Achilles Social Charter Theory During The Trojan War

Achilles was the greatest Greek hero during the Trojan War. He portrays the nature myth theory from the fact that he was close to the Gods and his body was invulnerable to injuries except his heels – “Achilles heel”. His character also explains the social charter theory in the ancient times. Achilles grief and pride negatively and positively impacted the two armies that were at war: the Greeks and Trojans. Achilles also represents the ritual myth as his death explains how funeral rituals were done in the ancient times. This paper critically analyzes Achilles’ story in three theoretical contexts: nature myth, social charter theory, and ritual theory.
In the Greek Etiology, Achilles was the central character in the Iliad being the greatest hero of it all. His mother was the sprite Thetis and his father was called Peleus, who was also the king of the Myrmidons. Achilles was very close to the Gods. He prayed many times to them, especially Zeus. He prayed for the Trojans to be given the upper hand in war, and Zeus granted his prayer. There is linkage from then to the fact that today people worship his/her own chosen God and pray to them in times of need. In addition, another way to interpret the story of Achilles as a nature myth is at the end of the Trojan War. Achilles was shot to death with an …show more content…
He acted as the embodiment of the people’s grief. In my opinion even though he portrayed the Greek army as an institution, his role was as a hero of grief. When he acted rightfully, his comrades brought grief to the enemy; however, when he acted wrongly, his comrades got the grief of the war. For example when Patroclus was killed because Achilles abandoned his comrades, his wrath was felt by the Trojan men when he killed Hector and twelve other Trojans. However, the grief depicted by Achilles is a clear indication of misdirected anger on the part of the institution’s