Theme Of Rage In The Iliad

The Rage of Two Homer begins one of his most notable epics, The Illiad, with the word “rage” a word that properly describes one of history’s most memorable heroes: Achilles. Another character whose rage is notable is the King Agamemnon, an enemy of Achilles although they fight on the same side of the war. The first interaction between Achilles and Agamemnon at the beginning of the epic truly sets up the rest of the tale, giving the reader a glimpse of the infamous rage that is to come.
As a major character of The Illiad, much of what Achilles says and does impacts the path the tale takes, along with actions of other characters. Since Achilles’ rage is such a vital part of his character, his heroic flaw, the reader can infer that it will …show more content…
As Agamemnon says in line 187, “you [Achilles] actually like fighting and war”, which is a point that Achilles does not dispute. Achilles does not want to support a leader who does not fight on the front line, but then demands the best prizes, and when he must give his up to stop Apollo’s curse, he demands more, a replacement. This sense of entitlement angers Achilles to the point that he nearly draws his sword to rush the king (200). Only the goddess Athena stops Achilles from killing the arrogant king, which foreshadows the divine intervention from a team of gods as Achilles is degrading Hector’s body. This is only a small peak at Achilles’ rage, truly shown after Patroclus’ death later on. Achilles cares deeply about those close to him, but because he is himself, if whomever is threatened or hurt he explodes in a rage that seems to end only upon divine intervention. It is seen when Briseis is taken away from him earlier in Book I as he sheds tears for her, and when his beloved friend, Patroclus, is killed by Hector. The anthology does not have the full books, but instead