The Mighty Achilles - Paper Sample

Introduction

Achilles is one of the Greek mythological heroes ever lived. He was one of the most respected heroes, especially due to the impact that he had in the battles during the Trojan War. Achilles possessed immense power and the hand to hand combat skill. He was as well-known to being a weapon legendary, particularly with spears and swords. He was the first-born son of goddess Thetis. Her mother wanted to make Achilles immortal and made attempts such as dipping him to river Styx. Nonetheless, Achilles destiny was to conquer the Trojan war but unfortunately die in the same battle. He was a respected warrior and his combat moves seemed supernatural.

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Hero's Portrait

Achilles meets the epic hero's portrait, described as strong, swift, and godlike (Wade-Gery1.129). Achilles is the greatest Achaean warrior, bigger than a tiny spear (19.199-200). Achilles beats each rival. Achilles used a god-made sword, Hephaestus (18,575-580). Priam called Achilles "godly" (19.520). Achilles was nice, a warrior loved and respected, of noble descent. Achilles looks incredibly attractive with sandy blonde locks, but according to Athena (1.207-220) he had a quick temper. Achilles is depicted as an explosive, pride-filled human. Homer depicts Achilles with great passion as The Iliad explains Achilles' vengeance and its consequences:

In Greek mythology, being an amazing hero and dying as a brave warrior when you're young was more essential than a long existence. According to his mother, Achilles may choose a long , tedious life in which no one can remember him or choose an early death that brings glory and everlasting memory (9.423-429). Achilles still chooses to stay to plan for his friend's death. He demonstrates another epic hero in choosing glory. Achilles elects to be remembered as a real hero who dies early while protecting others rather than living a long, filthy life (18.95).

Achilles success in the Trojan war inspired and influenced the rest of his fellow Greek warriors. Hephaestus, the Olympian god, made Achilles a complete armor that consisted of a spear and a shield. Additionally, he possessed divine armor such as helm, greaves, and gauntlets that were supposed to make him immortal. It is imperative that although Achilles possessed unique strength and a proximal association with the gods, some of his actions may strike contemporary readers as less heroic. Although he has the attributes of a legendary warrior, and proved himself to be the greatest war leader in the Archaean army, his well-known character flaws jeopardize his capability to act with integrity and nobility. Achilles is unable to control his pride or frustration that surges up when the former is injured. For instance, he abandons the troop and even hopes that get killed in the war because Agamemnon, his commander, had taken back the girl that he loved. Achilles leadership in the Trojan battle is fundamentally driven by a thirst of personals satisfaction. He is willing to sacrifice everything else so that his stature and pride is maintained as the greatest warrior in the Greek history.

Life Before the War

Achilles was the son of Peleus, a prominent king of Myrmidons, and Thetis, the daughter of sea-god known as Nereus. Thetis was courted by Poseidon and Zeus before she eventually become Peleus wife. The major reason for the gods withdrawing for the pursuit of Thetis, was based on the knowledge that she will bore a child that will hold a destiny that will be more robust and powerful than his father. Therefore, when Achilles was born, her mother took him to river Styx, a water body that separated the land of the living and the dead to make him immortal. Thetis went ahead and sunk Achilles in the river but made one critical mistake - She was holding her son by the ankle and thus it was left to dry. Achilles’ ankle would eventually become his significant weakness.

Upon becoming a teenager, Achilles was sent by his father Peleus to Mount Pelion so that he could be taught by centaur Chiron on different aspects such as warfare, hunting, and surviving. While still a teenager, prophet Calchas prophesied that the Greeks would not have the capability to conquer the Troy city without the guidance of Achilles. However, if Achilles was to join the war, he has to die. Thetis believed on the prophesy and made the decision to protect Achilles from ever entering the Troy city to avoid early death. Therefore, her mother took him to Scyros where Achilles was disguised as a girl so that nobody will identify him. Unfortunately, Achilles identity was soon revealed by Odysseus, as he placed weapons and armors among girly things. It turned out that only Achilles was interested in possessing the armors and weapons as the rest of the girls scrambled on the girl’s attires. Henceforth, