Achilles Greek Hero

Heroism has evolved from ancient Greek society to present day, modern society. To be a Greek hero, it is known to be a person(s) who achieves honor through the engagement of life threatening activities. While on the other hand, when today’s society thinks what a hero is, it is more accurately described as an ordinary individual partaking in an extraordinary act of bravery. The ancient Greek heroes were honored through great publicity and connected through the power of one or multiple gods/goddesses such as Achilles from Homer’s epic narrative The Iliad. While on the other hand, our modern day superheroes often hide behind their alter egos to maintain a slimmer of a “normal” life. They are also not helped in any form by the gods, instead it …show more content…
He processes the strength and close relationship with the gods. He hits all the marks of being the greatest warrior by proving to be the mightiest in the Achaean army. The flaw that lies with Achilles is he is constantly impeding in his ability to act with nobility and integrity. There is no control with his rage nor his pride. He even is quoted to betray his fellow Achaean army when he prays to the gods in hopes that the Trojans slaughter them all because of the betrayal from his commander Agamemnon. Achilles does not develop as a character over the course of the narrative. He does not reconcile his rage, but instead he merely redirects it. When it came to the rage he had with Agamemnon he diverted it to anger with Hector by saying “Well, Son of Atreus, are either of us better off…If any of them get out of this alive.” (Homer 376) Achilles is constantly consumed by his bloodlust, wrath, and pride. He mauls his opponents violently, takes the corpse of Hector and mistreats it in a disgracing way, and intensely mourns over the emotional tragic loss of his friend …show more content…
The demi-god without the god’s influence would not be able to have the supernatural abilities and strengths like the pop culture figures we represent as heroes today. In reality he would not be able to gain his honor without his connection with the gods on his shoulder. For they were the ones who gave him the muscle and supernatural abilities to succeed. The arrogance with his need for public honor would also create a sense of distaste in the modern society's viewpoint. His need to be publicly honored would not appeal to the liking of most individuals. For it is seen that the thrill and likeability from most modern superheroes comes from the sense of mystery each character provides to public society. The alter-egos, the costumes, and masks all clearly show that a modern superhero has no intention or desire to be honored publicly for their actions. Achilles intentions were to go back to battle to have his name be remembered. His leadership lacks the present day standards and would not be able to win over the admiration from the public, because of his arrogant behavior, and for his inability to accomplish such heroic tasks solely without the strength from an almighty power such as the