answersLogoWhite

0

Achilles Although Achilles possesses superhuman strength and has a close relationship with the gods, he may strike modern readers as less than heroic. He has all the marks of a great warrior, and indeed proves the mightiest man in the Achaean army, but his deep-seated character flaws constantly impede his ability to act with nobility and integrity. He cannot control his pride or the rage that surges up when that pride is injured. This attribute so poisons him that he abandons his comrades and even prays that the Trojans will slaughter them, all because he has been slighted at the hands of his commander, Agamemnon. Achilles is driven primarily by a thirst for glory. Part of him yearns to live a long, easy life, but he knows that his personal fate forces him to choose between the two. Ultimately, he is willing to sacrifice everything else so that his name will be remembered. Like most Homeric characters, Achilles does not develop significantly over the course of the epic. Although the death of Patroclus prompts him to seek reconciliation with Agamemnon, it does not alleviate his rage, but instead redirects it toward Hector. The event does not make Achilles a more deliberative or self-reflective character. Bloodlust, wrath, and pride continue to consume him. He mercilessly mauls his opponents, brazenly takes on the river Xanthus, ignobly desecrates the body of Hector, and savagely sacrifices twelve Trojan men at the funeral of Patroclus. He does not relent in this brutality until the final book of the epic, when King Priam, begging for the return of Hector's desecrated corpse, appeals to Achilles' memory of his father, Peleus. Yet it remains unclear whether a father's heartbroken pleas really have transformed Achilles, or whether this scene merely testifies to Achilles' capacity for grief and acquaintance with anguish, which were already proven in his intense mourning of Patroclus.

User Avatar

Wiki User

16y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What is a expression that is named after a greek myth?

Achilles' heel. (weakness)


Can you give me an expression word Achilles heel?

"Achilles heel" is an idiom that refers to a person's weak point or vulnerability. It originates from the Greek myth of Achilles, whose only vulnerable spot was his heel.


What is the main character in the myth about the baby that got dipped into the magical river?

Wasn't it Achilles? That's where the expression Achilles' heel comes from... an Achilles' heel is an area of the body that is your weakspot, because it is said Achilles was dipped into the river held by his heel, so the only area that wasn't blessed by the water of Immortality was his heel, hence the saying.


Why did Apollo kill Achilles?

There are different versions which show the death of Achilles. A famous myth tells that Paris show an arrow which Apollo guided into Achilles heel.


What heel was Achilles week heel?

The left heel was Achilles week heel.


Why the tendon above the heel is called the Achilles tendon?

It is named after the Homer's 'Iliad' account of the fall of Troy where one of the heros 'Achilles' is killed by an arrow entering his heel, which was the only place where he was vulnerable after being held by the heel by his mother who dipped him into the river styx.


Was achilles man or myth?

Achilles is a character from Greek mythology. He was a legendary warrior and hero of the Trojan War, known for his invulnerability except for his heel, which led to his downfall.


The achilles tendon is in the knee or heel?

The Achilles tendon is in the Heel by Ahmed


What is a good example of a classical allusion?

An example of a classical allusion is referencing the "Achilles' heel," which alludes to the Greek myth of Achilles who was invulnerable except for his heel. This allusion is used to describe a vulnerable point or weakness in someone or something.


Is the Achilles tendon in the heel knee or toe?

The Achilles tendon is in the Heel by Ahmed


What was Achilles's weak spot?

Achilles' heel was his weak spot thus the saying that someone's weakness is their "Achilles heel."


How do you use Achilles' heel ina sentence?

Society's achilles' heel is the politician. (Since heel is singular, so is "is", and not are.)