Achilles, a great hero in the Trojan war? At first it does not seem so. Agamemnon offends Achilles, so the greatest warrior decides to back out of the war, and instead pout like a child. Achilles goes from this egotistical character who refuses to fight, to a raging maniac who does not hold back any wrath. All due to the death of his dear friend, Achilles goes from one character extreme to the other, but by the end of the war we see yet another development in characterization through Achilles’s interaction with Priam. Throughout the Iliad we see Achilles’s pride, selfishness, and nobility change. Towards the beginning of the Iliad, we see Achilles filled with so much pride. We see this characteristic displayed through this grudge Achilles
…show more content…
He even says, “If I return home to my dear fatherland / My glory is lost but my life will be long.” We see this sense of pride change after Achilles’s dear friend, Patroclus, passes away. Achilles’s hubris then turns into shame. We know this because he says to his mother, “I was no help / To him when he was killed out there. He died / Far from home, and he needed me to protect him.” We can tell at this point Achilles has lost some pride because he realizes he should have been fighting in the …show more content…
After Agamemnon steals away Briseis, Achilles refuse to fight in the war unless the Trojans directly assault him or his ships. He know there are many greek men dying that he could save, but even with all the pleas for him to help, he refuses. He says, “I won’t lift a bloody finger in this war,” all because Agamemnon “treated me like dirt.” Still, even after he comes back to the war, he has a serious lack of sympathy for anyone else. I understand his rage after Hector killed Patroclus, but it is not enough to Achilles that Hector is dead. The author tells us in book 24 that Achilles continues to abuse the body: “He would hitch / Horses to his chariot and drag Hector behind.” It seems here that Achilles has turned into a monster; however, by the end of the Iliad we see a slight change of Achilles character into a better direction. We see Achilles finally show some empathy when Priam comes to collect Hectors body. The author tells us Achilles pitied him which is something we have not seen of Achilles thus far. Achilles relates the way Priam is feeling to the way his own father must feel. In the end we see Achilles finally preform a caring and selfless act by giving back Hectors
He even says, “If I return home to my dear fatherland / My glory is lost but my life will be long.” We see this sense of pride change after Achilles’s dear friend, Patroclus, passes away. Achilles’s hubris then turns into shame. We know this because he says to his mother, “I was no help / To him when he was killed out there. He died / Far from home, and he needed me to protect him.” We can tell at this point Achilles has lost some pride because he realizes he should have been fighting in the …show more content…
After Agamemnon steals away Briseis, Achilles refuse to fight in the war unless the Trojans directly assault him or his ships. He know there are many greek men dying that he could save, but even with all the pleas for him to help, he refuses. He says, “I won’t lift a bloody finger in this war,” all because Agamemnon “treated me like dirt.” Still, even after he comes back to the war, he has a serious lack of sympathy for anyone else. I understand his rage after Hector killed Patroclus, but it is not enough to Achilles that Hector is dead. The author tells us in book 24 that Achilles continues to abuse the body: “He would hitch / Horses to his chariot and drag Hector behind.” It seems here that Achilles has turned into a monster; however, by the end of the Iliad we see a slight change of Achilles character into a better direction. We see Achilles finally show some empathy when Priam comes to collect Hectors body. The author tells us Achilles pitied him which is something we have not seen of Achilles thus far. Achilles relates the way Priam is feeling to the way his own father must feel. In the end we see Achilles finally preform a caring and selfless act by giving back Hectors