Rage In The Iliad

Rage plays a big role in the Iliad and we see it throughout the majority of the book. Achilles is the most rage-filled character in the entire book and because of his rage, he acts childish and does not fight in the war. Achilles also shows a vengeance-filled rage on the battlefield when the enemy kills his best-friend Patroclus and rage is what starts this war against Troy. The characters in the Iliad exhibit an unbridled rage, which affects the event occurring throughout the war against Troy. Rage is what causes the war to begin in the first place. It all starts while, staying at the house of Menelaus, king of Lacedaemon, and his wife Helen, Paris kidnaps Helen with the help of Aphrodite, goddess of love, and escapes back to Troy.
Menelaus is so outraged with Paris that he calls his fellow Achaean brothers-in-arms to go to against Troy. His rage causes him to act quickly and recklessly; his rage causes him to go to war instead of doing something like negotiating with Paris. Menelaus allows his rage to control his thoughts and actions and therefore starts a war which cost many men their lives. One person’s rage causes an entire army of men to suffer.
After winning a previous battle, both Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, capture a girl for themselves and to bring home with them. However, the men of Achaea force Agamemnon to give Chryseis, the girl Agamemnon captured, back to her father after he asks for her back. As a result, Agamemnon steals Briseis, the girl Achilles captured, from Achilles, Agamemnon pronounces, “But I, I will be there in person at your tent to take Briseis in all her beauty, your own prize- so you can learn just how much greater I am than you and the next man up may shrink from matching words with me, from hoping to rival Agamemnon strength for strength.” Achilles becomes furious with Agamemnon, draws his sword and is about to kill him until the goddess Athena stops him. He answers Athena saying, “Why, why now? Child of Zeus with the shield of thunder, why come now? To witness the outrage Agamemnon just committed? I tell you this, and so help me it’s the truth-he shall pay for his arrogance with his life!” Athena did not allow him to kill Agamemnon, but Achilles continues to seethe through the words he speaks. Consequently, Achilles decides to not fight in the war and sits around in his tents all day, which causes the Achaeans to begin to lose the war. Achilles majorly exaggerates in his rage, his selfishness and rage together blinds him from seeing how his actions affect the
war. Not only does Achilles show a hateful rage, but he also exhibits a vengeful rage. Achilles sends his best-friend Patroclus to go to battle, but Achilles instructs him, “Once you have whipped the enemy from the fleet you must come back, Patroclus. Even if Zeus the thundering lord of Hera lets you seize your glory, you must not burn for war against these Trojans, madmen lusting for battle-not without me-you will only make my glory that much less.” Patroclus is one of the best fighters in the Achaean army and because of him, the Trojan army loses many of their fighting men. But eventually it must all comes to a when the mighty Patroclus is brought down. Hector, prince of Troy and one of their best fighters, kills Patroclus with the aid of Apollo, the Archer god, and another Trojan warrior. When Achilles hears about this, he falls to the ground weeping exclaiming that he has lost his will to live and that he himself should die. He declared to his immortal mother Thetis, “But now I’ll go and meet that murderer head-on, that Hector who destroyed the dearest life I know.” Therefore, Achilles goes on a killing spree and kills many Trojans until he eventually kills Hector just outside Troy’s walls. Achilles’ rage against Hector results in the death of Hector, which happens to be Zeus’ plan all along. This time Achilles’ rage benefits the Achaeans instead of making them suffer. Just like people, the gods become outraged at each other and also at people.
Zeus commands all of the gods to stay out of the war between the mortals. He declares, “Any god I catch, breaking ranks with us, eager to go help the Trojans or Achaeans-back ne comes to Olympus, whipped by the lightning, eternally disgraced. Or I will snatch and hurl him down into the murk of Tartarus half the world away, the deepest gulf that yawns beneath the ground, there were the iron gates and threshold loom, as far below the House of Death as the sky rides over the earth-then he will know how far my power tops all other gods’.” Nevertheless, Poseidon, god of the sea, disobeys Zeus’ command and goes to the Achaean camp to encourage their fighter. He does this because he is outraged with the Trojans for killing his grandson. Poseidon never fights in the war, but he does protect the Achaeans while they are fighting. He saves Antilochus, one of the greatest Achaean spearmen, from death when a spear hits his shield dead center, a killing blow, but Poseidon destroys the spear, saving Antilochus. Poseidon’s rage against Troy gives the Achaeans a better chance against the Trojans and it is also encouraging to the Achaeans to have a god on their
side. The events taking place in the Trojan War are affected by the uncontrollable rage expressed by the characters of the Iliad. We observe rage during the whole book and it is a vital part of the story. First, Menelaus starts the war because of his rage against Paris and the loss of his wife. Second, Achilles’ rage stops him fighting in the war, but later, his rage throws him back into the war. Finally, Poseidon uses his rage to rouse the Achaean fighting men because he wants revenge on the Trojans for killing his grandson. If rage wasn’t a part of this story, then the whole story would be different, or even an entirely different story.