Greek literature usually follows the protagonist and their tragic flaw, making them a tragic hero. This tradition in story has lasted as far as the 2004 Hollywood film Troy and farther. According to Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall”. This applies to the hero Achilles in the movie Troy, based off of Homer’s The Iliad.
As long as the hierarchy has existed, there have been different tiers of power. A king, then a person in charge of the military, sometimes a great warrior, so on and so forth. Achilles was a great war hero, he was practically invisible. One of his flaws was his vulnerable heel that his mother neglected to dip in the river stix. Although he was well known for his fighting skills, he still did not have power over the king. In …show more content…
A Trojan prince, Paris, stole the queen of Sparta, Helen. This small thievery escalates to a battle for power between the two forces. Achilles fights for Greece and the Trojan princes, Hector and Paris fight for Troy. Achilles’ cousin, Patroclus, who is just a boy was supposed to stay in the safety of the boats because Achilles didn’t want to risk his life with war. However, Patroclus, lusting for fighting poses as Achilles and fights. Hector kills him, not knowing him to be just a boy. Patroclus’ death hugely affects Achilles and he hunts Hector for revenge. In his sorrow he thinks himself right in his blood lust. He goes as far to deny Hector a burial deserving of royalty, “ ...You won’t have eyes tonight; you won’t have ears or a tongue. You will wander the underworld blind, deaf, and dumb,and all the dead will know: this is Hector, the fool...” (Troy 2004). Before Hector’s death, Troy believed they would have victory. Achilles killing Hector caused extreme doubt. Achilles pride became extreme, later causing his death. This affected his view of war because he killed a man of high
As long as the hierarchy has existed, there have been different tiers of power. A king, then a person in charge of the military, sometimes a great warrior, so on and so forth. Achilles was a great war hero, he was practically invisible. One of his flaws was his vulnerable heel that his mother neglected to dip in the river stix. Although he was well known for his fighting skills, he still did not have power over the king. In …show more content…
A Trojan prince, Paris, stole the queen of Sparta, Helen. This small thievery escalates to a battle for power between the two forces. Achilles fights for Greece and the Trojan princes, Hector and Paris fight for Troy. Achilles’ cousin, Patroclus, who is just a boy was supposed to stay in the safety of the boats because Achilles didn’t want to risk his life with war. However, Patroclus, lusting for fighting poses as Achilles and fights. Hector kills him, not knowing him to be just a boy. Patroclus’ death hugely affects Achilles and he hunts Hector for revenge. In his sorrow he thinks himself right in his blood lust. He goes as far to deny Hector a burial deserving of royalty, “ ...You won’t have eyes tonight; you won’t have ears or a tongue. You will wander the underworld blind, deaf, and dumb,and all the dead will know: this is Hector, the fool...” (Troy 2004). Before Hector’s death, Troy believed they would have victory. Achilles killing Hector caused extreme doubt. Achilles pride became extreme, later causing his death. This affected his view of war because he killed a man of high