Motives Of Achilles In The Iliad

Achilles was one of the most powerful and honorable mortal heroes who ever stepped foot into battle. He played a major role in the Trojan war and was treated as a god among men. Ancient Greeks even worshiped him like they would a god, with sacrifices and prayers to the great Achilles. He is still known in today’s society as a great warrior in many books and movies. Some people in the 21st century who have read the Iliad believe that Achilles wasn’t a great hero because he hardly fought in battle and refused to fight. There were several motives and different Greek values that affected his decision to eschew from battle. He was ordered to refrain from a duel with Agamemnon by Hera and Athena, he chose to fulfill a prophecy of a long life, and he wanted restoration of the honor and glory for which he had worked so hard to receive.
He was outraged and demanded that he get Achilles’. This enraged Achilles even more and he was close to drawing his sword to kill Agamemnon over this argument. But, Hera called to Athena to go down and stop Achilles from carrying out this murder. She checked his anger and finally stopped the duel from starting. “Now come on, drop this quarrel, don’t draw your sword. (Book 1, Pg. 7)” This disagreement between the two developed like a snowball effect, creating a huge disaster for the Trojan army. After this dispute, Achilles refused to fight in the war anymore until he received compensation for the outrage that he has