Preview

Achilles Judgement In The Iliad

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
316 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Achilles Judgement In The Iliad
In Homer’s, The Iliad, humans and gods both have their judgement clouded by love and because of this many mistakes were made, many lives were lost, and much sorrow was shed. On page 37 Agamemnon tells Achilles, how he will take away Achilles’ prize of honor and the girl that Achilles has chosen to take hostage and claim as his own from him, because Agamemnon had to return his. After Agamemnon makes his threats, Achilles is angered and distraught for he cares deeply about his wife Briseis, and because he cared so much he made the decision to not fight in the war and let his people die; All because of a girl. On page 43 Achilles is seen talking to his mother, Thetis, as he sulks in a pool of his own self pity. he cries to his mother about how

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Achilles criticizes the “heroic code” in the Iliad. Achilles has an unusual double fate: he knows that if he goes home from Troy, he will have a long life without glory. If he stays, he will win great glory but his life will be cut short. One measure of the extraordinary experience Achilles is going through emerges from his refusal to abide by the customary rules of status, when he rejects Agamemnon’s offer in Book Nine. Both characters in the myth are fighting because Agamemnon has taken charge of Achilles’ Trojan slave named Briseis, claiming her as his property. Achilles has feelings for Briseis, which drives the plot in The Iliad. Achilles already despises Agamemnon, so this final act of disrespect causes Achilles…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A complex character is a character that is believable . Homer made Achilles complex , in order to make him realistic . This results in multiple or conflicting motivations . This makes the character realistic because they often portrayed negative or positives reasons . This is the case in Homer’s Iliad When Achilles went from Disrespectful to respectful . For example in the poem hector begged achilles to give his body to be returned to his parents so they could cremate and bury it . Quoted from the poem it says “ I beg you by your soul and by your parents , do not let the dogs feed on me in your encampment by the ships . Accept the bronze and gold my…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Achilles is a great warrior who faces many different situations in his life. These scenarios changed him into who he has become in his life according to the Iliad. Throughout the Iliad his emotions range anger, rage, and compassion. When he gets angry it's because of Agamemnon taking Briseis from him. He gets rage from when the Trojans kill his cousin. Achilles becomes compassionate when the King of Troy comes to ask for his son's body back.…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Iliad, the characters of Hector and Achilles carry similar traits, although a deeper investigation into each character will show some stark contrasts between the two. Victory and defeat is not the most telling sign as to which is the greater hero of the two. There are flaws within each character and each one fights to overcome them throughout the story. By the end, it is clear which one emerges as the most appropriate symbol of a hero. The character of Achilles is greater than the character of Hector because he was able to overcome more of his character flaws to become a more realistic portrayal of what a heroic character should be.…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Homer’s book The Iliad, Homer tells the story of the Trojan War with Achilles, the best Greek warrior. However, Achilles does not like Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, because he took Briseis (Briseis was a woman that Achilles had received as a war prize). This is the reason why Achilles was raged at Agamemnon. In a rage, Achilles wants to kill all of the Trojans, especially Hector, the best Trojan warrior. Patroclus, Achilles’ best friend goes out to the battle field as Achilles (wearing his armor), trying to kill Hector but instead Hector kills Patroclus thinking he has killed Achilles. When Achilles finds out about this, he is very mad and goes out to kill Hector himself. When he kills Hector, he is very arrogant about it. Only after this happens does Achilles get Briseis back from Agamemnon.…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Achilles shows various forms of commitment in the Iliad. This god does not appear as often as others do, but when he does he appears with a bang. He and Agamemnon have ongoing beef, and because of this he resides from the Achaen army. The Achaens need his help to defeat Troy but he is so committed to his hatred for Agamemnon that he refuses to help. “never again, he’ll never rob me blind with his twistsul words again. Once is enough for him. Die and be damned for all I care” (9, 455-457). The beef begins when Agamemnon steals Achilles’ wife from him, whom he cherished very dearly. In the text it is very clear that Achilles is committed to his love for this woman, which isn’t common for the gods to do. “…anguish gripped Achilles. The heart…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though this may seem like the actions of a man that had lost his mind but consider that he is a warrior and has been through ten years of war, he had seen thousands of deaths before this one. This death, specifically of his best friend, makes him act the way he does. Throughout all of The Illiad, not once is Achilles this upset or moved by anyone else’s death, this mean that Virgil had meant to specify and make sure that the reader understands how much Patroklos means to Achilles and how close of friends they are. With how severely depressed he gets that Antilochos thinks that he may kill himself is another hint that Achilles if actually a very emotional person. The way his actions are described clearly show that he is completely distraught because of the loss of his comrade. “Antilochos held Achilles’ hands as Achilles moaned / in his noble heard, and Antilochos feared that he would cut / his throat with a knife” (XVIII.32-33). The fear that Antilochos has that Achilles may cut his own throat also is another example of how much Patroklos meant to him and how emotional he was. Lastly, after the fighting had subsided and after the death of Hector and the funeral of Patroklos, Priam had…

