Achilles As A Hero In Homer's Iliad

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Achilles; Coward or Hero The Iliad is a work of art that shares a message about virtue by one’s own behavior, values and motives. Anger, for one can either be a virtue or vice depending on a person’s ability to control it within. Sometimes our anger might become a blessing to help others, but in several occasions it may be a curse of immoral, wicked behavior. In Iliad, Achilles’s character is one of the greatest warriors of the Greek army who possesses superhuman strength and also has close relationships with the gods. He may even strike modern readers as less than heroic. He has all the trait of a superb warrior, and proves the mightiest man in the Achaean army, but his deep-seated character flaws constantly obstruct his ability to act with…show more content…
Achilles appears in the story as a complicated character that struggles with his inner outrageous actions towards anger. For instance, when Agamemnon realizes that the capture of Chryseis is the cause of a plague upon the Achaean camp, he reluctantly gives her up but then demands Briseis from Achilles as repayment. Furious at this insult, Achilles returns to his tent in the army camp and refuses to fight in the war any longer. This attribute magnificently poisons him that he abandons his army and does not even hesitate to pray that the Trojans will massacre them. (I; 515-520). During this scene Achilles’s character shows his anger more as a vice. Hence his reckless decision making simply because he felt that Agamemnon was insulting his self-pride. Behind every decision of Achilles lies his thirst for respect and glory. He craves to mentally be ahead of everyone else (book I; lines 301-303). Part of him wants to live a long, simple 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 he can fulfill…show more content…
Priam tearfully pleads with Achilles to take pity on a father’s perspective of his son and return Hector’s remorseful body. He so then happens to trigger the memory of Achilles’ very own father. Deeply moved by this, Achilles softens his anger to returns Hector’s corpse. Both sides agree to a temporary truce, and as for Hector so finally receives a proper funeral. This entirely different side of Achilles shows measured humanity. His anger is not to be greatly admired but we approve of his own self-battles in a way to regain moral values on mankind. Achilles now has a very good chance to recover his valued heroic

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