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
father will provide as gifts , my father and her ladyship my mother . Let them have my body back so that our men and women may accord me decency of fire when i am dead . ” Instead of obeying Hector’s wishes Achilles Dragged hector's dead body back to his village . This supports because it is showing how he disrespected hector and the tradition . But then achilles became respectful . In the poem , it says that Achilles gave hector's dead body back to Priem . Quoted from the poem priem says to achilles “ Achilles be reverent toward the great gods ! And take pity on me remember your own father . Think me more pitiful by far since i have brought myself to do what no man else has done before to lift to my lips of one who killed my son ” . This evidence supports because it is showing how achilles went from being disrespectful to respectful . Achilles also went from selfish to Empathetic . For example , Agamemnon’s demand for Achilles’ war prize, the maiden Briseis, wounds Achilles’ pride; Achilles’ consequent refusal to fight causes the Achaeans to suffer greatly in their battle against the Trojans. This evidence supports because it shows how achilles wasn't thinking about anyone but himself by refusing to fight . But then achilles became empathetic when he mourned over Hector’s dead body before giving it back to priem . Quoted from the poem Priem says to Achilles “ Achilles be reverent toward the great gods ! And take pity on me remember your own father . Think me more pitiful by far since i have brought myself to do what no man else has done before to lift to my lips of one who killed my son .” And it says achilles “ He lifted the old man’s hand and gently put him by . Then the both were overborne as they remembered the old king huddled at the Achilles feet wept , and wept for Hector , killer of men , while great Achilles wept for his own father as for Patroclus once again ; sobbing filled the room . ” This quote supports because it's showing how achilles was begged to give hector's son’s dead body back . And then thought about it and wept and gave the body back mourning over hector's body and thinking about his father saying “ as you wish sir the body of your son is now set free ’. This supports because it shows how achilles was selfish and quickly became empathetic while actually thinking about others . In conclusion A character's multiple conflicting motivations make him complex because they are believable .