How Achilles Show Courage And Honor In The Iliad

Decent Essays
Achilles has courage, intelligence, and honor even though he may lead on his anger. Achilles shows intelligence through his decisions. He devises a plan to scare the Trojans and they “soon run for their lives” (16.81). He shows his intelligence by his ability to formulate a plan and outwit the Trojans, scaring them off. Another hero quality is his exceptional honor. After Patroclus’s death, Achilles will not stop “unless Hector’s battered down by my spear” (18.107). He shows honor by his willingness to kill or die for the people he loves. He also shows his in defending courage. After Thetis warns Achilles of his prophesy, he bursts out, “then let me die at once” (18.114). He is compassion to put others cares and problems before his own. Achilles

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    To create a realistic character an author will make their characters complex. A complex character is a character that holds more than one dimension he or she will act differently in different situations. Homer the author of the Iliad does a good job of this with his character Achilles. Achilles is a complex character because because he has multiple conflicting motivations.…

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    His presence in the poem gave great depth to the character especially in the army, enemy’s battlefield and even in the Trojans war. His character has the warrior in the poem reflects great importance of the Greek position in the battlefield. His strong personality and great strength made the enemy hesitate to counter his attacks, yet even ease to praise them too. In this regard, the comments of the Hector towards the Achilles such as his hands are like fire and his heart like the burnished steel reflect Achilles capacity as the warrior. On the other hand, Hector as a great man of his own also indicated that Achilles was far greater than him and was not hesitate to praise in front of him too.…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What kind of example does Achilles set for his fellow soldiers? How can they respect a man whose foolish actions took their friend’s lives? Surely some portion of the army will emulate Achilles, causing bickering and insubordination. Overall, the way Achilles responds to anger denotes a petulant and unappealing…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved 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
  • Decent Essays

    The books shows how prideful he is; “Achilles, who despite his youth was the proudest and hottest-hearted of all the Greek leaders.” (Page 19) We see how he believed he is the best at everything, especially fighting, right before he dies; “Dogs of Troy! Dying though I am, you shall not escape my spears!” (Page 118)…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Role Of Honor In The Iliad

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The definition, importance, and paths to achieve honor have all changed across history. From the bloodthirsty, conflict-fueled honor of the Romans to the modern day, Western concept of a solid moral platform from which one acts, honor proves itself diverse in form and difficult to gain. For the Ancient Greeks, especially in battle, honor was firmly affixed to respect and glory; this concept is easily relayed through Homer’s The Iliad. Instead of purely stating the events of the Trojan War, Homer uses its characters as platforms from which he can add his own perspectives regarding the true value of honor.…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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?…

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Achilles A Hero Essay

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Although Achilles made the right decision, it was for the wrong reasons. Instead of acting mature when Agamemnon insulted him and helping the Greeks defeat the Trojans without excessive bloodshed, he selfishly elected to stay in his tent, just to spite Agamemnon. Thus causing scores of his fellow countrymen, who have done Achilles no injustice, to be decimated by Hector’s sword. He had the ability to save countless lives on both sides of the war, but rather than use his prowess on the field of combat, he used it to fuel his ego. He was so obsessed with his honor he let men from the army he was supposed to be leading.…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The quoted passage from Book Twenty-one of The Iliad is an excerpt of Achilles’ speech in rejection to Trojan prince Lykaon’s plea for life when he has finally resumed in the war. In this passage, Achilles contrasts the former and present way in which he treats the Trojans and states the reason of his change. By doing a close-reading of this passage, I hope to address the major shift in Achilles’ outlook on fate and death that is reflected in his change of attitude towards the Trojans. The first six lines really stand out in illustrating the significance of Patroklos’ death for it marks both Achilles’ return to battle and the change in his treatment of the enemies from “it was the way of my heart’s choice to be sparing of the Trojans”…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    You will eat your heart out, raging with remote for this dishonour done by you to the rarest of Achaeans (A 289-295) In this speech, it shows how much Achilles values honour and the amount of hatred he had towards Agamemnon who dishonoured him. This was caused due to Agamemnon who took Briseis, his symbol of pride. Because his symbol of pride was taken away, Achilles grew in rage and did not participate in the war. Overall, personal honour and excellence plays a main role in the warrior’s motivations, like Hector who fights to fulfill his duty and to fight for his family.…

    • 1570 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great 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

    This represents the pride and greed that is shown by Achilles even to his best friend. His actions out of revenge and personal gain led to his closest friend’s death. Many people assume that Patroclus’s death made Achilles a better man, but all it did was switch Achilles target from Agamemnon to Hector, who killed Patroclus. This revenge for Patroclus’s death made Achilles do many rash and harsh deeds. Some of these deeds were sacrificing twelve Trojan men, not eating until Patroclus’s body was buried, but most of all, trying to fight a river…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homer wrote The Iliad as a means to demonstrate what happened during the final year of the Trojan War. In the poem, Homer presents Achilles in several distinctive ways, causing the reader’s feelings to shift back and forth. How does Homer really want readers to feel about Achilles? There are several mixed feelings about Achilles and how readers should feel about the character. In the beginning of the poem readers may feel sympathetic toward Achilles after his argument with King Agamemnon, but those feelings may change when reading how Achilles unleashes his rage during battle against the Trojan soldiers and fights a river god.…

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There is a level of guilt that Achilles has towards Patroclus’ death, due to the fact that he was killed because of his absence on the field of battle. It is Patroclus’ death that finally spurs Achilles into decisive action, to re-join the fight and avenge Patroclus by killing Hector that will result in Achilles’ early death. This is, however, Achilles’ free choice influenced by grief induced by an exterior event that he had little control over. Patroclus’ death is rather the result of Patroclus’ own pride as well as Achilles’ indecisiveness. It is evident by Achilles’ reactions from his choice to avenge Patroclus to his harsh treatment of Hector’s corpse, that Achilles does not wish to live a life that Patroclus is not a part of.…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 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