How Does Achilles Shape His Own Destiny
The most important factor that shaped his destiny or fate or destiny was the difficult decision he made at the turning point of his life. His life was definitely a result of the choice he made every time he encountered an event. The freedom of choice was the determining factor in shaping Priam’s life. Life was less about what happened to Priam and more about how he reacted to it. Priam is aware of the freedom and makes a choice to face the unknown for there can be different ends to the same story or as Priam says ‘the road my other self went down’ (68)
Even Achilles is told he will die young. That is fated but yet he chooses to ignore it and rebels against all the forces and endeavors to be remembered as a brave warrior. Achilles is the one …show more content…
who chooses a short life of glory than a long life without. Achilles struggles with the fates by questioning it and fighting it. This choice of Achilles is at the centre of the novel and even influences the lives of many other soldiers. The fate of two armies is also decided by Achilles. His choice to reenter the battle after Patroculus’s death gives a new course to the war. ‘Kleos’ or glory is the choice Achilles makes to be remembered by people for centuries to come. Malouf tells us
‘In the long vista of time he might already be gone.
It is time, not space, he is staring into.’ (Malouf 2009, 6)
The life of Achilles and Priam are tied between choice and chance. Achilles is very much aware he has to die, but ponders over his end at the beach or plains. We are told …show more content…
that
‘the sea is not where it will end. It will end here on the beach in the treacherous shingle, or out there on the plain. That is fixed, inevitable.’ (Malouf 2009, 9)
Achilles and Priam are both aware of their impending deaths but they choose to exert control over their lives. When the kings and warrior’s stories are juxtaposed, Achilles feels like
‘like a sleeper who has stumbled in on another’s dream.’ (Malouf 2009, 12)
Even the selection of Somax as the King’s herald depends on the choice of the king’s son. He is chosen for his humility and simplicity. He is a common man who like the king has lost many sons. Was it chance that the two men meet each another or was it just a matter of choice. Even though they belong to two different ranks, grief unites them. There is no doubt that humans can wield influence over their destiny but to what extent is unclear. Malouf does not entirely dismiss the role of Gods but also asserts that not everything is predetermined. It is a matter of perception. For eg. When a bird is sighted at the start of Priams journey, Helenus perceives it as an eagle – Jove’s messenger whereas for Somax it is just a chicken hawk hunting for food. The Greeks strongly believed in fixed destinies for everything between life and death, but Malouf in his novel balances the matters of choice or chance. While Priam makes a choice of begging Achilles to return the body and travels under the guise of a simpleton, the death of Achilles and Priam seems to be predestined. Somax is also an instrument of change and reaffirms the belief that choice has a major role to play to shape our destinies.
Somax and Priam connect in spite of their disparity in status. They were both fathers who had lost their sons. Somax rightly notes that irrespective of their rank their concern for their respective family remains the same. Somax remarks to Priam:
‘But you worry just the same, it’s in our nature. We’re tied that way, all of us’ (Malouf 2009, 131)
Somax also notes that we make a choice to live on in spite of the death and loss that surrounds them.
‘But the truth is, we don’t just lie down and die, do we, sir? We go on. For all our losses’ (Malouf 2009, 131)
Priam feels a strong connection with the herald that his son chooses for:
Even the death of Somax’s young son is due to his own foolish choice. Somax tells the king that there was no reason for his son to get under the wagon but he just wanted to ‘show off in front of the rest’ and this leads to him being crushed by the wagon. Somax also wonders if the gods could have given him the chance. He remarks:
‘He would have grown out of it in time, if they’d just have given him the chance…Mightn’t the gods regret it too, and think they acted too hasty…’ (Malouf 2009, 141)
Even though it was the choice of the young so that leads to his death, the poor herald can’t help but blame the gods.
In the novel, we find both Achilles and Priam questioning their role in the universe. They both transcend beyond the roles assigned to them and make a choice to explore unknown territories. They are both courageous to break the norms and stand by their unimaginable choices. Did god have a role to play in Achilles decision to return the body or was it just his choice to be humane and think like a father? The novel indeed explores the complex scenarios that human beings have to make. All the characters in the novel dare to make some choices but also accept the role of gods and chance in their destiny. It makes us question our own beliefs and the decisions we make even in this 21st century. How often do we make an active choice and how often do we remark it was meant to happen?
The novel teaches the characters many important lessons but these disappear when they are faced with death.
All humans and human things are indeed subject to decay, and even monarchs cannot help but obey. Malouf shows us that even death is a part of the individuals’ destiny and they have a choice to choose how they will die. Whether the characters believe that their destiny is fixed or changeable, what they have in common is the wish to be remembered, live honorably, and live on in the minds of men. Priam’s choice to be remembered as an extraordinary father and Achille’s decision to die a great warrior signifies the transient nature of life for men may come and men may go but few things last forever. When Priam challenges his fate, he is in fact challenging the gods by taking control over his own life. After treating him like a toy and playing with him for a while, demonstrating what they could do, the gods had finally relented. Priam reasserts that they are all mortals, not gods and that death is inevitable which is why it is necessary to be compassionate about each other’s losses. Both Achilles and Priam are grieving over their losses for as Somax says death always leaves a gaping
hole:
‘It leaves a gap you can’t ignore. It’s there. Always...’ (Malouf 2009, 136)
But life goes on and even in spite of death and suffering there is ‘a time for living’ (Malouf 2009, 198)
Achilles short life reminds us of human mortality and the frailty of human existence. Ancient Greeks were concerned with glory in their afterlife and how their stories would be retold. Heroism and fame was at the centre of their lives. Malouf writes of Achilles
Achilles is sure his story would be greater one if he chose to die early. Even Priam knows of his death at the hands of Achille’s son Neoptolemus. He decides to change the story and “cut this knot that we are all tied in” and “To take on the lighter bond of being simply a man.” (Malouf 2009, 59)
Blaming the gods for their mistakes will not always work for there is a difference between having a fate and accepting that fate for the real heroes like Achilles and Priam never just give up. The gods controlling the lives of men does not take away the ‘free will’ of men. This brings to mind God Zeus’s remarks in Homer’s Odyssey:
)
The mortals are responsible for their actions to a very large extent and can make their own choices. The novel thus presents us with two conflicting ideas for all the things that happen. Blending modern ideas with Greek thinking Malouf emphasizes the presence of ‘free will’ or choice rather than leaving things to destiny, chance, and fates. The characters of the novel are willing to take risk rather than leave it all to gods and chance. The novel reasserts the importance of people’s action and how it has the power to change the course of history.
Even Achilles is told he will die young. That is fated but yet he chooses to ignore it and rebels against all the forces and endeavors to be remembered as a brave warrior. Achilles is the one …show more content…
who chooses a short life of glory than a long life without. Achilles struggles with the fates by questioning it and fighting it. This choice of Achilles is at the centre of the novel and even influences the lives of many other soldiers. The fate of two armies is also decided by Achilles. His choice to reenter the battle after Patroculus’s death gives a new course to the war. ‘Kleos’ or glory is the choice Achilles makes to be remembered by people for centuries to come. Malouf tells us
‘In the long vista of time he might already be gone.
It is time, not space, he is staring into.’ (Malouf 2009, 6)
The life of Achilles and Priam are tied between choice and chance. Achilles is very much aware he has to die, but ponders over his end at the beach or plains. We are told …show more content…
that
‘the sea is not where it will end. It will end here on the beach in the treacherous shingle, or out there on the plain. That is fixed, inevitable.’ (Malouf 2009, 9)
Achilles and Priam are both aware of their impending deaths but they choose to exert control over their lives. When the kings and warrior’s stories are juxtaposed, Achilles feels like
‘like a sleeper who has stumbled in on another’s dream.’ (Malouf 2009, 12)
Even the selection of Somax as the King’s herald depends on the choice of the king’s son. He is chosen for his humility and simplicity. He is a common man who like the king has lost many sons. Was it chance that the two men meet each another or was it just a matter of choice. Even though they belong to two different ranks, grief unites them. There is no doubt that humans can wield influence over their destiny but to what extent is unclear. Malouf does not entirely dismiss the role of Gods but also asserts that not everything is predetermined. It is a matter of perception. For eg. When a bird is sighted at the start of Priams journey, Helenus perceives it as an eagle – Jove’s messenger whereas for Somax it is just a chicken hawk hunting for food. The Greeks strongly believed in fixed destinies for everything between life and death, but Malouf in his novel balances the matters of choice or chance. While Priam makes a choice of begging Achilles to return the body and travels under the guise of a simpleton, the death of Achilles and Priam seems to be predestined. Somax is also an instrument of change and reaffirms the belief that choice has a major role to play to shape our destinies.
