Who Is Achilles In The Iliad

Edith Hamilton’s Mythology gives the story of the Trojan War told as it is in the Iliad, Achilles’ quest to acquire fame and immortality from his heroics in the great Trojan War, but in the end he succumbs to his arrogance and its consequences. The film Troy shows a glamorized version of the story we know about the war. It tells the story of Achilles’ journey and transformation from a hero who wants fame and glory for his actions to a man who only wants to find love. Achilles is a hero who has been named the greatest of the warlords in all of Greece and is greatly valued by the Greek armies, especially by King Agamemnon. Troy depicts the king as a greedy man who has a large thirst for power and nothing can stand in his way of conquering all the lands, nothing except for Achilles. Without the renowned warrior, Agamemnon’s army will never stand a chance. As the story proceeds, Achilles’ beloved cousin, Patroclus, is introduced. This young man has been taken under the hero’s wing and has been trained in the ways of war and we start to see Achilles in his normal world.
The beginning of Achilles journey starts when Odysseus is sent as a herald to convey a message from Agamemnon. The hero’s presence is requested to …show more content…
Against Achilles orders he put on the hero’s armor and lead the Myrmidons into the battle. He fought well, so well, in fact that the Trojans believed that it was Achilles himself. As the battle ensued, Patroclus met Hector, and the fighting stopped so all could witness the historic dual, the best of Troy against the best of Greece. As the soldiers fought bravely, a deadly blow was delivered, and the young cousin of Achilles fell at the blade of Prince Hector. When the Greeks returned to camp Achilles received the news of his cousin and became infuriated. He planned to seek revenge on Hector for murdering the youth, his plans of achieving greatness long