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this essay we are to compare and contrast the heroism, motivations and values of Achilles of The Iliad with the heroism, motivations and values of Rama. Achilles, is known as the greatest and fastest hero on the Greek side during the Trojan War, and is also the subject of Homer's great epic poem about the Trojan War, the Iliad. Rama is…

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Achilles In The Iliad

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Aristotle said that the man who is incapable of working in common, or who in his self-sufficiency has no need of others, is no part of the community, and is like a beast or a god. Discuss the character of Achilles in light of this statement. Use plenty of examples, details, references, and quotations in the response.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Achilles and the Greek Era

    • 1662 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Achilles, son of Peleus, King of Myrmidons, and Thetis, sea nymph, comes to Troy as part of a Greek force led by King Agamemnon. Unlike most protagonists, Achilles does not develop significantly over the course of the epic.…

    • 1662 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Achilles: A Tragic Hero

    • 2207 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Over time there have been many men and women who have received the title “hero.” They likely have been named by their bravery, strength, and willingness to give up their own comfort, if not their own life, to benefit the wellbeing of others. Every hero differs in many ways. Each one of them has his own story of heroism. The tragic hero survives in our literature.…

    • 2207 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through all of these relationships Homer continues to show loyalty. Readers are able to visualize a tortuous murder of Hector by Achilles. In this battle of cat and mouse, Homer continuously expresses Achilles hate towards Hector because Hector, son of Priam and prince of Troy, killed Achilles best friend Patroclus. In loyalty and revenge of his friends death Achilles finds it necessary to kill Hector In the most painful way possible. “ Achilles now exulted: “ Hector, had you thought that you could kill Patroclus and be safe?...The dogs and kites will rip your body. His (Patroclus) will lie in honor.”(Iliad 22:390-399) Although this might not be the best way to show loyalty and more like revenge, in Achilles mind set he is doing this to stay true to his friend. Priam, a father of 12 sons, tried to stay in respect of his son Hector.He wanted to him to have a proper burial , but Achilles seizes the body to feed to the wild dogs. Hector promises lord Achilles anything he wanted for the body, however Achilles stayed ruthless. Hector Furiously states, ‘Peace be with you even in the dark where death commands, Patroklos. Everything has been finished as I promised…Hector should not be eaten by wild dogs. (Iliad 206-210) This shows the high morals and loyalty Praim had towards his son. he is showing that he would do anything in return for his…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Achilles In The Odyssey

    • 1488 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This image describes and symbolizes a struggle between two opposing mythical warriors. Both from different worlds and ways of life, both attempting to conquer the other in battle. The first being in the image (the one on the right that is about to slay his enemy) is a great mythological warrior, the son of Peleus, named Achilles. Achilles is a famous Greek hero that many Greek citizens, at that time, could relate themselves too. He had characteristics that almost any Greek male wanted to imitate.…

    • 1488 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the beginning of the first book, the priest Chryses seeks to have his daughter Chryseis returned from Agamemnon’s possession (Iliad 1.11 - 37). His refusal leads to Apollo afflicting the Achaean army with a debilitating plague for 9 days (Iliad 1.50 - 61). The plague results in a disagreement between Agamemnon and Achilles about what to do about Chryseis. Ultimately, Agamemnon decides to return Chryseis, but not before taking Achilles’ own prize, Briseis (Iliad 1.214 - 221). The rift created between Agamemnon and Achilles remains a central issue as the story continues, with lasting consequences.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Illiad Journal

    • 4264 Words
    • 18 Pages

    Homer’s invocation of a muse to aid him in telling the rage of Achilles seems appropriate for the poem about mortals and immortals. Paying respect to the gods becomes one of the most important things the mortals can do in order to remain in the gods’ good graces. The fight between Agamemnon and Achilles is ridiculously blown out of proportion due to both character’s large sense of pride and stubbornness. Once again it is sacrifices made to the gods that makes the plague on the Greek camp happen. The gods seem to meddle in too much of the mortals’ lives only causing more conflict. Also it is interesting to note is that Hephaestus, Hera’s son, convinces his own mother not to start anymore fighting—usually it’s the other way around.…

    • 4264 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Better Essays