Rage, the most destructive and insatiable form of anger, is the very first word of the Iliad. From the beginning to nearly the end, the plot is driven by the rage of a variety of characters, but one stands far apart from the others. The focus of this paper will be primarily on the greatest rage of them all, Achilles’. His wrath, the embodiment of his rage, is said to be, “Black and murderous,” (1:2), from the very first page. While other men and even the Gods also have rage, Achilles’ inability to let go of his rage is what sets him apart. To prove this, I will contrast the nature other characters’ rage with Achilles’ and look at shifts in the nature of his rage.
The first fleshed out example of rage in the Iliad is Apollo’s anger toward the Achaens. The dealer of death from afar, “descended Olympus’ crags / […] bow slung over one shoulder / [...] And shot until the death-fires crowded the beach.” (1:52-60) because the Achaens took Chryseis, the daughter of one of his sacred priests, as a rightful spoil of war. Apollo then reigns death upon the Achaen army for over a week until finally they return his …show more content…
When revealed to him, his rage intensifies and goes from one of inaction to one of action. Ironically, Achilles himself, “renounced his rage” (19:97), only to declare he would not eat until his “rage is not so great,” (19:214). The shift in his rage suggests that Patroclus’ death has not actually quelled his first rage, but rather replaced it with one far more devastating. After he slays Hector, Achilles reaches the peak of his rage when he, “hauled him three times around Patroclus’ tomb […] leaving Hector stretched face down in the dust” (24:18-9), and refused him burial. His desecration of the Troy’s greatest hero is so outrageous and inhumane that even the Gods are disgusted with him and say, “Achilles has lost all pity and has no shame left” (24:48), and that he should, “fear [their] wrath,”
The first fleshed out example of rage in the Iliad is Apollo’s anger toward the Achaens. The dealer of death from afar, “descended Olympus’ crags / […] bow slung over one shoulder / [...] And shot until the death-fires crowded the beach.” (1:52-60) because the Achaens took Chryseis, the daughter of one of his sacred priests, as a rightful spoil of war. Apollo then reigns death upon the Achaen army for over a week until finally they return his …show more content…
When revealed to him, his rage intensifies and goes from one of inaction to one of action. Ironically, Achilles himself, “renounced his rage” (19:97), only to declare he would not eat until his “rage is not so great,” (19:214). The shift in his rage suggests that Patroclus’ death has not actually quelled his first rage, but rather replaced it with one far more devastating. After he slays Hector, Achilles reaches the peak of his rage when he, “hauled him three times around Patroclus’ tomb […] leaving Hector stretched face down in the dust” (24:18-9), and refused him burial. His desecration of the Troy’s greatest hero is so outrageous and inhumane that even the Gods are disgusted with him and say, “Achilles has lost all pity and has no shame left” (24:48), and that he should, “fear [their] wrath,”