Somax and Priam connect in spite of their disparity in status. They were both fathers who had lost their sons. Somax rightly notes that irrespective of their rank their concern for their respective family remains the same. Somax remarks to Priam:
‘But you worry just the same, it’s in our nature. We’re tied that way, all of us’ (Malouf 2009, 131)
Somax also notes that we make a choice to live on in spite of the death and loss that surrounds them.
‘But the truth is, we don’t just lie down and die, do we, sir? We go on. For all our losses’ (Malouf 2009, 131)
Priam feels a strong connection with the herald that his son chooses for:
Even the death of Somax’s young son is due to his own foolish choice. Somax tells the king that there was no reason for his son to get under the wagon but he just wanted to ‘show off in front of the rest’ and this leads to him being crushed by the wagon. Somax also wonders if the gods could have given him the chance. He remarks:
‘He would have grown out of it in time, if they’d just have given him the chance…Mightn’t the gods regret it too, and think they acted too hasty…’ (Malouf 2009, 141)
Even though it was the choice of the young so that leads to his death, the poor herald can’t help but blame the gods.
In the novel, we find both Achilles and Priam questioning their role in the universe. They both transcend beyond the roles assigned to them and make a choice to explore unknown territories. They are both courageous to break the norms and stand by their unimaginable choices. Did god have a role to play in Achilles decision to return the body or was it just his choice to be humane and think like a father? The novel indeed explores the complex scenarios that human beings have to make. All the characters in the novel dare to make some choices but also accept the role of gods and chance in their destiny. It makes us question our own beliefs and the decisions we make even in this 21st century. How often do we make an active choice and how often do we remark it was meant to happen?
The novel teaches the characters many important lessons but these disappear when they are faced with death.
All humans and human things are indeed subject to decay, and even monarchs cannot help but obey. Malouf shows us that even death is a part of the individuals’ destiny and they have a choice to choose how they will die. Whether the characters believe that their destiny is fixed or changeable, what they have in common is the wish to be remembered, live honorably, and live on in the minds of men. Priam’s choice to be remembered as an extraordinary father and Achille’s decision to die a great warrior signifies the transient nature of life for men may come and men may go but few things last forever. When Priam challenges his fate, he is in fact challenging the gods by taking control over his own life. After treating him like a toy and playing with him for a while, demonstrating what they could do, the gods had finally relented. Priam reasserts that they are all mortals, not gods and that death is inevitable which is why it is necessary to be compassionate about each other’s losses. Both Achilles and Priam are grieving over their losses for as Somax says death always leaves a gaping
hole:
‘It leaves a gap you can’t ignore. It’s there. Always...’ (Malouf 2009, 136)
But life goes on and even in spite of death and suffering there is ‘a time for living’ (Malouf 2009, 198)
Achilles short life reminds us of human mortality and the frailty of human existence. Ancient Greeks were concerned with glory in their afterlife and how their stories would be retold. Heroism and fame was at the centre of their lives. Malouf writes of Achilles
Achilles is sure his story would be greater one if he chose to die early. Even Priam knows of his death at the hands of Achille’s son Neoptolemus. He decides to change the story and “cut this knot that we are all tied in” and “To take on the lighter bond of being simply a man.” (Malouf 2009, 59)
Blaming the gods for their mistakes will not always work for there is a difference between having a fate and accepting that fate for the real heroes like Achilles and Priam never just give up. The gods controlling the lives of men does not take away the ‘free will’ of men. This brings to mind God Zeus’s remarks in Homer’s Odyssey:
)
The mortals are responsible for their actions to a very large extent and can make their own choices. The novel thus presents us with two conflicting ideas for all the things that happen. Blending modern ideas with Greek thinking Malouf emphasizes the presence of ‘free will’ or choice rather than leaving things to destiny, chance, and fates. The characters of the novel are willing to take risk rather than leave it all to gods and chance. The novel reasserts the importance of people’s action and how it has the power to change the course of history.