Achilles Tragic Hero
A tragic hero is someone who experiences misfortune, evokes pity and fear in the audience, and possesses a personal flaw. The Iliad showcases a tragic hero during the Trojan War. Trojans and Greeks fight in the war, which begins because Paris steals the beautiful Helen away from Menelaos. This angers Menelaos and sparks a war. During the battle, the demigod Achilles will eventually kill the Trojan leader Hector. Achilles is the real tragic hero of The Iliad for several reasons. Achilles’s ignorance results in his downfall. All tragic heroes have a major personal flaw, and for Achilles, it is his ignorance. In Book I, Achilles and Agamemnon get in a fight over a girl. However, instead of compromising, Achilles goes on a rant. Achilles scolds
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Patroclus is Achilles’s closest friend, and his death results in Achilles’s demise. Achilles is devastated when he receives the news of Patroclus’s death, and he becomes so infuriated that he starts fighting in the war again, in order to get revenge. While in battle, Achilles motivates himself by thinking of Patroclus; he says “But stay, what am I thinking about! Patroclus lies beside our ship unmourned, unburied! Patroclus I can never forget so long as I live and move”(Homer 262). After Achilles suffers from this tragedy, he has only one thing in mind: Patroclus. After Achilles kills Hector, he cruelly torments the body by dragging it around the city multiple times. Losing Patroclus causes Achilles to temporarily lose his humanity and eventually results in his downfall, making him a tragic hero. A tragic hero evokes fear in the audience. Achilles does this through his brutal fighting skills. Achilles is a demigod, making him much stronger than any human. This scares everyone because he has the power to kill them easily. During the battle, Hector thinks about Achilles, “the armour upon him shone like flaming fire or beams of the rising sun, Hector trembled to see him” (Homer 258). Achilles kills many people during the war, making him an intimidating figure. Achilles evokes fear in the audience, proving he is a tragic
Patroclus is Achilles’s closest friend, and his death results in Achilles’s demise. Achilles is devastated when he receives the news of Patroclus’s death, and he becomes so infuriated that he starts fighting in the war again, in order to get revenge. While in battle, Achilles motivates himself by thinking of Patroclus; he says “But stay, what am I thinking about! Patroclus lies beside our ship unmourned, unburied! Patroclus I can never forget so long as I live and move”(Homer 262). After Achilles suffers from this tragedy, he has only one thing in mind: Patroclus. After Achilles kills Hector, he cruelly torments the body by dragging it around the city multiple times. Losing Patroclus causes Achilles to temporarily lose his humanity and eventually results in his downfall, making him a tragic hero. A tragic hero evokes fear in the audience. Achilles does this through his brutal fighting skills. Achilles is a demigod, making him much stronger than any human. This scares everyone because he has the power to kill them easily. During the battle, Hector thinks about Achilles, “the armour upon him shone like flaming fire or beams of the rising sun, Hector trembled to see him” (Homer 258). Achilles kills many people during the war, making him an intimidating figure. Achilles evokes fear in the audience, proving he is a tragic