Patroclus

Achilles cares not for the war and doesn’t feel compelled to fight for Greece, but would fight for his own glory, and even share it with Patroclus. This in itself shows a different side of Achilles, perhaps hinting that Patroclus serves as a person who is capable of humbling him to some extent. Their close relationship only makes Patroclus’s death more important in Achilles’s recognition of his own flaws. This same familial relationship exists between Agamemnon and Iphigenia, but in an even deeper sense due to their more direct connection. His close and well known bond with his daughter heightens the importance of his decisions, however he struggles to make any such concrete choices. As a leader, he is expected to put his country before everything, but is constantly seen waffling between his duties and desire for power over anything. He distances himself and is not direct with his own family due to his ultimate decision and even blatantly states ““I work out clever schemes to deal with those I love” (pg. 244). His lies and deceit toward his family call into question his earlier claims of love for his children, including Iphigenia. The king is purely incapable of being direct with his wife and daughter, exhibiting a broken relationship and…

makes, choosing not to fight the Trojans, but also staying Troy. Achilles’ freedom of choice and the responsibility of his own fate include his overall indecisiveness to stop fighting, his own feelings towards honour and companionship, and his reactions to Patroclus’…

down upon. Honor is why the warriors go to battle and what gives them the motivation to push through the gruesome events that take place. The Iliad is full of characters that are stunted by fear. In Book 17 we see that Menelaus is too fearful to protect Patroclus’ body. Lastly, Achilles is mentioned in this section to show that the refusal of giving up Patroclus’ body could be the one thing to draw Achilles out of his depression of losing Brises. Dishonor, Menelaus, and Achilles are all…

clear that the battlefield modifies both of their personalities. As the Iliad progresses the effects of the battlefield are apparent again during an altercation between Patroclus and Hector where Patroclus’ life is eventually taken by Hector. Possibly the most apparent time the Battlefield effects characters is during a brawl consisting of Achilles and Hector where Achilles finds a new wrath and purpose for war, this new found drive of Achilles comes alive because of the effects of the…

The build up to the death of Patroclus begins with his efforts to enter into the gates of Troy, and Apollo becoming angered with his effort to keep Patroclus out. Apollo then incites Hector to fight Patroclus and a big fight scene breaks out between both Hector and Patroclus. They continue on fighting for quite some time, until Apollo steps in and slams Patroclus in between the shoulders to knock him down, knocked his helmet off his head, and stripped him of the armor so that he lay there…

Heroes feel this when they lose their close friends in battle. For instance, the intense pain that Achilles feels when Patroclus dies that causes him to stop functioning as a human being. The Iliad does not mention him eating, sleeping, or making love until Hector dies from his hand (Dr. Cook’s Lecture, Sep 6th). Such an exaggerated reaction shows the realism of losing someone dear to you, which in reality, is the result of war. The woman and children outside of the war feel the pain of losing…

If you look at Achilles in the Iliad he was the main hero of that book. He inspired plenty of people, but he mainly inspired Patroclus, so much that he wanted to go out and be just like him.Patroclus even went out and fight for Achilles and that's how he earned his fame he may have died, but people still respected him just because of what he did. Achilles is one of the greatest heroes and fighters among the Achaeans. No warrior in the Iliad comes close to being as great as Achilles. Everyone in…

As I had mentioned before, Cryses was determined to get his daughter back in Book 1. This showed his love towards him family and how he needed her back to regain sanity. The best example of love for family is the example in in Books 22 and 24. In Book 22, Achilles is so upset that his friend Patroclus was killed by Hector that he becomes enraged. Even though Patroclus was not his family, I get the sense that he was probably close enough to be a brother. This resulted in Achilles killing Hector…

he does not want to just settle for glory in one aspect of his life. He wants to be the leader of the army by being the most preeminent fighter of the Trojan forces. In this time, princes did not have to fight, but in order to have more respect from the townspeople, Hector continues on in battle. Not only did he continue on in battle, but he also has a short temper for those who did not fight. He encounters his brother being lazy and cleaning his sword and states “You idiot! We’re dying out…

burial he says, “Achilles, by your own soul and by your parents, do not allow the dogs to mutilate my body by the Greek ships” (433.375-377). He goes on to bribe Achilles and insist for him to “accept the gold and bronze ransom [his] father and mother will give [him] and send [his] body back home to be burned in [his] honor by the Trojans and their wives” (433.377-381). The nagging made by Hector does not change Achilles’ strong pride of defeat of the Trojans. In reply he say’s “for what you’ve…