Assess The Role Of Achilles A Hero In The Iliad

Decent Essays
A hero is a person who is looked up to by everyone. For a person to qualify as a hero, they must have specific qualities or have done something worthy of being deemed as heroic. A true hero understands what people around him/her is feeling. In addition, a hero is highly loyal to their friends. The Iliad is a Greek epic written by Homer, chronicling the events and progression of the Battle of Troy. This epic mainly focuses on a Greek warrior named Achilles. To provide context, at the beginning of the Iliad, Achilles is on bad terms with the king of the Greeks, Agamemnon. Due to this personal grudge, Achilles has chosen to stay away from having anything to do with the Greek Army. His closest friend, Patroclus chooses to go to battle in the place

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Johnathan Shay’s book Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character compares the Vietnam soldier’s experience of war with Achilles experience in Homer’s Iliad. Shay's argument is that "the nature of catastrophic war experiences not only cause lifelong disabling psychiatric symptoms but can ruin a good character." Both the Vietnam War and Trojan War changed the psyche of the soldiers that had experienced traumatic events. These soldiers from two distinct time periods experienced those symptoms through the betrayal of what is right, the death of a special comrade, and going berserk. By linking those examples with the tragedy of Achilles in the Trojan War, and the soldiers in the Vietnam War, it shows that these effects of combat…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kleos In The Iliad

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Warriors of ancient Greece were considered heroes by following the Heroic Code of excellence. The achieved this by establishing their fame and glory or kleos. It was not an easy task to become a Grecian hero. Building and maintaining kleos meant that a warrior must be strong, face and kill his enemies, and most of all value his honor over his life. The most important act of honor for the warrior was to die in battle.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Achilles And The Iliad

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages

    For my final project, I will compare two pieces of art and show the comparisons and differences that they have in the Greek ancient period and the modern period of the same theme “the representation of the Trojan war”. The visual work art is a bilingual art because it was made with the participation of two artists, Andokides (Red figure) and the Lysippides (Black figure) and it is titled “Achilles and Ajax Playing a Dice a Game”. It was painted in 525–520 B.C in Greece and it represents the ancient Greece. The literary artwork I will consider is The Iliad, an epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Homer in 750 BCE. I will compare both artworks and connect them to the contemporary period debating the similarities and differences that the poem and…

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Achilles is a valuable Greek hero in Greek mythology. In the book The Iliad of Homer, Achilles is a selfish warrior. Many characteristics of selfishness are shown throughout the book. During arguments and persuasions, Achilles had shown several of the characteristics. Others are shown through how he had acted towards many other heroes and leaders.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Achilles from the Iliad and Superman from DC Comics both are heroes who go through Josephs Campbell’s hero cycle. Achilles was a powerful Greek Soldier and one of the reasons Troy was conquered. He went through the heroic cycle and changed a lot emotionally as well. Superman is a modern day hero, who has super human abilities. He also fits into the heroic cycle in several different story lines.…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In Homer’s The Iliad not only is Achilles the main character, he is also the perfect depiction of what a self-sufficient man looks like. Sometimes we get the idea that we are able to accomplish and conquer anything without help. To add on, the point of human interaction is to create human empowerment. Human empowerment is the ability to come together as a unified whole.…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Achilles A Hero Essay

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Achilles is frequently referred to as one of the greatest heros in Homeric culture, but is he the hero we are led to believe he is? It is easy to regard Achilles as a hero when he is essentially invincible, however don't confuse unrestrained power with heroism. Even though his skill and prowess on the battlefield is second to none, he fails to be a hero because of his unrestrained recklessness, barbaric nature, absence of self control, and his narcissistic and dishonorable actions. Although Achilles is referred to as one of the greatest heros in Homeric culture, he lacks vital characteristics of a hero. Such as restraint, selflessness, and righteousness.…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    From the very beginning of Homer's the Iliad, Achilles is depicted as vindictive, prideful, and trifling. As the book advances, the picture of Achilles as a resentful youngster is improved significantly. Towards the end of the epic, Achilles displays qualities that are viewed as courageous even in today's time. When his reliable and trusted companion Patroclus passes on, Achilles experiences an extreme change in character. When he goes up against the genuine repulsiveness of death, Achilles sets aside his juvenile approaches to satisfy his obligation to his companion, his countrymen, and his inner voice.…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kleos is a term often used in ancient greek epics that can be translated now to “renown”, or “glory”. Kleos, or glory, is an encompassing theme within Homer’s epic the Iliad, it means the achievement of one’s immortal fame. It is a glory that lives on past the expiry of ones mortal life and is often the driving force behind many attitudes and actions of the central characters within the Iliad. This is especially prominent in the case of Hector and Achilles, Both characters are considered hero’s in their own right and are looked up to by the greeks. They both are part of the war that is the driving source of plot within the Iliad, where they make decisions, sometimes against rational judgment, in honour of achieving their Kleos.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Homer’s Iliad, it is debateable whether or not Achilles is responsible for his own fate, linked to his level of free choice. Achilles’ fate in the Iliad ends up with him killing Hector and then later dying young with glory as opposed to a long, inconspicuous life. Upon examining Achilles’ choices in the Iliad, it is evident that Achilles play a significant role in deciding his own fate, even if he is not aware of it. This can be shown by looking at one of the major choices Achilles makes, choosing not to fight the Trojans, but also staying Troy.…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Traditionally, heroes in myths have some of the same elements in the structure of their stories. In each odyssey, a person needs to experience or live through specific actions and ordeals until he becomes whole as a hero. In the epic poem, The Iliad by Homer, the main character Achilles journeys through stages of a Hero’s Journey, as defined by Joseph Campbell, including his dream of relinquishing his role as a warrior, his feud with Agamemnon, and how he resolves the loss of his closest friend until he evolves into a hero. Initially, two elements that generally occur at the beginning of-of an epic journey are “The World of the Common Day” and “The Refusal of The Call.”…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Here we see an Achilles who is torn between his fear of death and his desire for glory. Despite his thirst for fighting, Homer shows us a small glimpses of Achilles’ humanity through this scene in the Iliad. His emotions grow as we see that Patroclus’ death weighs on Achilles and he feels pain like he’s never experienced. He even blames himself for his friend’s death saying, “my dearest friend of all. I loved him, and I killed him.”…

    • 1018 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What Makes A Hero? To many, a hero is defined as a person who is idealized for bravery, outstanding accomplishments, and or noble qualities. But in all reality, a hero is a person who puts others before themselves. A person that you can look up to as a role model is a hero.…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My Mom Is My Hero Essay

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages

    A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Most if not every person has their own hero, whether it be a celebrity, a family member, or some random person who you admire. My hero is someone who means the world to me and that is my mom. My mom is my hero, my idol, my model figure, my everything. I define my mom as a hero because she has provided me with guidance, motherly love, and has always been there for me.…

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the Iliad, we see two great men, Achilles and Hector. The reader is introduced to their stories, and the greater story that their lives are a part of. This book is dedicated to the clashes between the Trojans and the Achaeans, and all the details behind the big picture. It has been nine years since the Trojan War, and a new fight has begun over a woman, once again. Emotions are flying high, and two proposed heroes arise.…

    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays