The Iliad: The Power Of Achilles

The Iliad begins with the clash between Achilles and Agamemnon. Agamemnon has little, if any, respect for the gods. This is displayed by his irreverent

Agamemnon saw the threat of Achilles taking his honor through his military strength. Agamemnon describes the person that he thinks Achilles wants to be as someone who is in the same position as

Throughout the Odyssey, Agamemnon is depicted as an example of what not to do whereas Achilles is the example of the perfect Greek hero. Even with such different representation, upon their death, both men learned what true glory was. For Agamemnon, he was killed in one of the most disgraceful ways possible. He was cut down like an animal by the lover of his scheming wife who even “lacked the heart to seal my (Agamemnon) eyes with her hand or close my jaw”(Od.11.482-3) Achilles on the other hand died a noble death avenging his friend upon returning to battle after being humiliated by Agamemnon. In Odysseus’s eyes “there’s no man in the world more blest than you(Achilles)”(Od.11.548). All their life they fought and strove to die a noble death for themselves when in reality the only glory they truly desired was that of their son’s and whether their own actions left the world any better. Both men, when given the chance, ask about their sons. Agamemnon requests information from Odysseus saying “Come, tell me this and be precise. Have you heard news of my son?”(Od.11.519-20) Unfortunately for Agamemnon, Odysseus had no news of his son and both shared in their sorrow. Achilles was more fortunate when he inquired “But come, tell me the news about my gallant son”(Od.11.559) Odysseus then launched into a great description of Neoptolemus bravery and gallant actions while fighting at Troy. With the description of the scores of men his son killed and the fighting ranks he leveled, the great Achilles ran off with joy in his heart “triumphant in all I(Odysseus) had told him of his son, his gallant, glorious son”(Od.11.616-7). What a change from the man that Odysseus originally met in the underworld. Achilles found no happiness or joy in all his accomplishments that he gave his life for. True joy and glory was found in his son; his lasting glory was more

In Homer's The Iliad, we find the greatest, bravest, and most revered warrior of ancient times. Achilles was the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidones in Phtia, and Thetis, a sea-nymph. As the legend goes, Achilles got his strength and battle skills when his mother dipped him in the river Styx. Achilles was thereby made invincible. However, Thetis forgot to wet the heel by which she held him and because of this grievous error, Thetis destined her son to defeat. It was prophesied that he would be defeated in battle by being pierced in his only vulnerable spot: Achilles' heel (thus the expression). This single weakness would inevitably be Achilles' downfall, but in the end he would still be defined as a true hero. The prophecy that

The great hero Achilles didn't start his quest well known. In his normal world he was a regular soldier, but one of the best soldiers around. Agamemnon was a King that went around Greece, making other Kings and armies under his power. He called for Achilles to come fight for the power of another King and that King’s army.

Through the history of the world, man has always been driven by self gain and each man believes he is self justified. When Agamemnon and Achilles argue over the return of Chryseis and the prize Briseis, they both think they are right. Achilles convinces Agamemnon to return the stolen Chryseis but King Agamemnon takes Achilles’ Briseis as compensation. Agamemnon is most justified in his actions. No, he did not fight on the front lines with Achilles and his men, but as the king he has every right to stay behind his army and lead. A king should be ready to give everything for his kingdom, but that does not mean they should lead every charge. Many people have pointed out that if it were expected of a King to fight in every battle it would be impossible for him to

The Iliad: Book I, is about the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon in the beginning of the Trojan War. It shows how vigorous Achilles’ rage was and that he is no one to mess with. The book states “Peleus’ son Achilles, murderous, doomed”. This shows his fury in just a few words. Achilles was a Greek hero who was the son of a Goddess named Thetis. He was an incredible solder; brave, violent and godlike. However, Agamemnon was the commander of the Achaean Army. He was greedy, aggressive and selfish. He was described as “the most grasping man alive”. He absolutely hated Achilles. I feel that he was jealous of how respected Achilles was among the ranks in the army because of his superior skills in the field of battle. Agamemnon claimed Chryseis as his prize, after sacking a Trojan town. Chryseis was a daughter of a Priest of Apollo, Chryses. He offered an enormous ransom to get his daughter back. At first Agamemnon didn’t want it but the people round him persuaded him that it would be best to let her go so they could be released from the plague that Apollo put on them. Agamemnon then poised to Achilles that he is going to steal Achilles prize, Briseis. This is when Achilles’ rage shows at its best. He nearly draws his sword to kill Agamemnon but he is stopped by the goddess, Athena.

Achilles on the other hand is only worried about himself. He retreated from battle because he was “the only Greek from whom [Agamemnon] took

Achilles’ pride is the usual trigger and fuel for his rage. In Book 1 of the Iliad, during the strategy meeting on how to deal with Apollo’s curse on the Greek camp, Achilles’ honor is threatened by Agamemnon. This insult to the prideful warrior almost leads to Achilles physically lashing out against his commander. It takes a god coming down from Mt. Olympus to quell his fury and to put his mind right. Not long after, Agamemnon follows through with his boast to take Achilles’ prize and delivers on the dishonor he had threaten Achilles with. This assault on Achilles’ pride causes him to withdraw from the war effort, to spite Agamemnon and his arrogance. His rage against Agamemnon is fueled by his wounded pride, keeping Achilles out of combat until after Book 18, where a new event ignites a terrifying fury within Achilles’ heart.

Achilles, on the other hand, can almost be fully comprehended from his initial disagreement with Agamemnon. Agamemnon's unreasonable actions seem to justify Achilles' refusal to engage his men in battle, primarily, because his pride will not allow him to act. Achilles believes himself to be the most important man in the army and the injury cannot be forgiven. Even when a diplomatic escape is contrived by Agamemnon, Achilles sees his position as unchanged-doubtlessly, Odysseus would have relented but Achilles is unable to forget past grievances.

Achilles can be described as a Tragic Hero in many ways. He was brave and had great strength but, he was also prideful and lacked control with his emotions, and in all the label of a tragic hero fits him. A Tragic hero is “a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy” (“Tragic Hero”). To many men Achilles was god-like, and immortal, the epitome of a hero to the Greeks, he was strong, brave in the face of war, and of noble birth because he was the son of a goddess. In the Iliad, Achilles, driven by anger seeks revenge on Hector for killing his “dearest comrade” (“The Heroic Age”), Patroclus, whom he claims to have valued more than his own life. He

A description of Achilles’s rage in Homer’s The Iliad is shown when Odysseus says to Agamemnon,

The anger of Agamemnon is a catalyst that drives the plot of The Illiad. In the beginning of the epic, Agamemnon’s insult towards Achilles had caused him to leave the war; causing countless Achaean soldiers to lose their lives. Because, without Achilles, they were defenceless. After the Trojan soldiers had been on the brink of victory, Agamemnon realises that his anger was far beyond the realm of humanity; he was not in control, and he was utterly blinded. In turn, it caused Agamemnon to return to his normal mindset.

In the battle between Hector and Achilles, there was more on the line than winning the war. Until the end of the poem, it can be argued that both Achilles and Hector fit the role of an epic hero, but there can only be one. The battle represented who would ultimately be determined the epic hero. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is crafted into an epic hero throughout the poem by the illustration of the qualities of an epic hero: a great warrior, help from the supernatural, an epic flaw, and an epic journey.

This just emphasizes how Achilles was not just concerned about his soldiers and showing face, but he was more driven by his rage and his grudge against Agamemnon for what he did to him.