Homer’s Iliad is an epic poem written concerning the time of the age of heroes. Knowing
this, one can assume that the narrative tells the story of a hero. At first glance it would appear
that Achilles is the hero of the Iliad because the story follows a plot line that revolves around his
actions. One might ask themselves; why then does the epic end with the funeral of Hector rather
than either ending with Achilles aristeia and defeat of hector, or going further to tell us what end
Achilles meets? That brings into question whether Achilles is really the hero of the story at all or
if it is Hector or one of the other warriors written about. The answer is the poem does not portray
Achilles as a hero but something between a hero and …show more content…
There are other characters, such as Aeneas, who have mothers whom are
goddesses, but it appears that Achilles is the only mortal character who can affect the will of the
gods. While it may have always been Zeus’ plan for Achilles to kill Hector, it did seem that
Achilles plea for his honor to be restored altered the events and suffering that occurred in order
to bring these events to pass. No other mortal in the poem seems to have such a potent power
over his fellow man that Achilles does.
Achilles is raised to a level beyond that of even his most heroic peers such as Hector or
Patroclus in mere description. He is often called “god-like Achilles” which portrays him as
beyond the realm of a normal hero in the eyes of heroes. There is also a metaphor for this in
Achilles spear. When Patroclus takes Achilles’ armor he must leave the spear because only
Achilles can bear it. As shown in his own aristeia, Patroclus is a great warrior, so why can he not
wield the spear? The spear is referred to as “the death of heroes” (Book 16 i. 148) and since only
Achilles can wield it and the spear cannot act on its own, Achilles is, therefore, the death …show more content…
It is this very aspect of
Achilles that keeps him from being the hero of the poem and actually makes him more than a
hero almost to the level of a God. A reader cannot perceive Achilles as a hero in the poem
because his actions, motives, and abilities seem to lack the human element that is necessary in
creating a hero. Instead the poem portrays Achilles as a force acting upon heroes to bring about
the events predetermined by the gods. Hector can be a hero because he struggled, over came at
times, and suffered a beautiful death. In the poem Achilles is never even wounded, leaving the
reader with an image of false immortality despite his impending doom. Once a character is given
that sense of immortality they cannot be a hero because there is nothing glorious about acting
when one cannot be harmed. The gods are never depicted as heroes. A hero cannot be truly
called a hero until his life is over and all his acts complete because being a hero implies you fight
in the face of unavoidable death and destruction. In this poem Achilles both causes and
represents that destruction, not the
this, one can assume that the narrative tells the story of a hero. At first glance it would appear
that Achilles is the hero of the Iliad because the story follows a plot line that revolves around his
actions. One might ask themselves; why then does the epic end with the funeral of Hector rather
than either ending with Achilles aristeia and defeat of hector, or going further to tell us what end
Achilles meets? That brings into question whether Achilles is really the hero of the story at all or
if it is Hector or one of the other warriors written about. The answer is the poem does not portray
Achilles as a hero but something between a hero and …show more content…
There are other characters, such as Aeneas, who have mothers whom are
goddesses, but it appears that Achilles is the only mortal character who can affect the will of the
gods. While it may have always been Zeus’ plan for Achilles to kill Hector, it did seem that
Achilles plea for his honor to be restored altered the events and suffering that occurred in order
to bring these events to pass. No other mortal in the poem seems to have such a potent power
over his fellow man that Achilles does.
Achilles is raised to a level beyond that of even his most heroic peers such as Hector or
Patroclus in mere description. He is often called “god-like Achilles” which portrays him as
beyond the realm of a normal hero in the eyes of heroes. There is also a metaphor for this in
Achilles spear. When Patroclus takes Achilles’ armor he must leave the spear because only
Achilles can bear it. As shown in his own aristeia, Patroclus is a great warrior, so why can he not
wield the spear? The spear is referred to as “the death of heroes” (Book 16 i. 148) and since only
Achilles can wield it and the spear cannot act on its own, Achilles is, therefore, the death …show more content…
It is this very aspect of
Achilles that keeps him from being the hero of the poem and actually makes him more than a
hero almost to the level of a God. A reader cannot perceive Achilles as a hero in the poem
because his actions, motives, and abilities seem to lack the human element that is necessary in
creating a hero. Instead the poem portrays Achilles as a force acting upon heroes to bring about
the events predetermined by the gods. Hector can be a hero because he struggled, over came at
times, and suffered a beautiful death. In the poem Achilles is never even wounded, leaving the
reader with an image of false immortality despite his impending doom. Once a character is given
that sense of immortality they cannot be a hero because there is nothing glorious about acting
when one cannot be harmed. The gods are never depicted as heroes. A hero cannot be truly
called a hero until his life is over and all his acts complete because being a hero implies you fight
in the face of unavoidable death and destruction. In this poem Achilles both causes and
represents that destruction, not the