Achilles: A Sympathetic Character In The Iliad
Have you ever done something wrong out of anger or grief? Sometimes when bad things happen to us,
it piles up until we cannot handle the anger or pain any longer and we burst. We make poor decisions and
do things that we later regret in life. When we make bad decisions, people around us tend to forget to
listen to our side of the story. Achilles, a warrior from The Iliad, can relate to this. Achilles emerges as a
sympathetic character in The Iliad because people took from him, and because he showed mercy to
people who did not fully deserve it.
As the king of the Myrmidons, people would view Achilles as one who has almost everything he wants -
which would be false because people took from him. When Agamemnon refused to spare …show more content…
His spoils of war must have meant a lot to him. Another time Achilles
had something taken from him, was when Hector killed his best friend, Patroclus. “On hearing of
Patroclus’s death, Achilles is overcome with grief and rage.” Imagine a loved one being murdered or
losing a dear friend. Achilles must have been aching with pain and anger.
Achilles emerges as a sympathetic character in The Iliad also because he showed mercy to people who
did not fully deserve it. When Agamemnon wanted to take Briseis away from Achilles, Achilles was
filled with rage. “He slid the big blade slowly from the sheath,” (1.226,227) attempting to kill
Agamemnon. He was stopped by Athena and was convinced to spare Agamemnon’s life. Although he
knew he would lose Briseis, he still took mercy on Agamemnon. With the rage poor Achilles had inside
him, because of losing his spoils of war, all he did was mourn for her. Another time Achilles showed
mercy was when Priam, the father of Hector - who killed Achilles’ best friend - went to beg Achilles to
give up Hector’s body. “As you wished , sir, the body of your son is now set free. He lies in state. At …show more content…
Now let us think of supper.”
(24.189-193) Achilles did not only spare Hector’s body, but also had supper with the father of the man
who murdered his best friend. That is something that not very many people would do. He not only shows
mercy to Priam but also shows kindness.
Achilles may have done some bad things in The Iliad, but he was overcome with so much grief and
anger. Because people took from him, and because he showed mercy to people who did not fully deserve
it, Achilles emerges as a sympathetic character in The Iliad. One should keep in mind that Achilles was
angry and hurt and yet he still did good things that most people would not have done when they are in the
state he was
it piles up until we cannot handle the anger or pain any longer and we burst. We make poor decisions and
do things that we later regret in life. When we make bad decisions, people around us tend to forget to
listen to our side of the story. Achilles, a warrior from The Iliad, can relate to this. Achilles emerges as a
sympathetic character in The Iliad because people took from him, and because he showed mercy to
people who did not fully deserve it.
As the king of the Myrmidons, people would view Achilles as one who has almost everything he wants -
which would be false because people took from him. When Agamemnon refused to spare …show more content…
His spoils of war must have meant a lot to him. Another time Achilles
had something taken from him, was when Hector killed his best friend, Patroclus. “On hearing of
Patroclus’s death, Achilles is overcome with grief and rage.” Imagine a loved one being murdered or
losing a dear friend. Achilles must have been aching with pain and anger.
Achilles emerges as a sympathetic character in The Iliad also because he showed mercy to people who
did not fully deserve it. When Agamemnon wanted to take Briseis away from Achilles, Achilles was
filled with rage. “He slid the big blade slowly from the sheath,” (1.226,227) attempting to kill
Agamemnon. He was stopped by Athena and was convinced to spare Agamemnon’s life. Although he
knew he would lose Briseis, he still took mercy on Agamemnon. With the rage poor Achilles had inside
him, because of losing his spoils of war, all he did was mourn for her. Another time Achilles showed
mercy was when Priam, the father of Hector - who killed Achilles’ best friend - went to beg Achilles to
give up Hector’s body. “As you wished , sir, the body of your son is now set free. He lies in state. At …show more content…
Now let us think of supper.”
(24.189-193) Achilles did not only spare Hector’s body, but also had supper with the father of the man
who murdered his best friend. That is something that not very many people would do. He not only shows
mercy to Priam but also shows kindness.
Achilles may have done some bad things in The Iliad, but he was overcome with so much grief and
anger. Because people took from him, and because he showed mercy to people who did not fully deserve
it, Achilles emerges as a sympathetic character in The Iliad. One should keep in mind that Achilles was
angry and hurt and yet he still did good things that most people would not have done when they are in the
state he was