Aside from being a kidnapper, rapist and murderer, Achilles proves to be emotionally weak, selfish, and malicious. Many times throughout the Illiad, Achilles is also referred to as “godlike”. The gods of Greek mythology were subject to the same emotions and character flaws as humans, and though privileged to some foresight, the gods had similar mental capacities as humans. What really set the gods apart were their powers (controlling the elements, changing their appearance, etc.), great strength, and immortality. Because of his great strength and apparent invincibility, it is easy to see why Achilles would...
Heroes are viewed differently today as the average person who is admired for courage or outstanding achievements such as firemen and police officers. The ancient Greeks viewed heroes as those that acquire more than just courage, they must be strong and inspiring as well. Although Achilles proved to be several of these entities, the Iliad begins with Achilles rage which foreshadows his departure from battle that causes Greek ruin."Rage - Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,/murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans/ countless losses hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls, great fighter's souls,/ but made their bodies carrion feats for the dogs and birds/ and the will of Zeus...
In the Iliad, Achilles is the main protagonist. He is a demi-god and is the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus who was the King of the Myrmidons. He was a Greek hero of the Trojan War. He falls in love with a battle prize called Briseis. He is to portray, “as a brave, loyal, cocky, intelligent and even superhuman soldier. In Achilles ' case, the word "superhuman" is literal; he is the result of a union between a god and a mortal.”(Harvard 1)
...battle that Achilles’ ego needed. However, Hector tried to do the right thing by offering the deceased be returned to their respective camps after the battle was over. It is at this point that Achilles is beyond the common courtesies of war and flat out denied Hector’s request. This action by Achilles shows his arrogance and the bloodlust that was truly in his heart rather than the courage that so many people claim that he had.
Evident in Achilles and Hector, heroes larger than the stories they inhabit, present an interesting contrasting in how these men live by the code. Hector, champion of Troy, demonstrates a more humane, or humble, idea of heroism. Hector does not fight for glory for the sake of having it but that he seeks it as a means to prolong his own, as well as the lives of his neighbors. Conversely, Achilles is motivated primarily by his own desire and status. Diverging from Hector, Achilles plunders only to glorify himself, even at the expense of those close to him until the end.
The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability o...
... was when the Greek armies were trying to seize the city of Troy without the help of Achilles , the fight was relentless. With the unfortunate death of Achilles beloved companion and friend Patrolcus, Achilles entered the war with the city of Troy only to wind up killing his enemy, Hector. In all of the fates predicted, Achilles knew ahead of time what the outcome could possibly be, with this in mind, Achilles has the freewill of whether to engage in the war and lose his life. However, fate had been reveal prior to the killing of Hector, Achilles engaged in war with revenge on his mind and fulfilled the prophecies.
The Iliad, the Greek epic documented by Homer that describes the battles and events of the ten year siege on Troy by the Greek army. Both Trojans and Greeks had their fair share of heroes and warriors, but none could match the skill and strength of the swift runner, Achilles. Achilles had the attributes of a perfect warrior with his god-like speed and combat abilities. However, even though he was Greek’s greatest warrior, he still possessed several flaws that made him fit the role of the Tragic Hero impeccably. Defined by Aristotle, a Tragic Hero is someone who possesses a high status of nobility and greatness, but must have imperfections so that mere mortals cannot relate to the hero. Lastly, the Tragic Hero’s downfall must be partially their own fault through personal choice rather than by an evil act, while also appearing to be not entirely deserved of their unfortunate fate. Achilles is a true Tragic Hero because he withholds all of these traits. Achilles proves to be a good man that puts his loved ones first, reveals his tragic flaws of pride and anger, shows dynamic qualities as a character when his flaws are challenged, and has a moment of clarity at the end of his rage. Achilles truly exemplifies the qualities of a Tragic Hero.
Is the story of Achilles a redemptive story? Redemption is a powerful and inspirational theme in literature, and because all mankind is in need of redemption, all readers can connect to a redemptive story. A story is redemptive when a character experiences freedom from the vices or bad situations in their life. Redemption is to be set free, and the word “redeem” means to essentially purchase or pay for something; freedom is bought with a price. The price for redemption is often a sacrifice. The tale of Achilles in the Iliad encompasses this theme of redemption by exhibiting both sacrifice, and freedom. Achilles is freed of his anger, pride, and selfish motives. Achilles’ story is redemptive that demonstrates the freedom and transformation that is the result of redemption.
...h Agamemnon and wishes that ‘strife could die from the lives of gods and men’… Not to avenge Patroclus by killing Hector would be a renunciation of all that he stands for and has lived by”. Even though “sorrow fell on Achilles like a cloud” (216), he went back out to the battlefield and killed Hector. It took a great deal of bravery for Achilles to face the man who killed his best friend but Achilles, being the hero that he was, got back into battle and killed him because he couldn’t let Patroclus’ death go unavenged.
Achilles is a great Greek hero and son of the goddess Thetis and a mortal prince Peleus. In the Greek realm it was better to die with honor than to live without a name. Achilles was dishonored by Agamemnon so he refuses to fight. He reenters the fight when his friend Patroclus is slain by Hector to avenge the death. He succeeds with some divine intervention and then drags Hector behind the chariot. He has regained his honor from battle but soon dies at the hands of Paris. He demonstrates himself as a warrior and the account involves mythological components.