Achilles Vs Odyssey

479 Words2 Pages
The names Achilles, Aeneas, and Odysseus are as familiar to modern society as they had been in ancient Greece. The tales of these heroic figures have been passed on through generations by their everlasting glory; otherwise known as kleos. Often time though, these so call heroes straddle the line between their heroic and villainous nature. Imbued with godlike strength and emotion, these protagonists can go from performing extraordinary feat to destructive feat as they succumb to their anger. Although prone to violent tendency, most demigods are still regarded as heroes due to their adherence of common Greek customs and structures which makes them civilized. The idea that civilized or generally accepted behavior is a valuable trait that dictate friends from foes is still prevalent today, and only went through a mild adaptation to the changing time.…show more content…
In Greek mythology, there are many examples where war is the stage for the making of heroes and monsters alike. The most famous war was supposedly fought over the most beautiful woman in the world and was documented in the Iliad, written by Homer and translated by Lattimore. The Trojan War documented many heroes’ quest for glory in both civilized and uncivilized manner. The protagonist, Achilles represents the demigod archetype very succinctly within the first line where he expressed his divine rage (Homer, pg.75). Achilles is not the first nor will he be the last hero to display this thematic motif of anger; where passion, retribution, and unconquerable strength combined and lead to the downfall of civilized behavior (Keuren, pg. 103). Blinded by his rage over Patroclus’s death and his thirst for revenge, Achilles tore through the Trojan rank looking for Hector, with the anger of the gods, he unleashed death and destruction reminiscent of a natural disaster (Homer, pg. 454). Although the act of killing was not
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