How Did Achilles Differ

In the epic written by the school of Homer called the Iliad, Achilles was torn between choosing a long, happy life with no one to remember him and his memory being told through the ages, a mortal’s way of immortality. The knowledge of the fact that he was mortal was something that he could not simply get away from and it consciously and subconsciously plagued him throughout the tale. While this created an emotional rift between him and his fellow soldiers fighting against the Trojans, it also brought Achilles closer to his men because he chose to fight with them for glory.
Most of the soldiers who went off to fight the Trojans did so because of the materialistic gains that they would receive from the war but not Achilles. Since he knew his life would end with the war, Achilles was one of the few who did not care for anything he was promised after …show more content…
The tales of his strength and fighting prowess were well known from the lowest of soldiers to the many different kings of the ancient Mediterranean nations. Just the presence of Achilles was enough to rally the men and give them hope to win not only the battle but the war. This fact was known to Agamemnon and Achilles’ beloved Patroclus. Agamemnon knew that he needed Achilles fight for him to win the war, not because Achilles was a marvelous warrior but because having him would greatly increase the moral in all of his troops. Young Patroclus met his end when he used Achilles ability to unite the troops, when he dressed in Achilles famous armor and charged into battle. Both of these men achieved the same result that they had wanted, however one of them paid a far greater price. Achilles was beloved and respected by his men; their love for him brought them close but their admiration for his god like attributes separated them in almost a professional way. The love and admiration felt for Achilles never truly ceased and carry on to this