Who Is Achilles A Hero
The Iliad has been a classic poem for all audiences to enjoy for hundreds of years. The great story of the conflicts, feuds, and turmoils that are intertwined within the epic makes this a phenomenal story. This made the poem enjoyable to read, because of the constant actions and consequences occurring simultaneously. The themes of anger, alienation, and reconciliation are bold, not leaving anything to question. I find this to be extremely true in Homer’s interpretation of what a hero is. Homer portrays Achilles, the protagonist, to be arrogant, proud, and wrathful. These attributes make Achilles seem like a villain, rather than a hero. Even when Achilles is offered a plethora of gifts from Agamemnon, Achilles refuses, saying “First he must
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pay me in kind for the bitter humiliation I endured,” (Homer 171). Achilles is stubborn and bitter, traits that do not resemble a champion, let alone a hero of his genre. Homer exploits Achilles’ demeanor of stubbornness to show that even a champion as highly regarded as Achilles has major flaws in his character.
The source of this corruption is most likely from the continuous Trojan War, that had been taking place for the past ten years. Wallace Gray states in his critical essay that “Homer shows war destroying not only cities and civilizations but the souls of men. War turns men into things, objects without pity.” I agree with Gray, because Achilles wasn’t always corrupt. It was the war that mutilated his thinking, making him more perceptible to his rage which overcame his well being and peace of mind. Odysseus and Diomedes tried convincing Achilles to come back into the war, but he still refused, saying “I will not think again of bloodshed and war, until Prince Hector, son of the wise Priam, reaches the huts and ships of Myrmidons...and destroys the fleet by fire,” (Homer 178). Achilles snaps out of his stubborn attitude when his beloved comrade Patroclus dies in combat to Hector, the leader of the Trojan forces. Homer wanted to emphasize the burning passion that Achilles had for Patroclus, which is why Achilles fought Hector in a duel, then dragged Hector’s corpse by a chariot in front of the city of Troy. Emphasis on Achilles’ vengeful persona compliments his villain-like attributes of selfishness and cruelty; far from the attributes of a normal “hero.” Heroism is defined in two different ways by Homer.
It can be categorized as a person who is willing to fight for someone or something for that hero’s country, no matter what the consequences may be. Or it can be selfish, fighting for one’s own benefit and personal gain. Homer wrote that heroism has two different meanings that emphasize how a hero thinks. Achilles, for example, can be considered both noble and selfish. He fights for the Achaeans, but he also is stubborn, and refuses to fight for a certain period of time during the final year of the trojan war. This was due to the fact that Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaeans, took Achilles favorite slave women, humiliating Achilles in the process. During the time where Achilles refused to fight, his army suffered horrible losses, and his close comrade, Patroclus, died. Seth L. Schein writes about Homer’s take on heroes by saying, “Homer's attitude toward heroism can be seen in the very word hero, which elsewhere denotes a figure worshipped in hero cults, but in the Iliad signifies a warrior who lives and dies in the pursuit of honor and glory.” I disagree and agree with Schein’s interpretation of heroes for the Iliad. Although he mentions honor, which I interpreted as fighting for someone or something, he leaves out the selfishness, never mentioning heroes being selfish in his essay. Thinking for one’s personal gain is an important part of Homer’s definition of a hero, and Schein left that concept
out.
Although Schein states that a hero “signifies a warrior who lives and dies in the pursuit of honor and glory,” it does not imply anything pertaining to selfishness. Honor and glory can be compared to fighting for something other than yourself, and gaining both honor and glory by doing such. Achilles does not fight for the good of the Achaeans, he simply returned to combat to avenge his friend. This benefited no one but Achilles, making it a selfish task. It was a heroic act, but it was selfish. The Iliad expressed different perspectives on the normal characteristics of the protagonists and antagonists. It made me rethink which side, the noble Trojans or the wistful Greeks, to side with; concurrently changing my mind of who deserves to win the ten year long war. The Iliad was composed wonderfully by the twenty four books that are intertwined within it, and each translation of the Iliad gives a new approach on the magnificent poem.
pay me in kind for the bitter humiliation I endured,” (Homer 171). Achilles is stubborn and bitter, traits that do not resemble a champion, let alone a hero of his genre. Homer exploits Achilles’ demeanor of stubbornness to show that even a champion as highly regarded as Achilles has major flaws in his character.
The source of this corruption is most likely from the continuous Trojan War, that had been taking place for the past ten years. Wallace Gray states in his critical essay that “Homer shows war destroying not only cities and civilizations but the souls of men. War turns men into things, objects without pity.” I agree with Gray, because Achilles wasn’t always corrupt. It was the war that mutilated his thinking, making him more perceptible to his rage which overcame his well being and peace of mind. Odysseus and Diomedes tried convincing Achilles to come back into the war, but he still refused, saying “I will not think again of bloodshed and war, until Prince Hector, son of the wise Priam, reaches the huts and ships of Myrmidons...and destroys the fleet by fire,” (Homer 178). Achilles snaps out of his stubborn attitude when his beloved comrade Patroclus dies in combat to Hector, the leader of the Trojan forces. Homer wanted to emphasize the burning passion that Achilles had for Patroclus, which is why Achilles fought Hector in a duel, then dragged Hector’s corpse by a chariot in front of the city of Troy. Emphasis on Achilles’ vengeful persona compliments his villain-like attributes of selfishness and cruelty; far from the attributes of a normal “hero.” Heroism is defined in two different ways by Homer.
It can be categorized as a person who is willing to fight for someone or something for that hero’s country, no matter what the consequences may be. Or it can be selfish, fighting for one’s own benefit and personal gain. Homer wrote that heroism has two different meanings that emphasize how a hero thinks. Achilles, for example, can be considered both noble and selfish. He fights for the Achaeans, but he also is stubborn, and refuses to fight for a certain period of time during the final year of the trojan war. This was due to the fact that Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaeans, took Achilles favorite slave women, humiliating Achilles in the process. During the time where Achilles refused to fight, his army suffered horrible losses, and his close comrade, Patroclus, died. Seth L. Schein writes about Homer’s take on heroes by saying, “Homer's attitude toward heroism can be seen in the very word hero, which elsewhere denotes a figure worshipped in hero cults, but in the Iliad signifies a warrior who lives and dies in the pursuit of honor and glory.” I disagree and agree with Schein’s interpretation of heroes for the Iliad. Although he mentions honor, which I interpreted as fighting for someone or something, he leaves out the selfishness, never mentioning heroes being selfish in his essay. Thinking for one’s personal gain is an important part of Homer’s definition of a hero, and Schein left that concept
out.
Although Schein states that a hero “signifies a warrior who lives and dies in the pursuit of honor and glory,” it does not imply anything pertaining to selfishness. Honor and glory can be compared to fighting for something other than yourself, and gaining both honor and glory by doing such. Achilles does not fight for the good of the Achaeans, he simply returned to combat to avenge his friend. This benefited no one but Achilles, making it a selfish task. It was a heroic act, but it was selfish. The Iliad expressed different perspectives on the normal characteristics of the protagonists and antagonists. It made me rethink which side, the noble Trojans or the wistful Greeks, to side with; concurrently changing my mind of who deserves to win the ten year long war. The Iliad was composed wonderfully by the twenty four books that are intertwined within it, and each translation of the Iliad gives a new approach on the magnificent poem.