Abdul Rahman Zindani
Dr. Rigoni
Paper #1
The Value of the Gods to Achilles
Throughout most of The Iliad, Achilles spends his time avoiding the battle against the Trojans rather than supporting his fellow Achaeans on the battlefield. Achilles’s personal values seem to greatly influence his reasons as to why he shouldn’t go out to fight. In Book 9, Achilles’s speech refers to many different values that could justify his reasons for holding back (225). Of these values, Achilles is most vocal about his thirst for both vengeance and glory throughout most of The Iliad. However, Achilles’s hesitates before going after such values and complies with instructions from the gods. This in turn implies that Achilles values the gods and their will over …show more content…
According to what Achilles tells Odysseus, Achilles only came to Troy in order to win glory on the battlefield (227). Achilles knows that he will die if he chooses to fight in Troy, but he accepts his fate and decides to help the Achaeans after he and Agamemnon reconcile (416). Achilles strives to gain glory, but his priority remains to not anger the gods in the process. When killing men in the the river, Skamandros, the river addresses Achilles and tells him that “For the loveliness of my water is crammed with corpses, I cannot find a channel to cast my waters into the bright sea since I am congested with the dead men you kill so brutally. Let me alone, then; lord of the people, I am confounded” (446). Achilles had not realized the effects of his killing spree on the water, but as soon as he recognizes how the river had been damaged, he agrees to leave the river alone so that he won’t anger the river god. His attempt to appease Skamandros, however, was unsuccessful, but after praying to the gods he was able to gain assistance from Poseidon and …show more content…
In his speech in Book 9, Achilles makes sure to tell Odysseus that he will leave “tomorrow, when I have sacrificed to Zeus and to all gods”(225). Throughout the speech, Achilles points out the importance of the gods and how they will help him leave while they have blinded Agamemnon’s judgement. Achilles even adds his own rituals when sacrificing to the gods, on top of those already done by other Achaeans, in order to show how important they are to him. When Patroclus is about to leave for battle, Achilles went into his tent and opened a chest in which “lay a wrought goblet, nor did any other man drink the shining wine from it not did Achilles pour from it to any other god, but only Zeus father” (357). Achilles’s special prayer for Zeus indicates that not only does Achilles use his spoils as a means to gain glory, but also to appeal to Zeus and the other gods. This is similar to when Achilles allows Priam to feast and sleep with the Myrmidons in order to please Zeus, the protector of guests (514). In this case, Achilles used his riches to treat Priam with respect and went out of his way in order to provide Priam with a safe place to
Dr. Rigoni
Paper #1
The Value of the Gods to Achilles
Throughout most of The Iliad, Achilles spends his time avoiding the battle against the Trojans rather than supporting his fellow Achaeans on the battlefield. Achilles’s personal values seem to greatly influence his reasons as to why he shouldn’t go out to fight. In Book 9, Achilles’s speech refers to many different values that could justify his reasons for holding back (225). Of these values, Achilles is most vocal about his thirst for both vengeance and glory throughout most of The Iliad. However, Achilles’s hesitates before going after such values and complies with instructions from the gods. This in turn implies that Achilles values the gods and their will over …show more content…
According to what Achilles tells Odysseus, Achilles only came to Troy in order to win glory on the battlefield (227). Achilles knows that he will die if he chooses to fight in Troy, but he accepts his fate and decides to help the Achaeans after he and Agamemnon reconcile (416). Achilles strives to gain glory, but his priority remains to not anger the gods in the process. When killing men in the the river, Skamandros, the river addresses Achilles and tells him that “For the loveliness of my water is crammed with corpses, I cannot find a channel to cast my waters into the bright sea since I am congested with the dead men you kill so brutally. Let me alone, then; lord of the people, I am confounded” (446). Achilles had not realized the effects of his killing spree on the water, but as soon as he recognizes how the river had been damaged, he agrees to leave the river alone so that he won’t anger the river god. His attempt to appease Skamandros, however, was unsuccessful, but after praying to the gods he was able to gain assistance from Poseidon and …show more content…
In his speech in Book 9, Achilles makes sure to tell Odysseus that he will leave “tomorrow, when I have sacrificed to Zeus and to all gods”(225). Throughout the speech, Achilles points out the importance of the gods and how they will help him leave while they have blinded Agamemnon’s judgement. Achilles even adds his own rituals when sacrificing to the gods, on top of those already done by other Achaeans, in order to show how important they are to him. When Patroclus is about to leave for battle, Achilles went into his tent and opened a chest in which “lay a wrought goblet, nor did any other man drink the shining wine from it not did Achilles pour from it to any other god, but only Zeus father” (357). Achilles’s special prayer for Zeus indicates that not only does Achilles use his spoils as a means to gain glory, but also to appeal to Zeus and the other gods. This is similar to when Achilles allows Priam to feast and sleep with the Myrmidons in order to please Zeus, the protector of guests (514). In this case, Achilles used his riches to treat Priam with respect and went out of his way in order to provide Priam with a safe place to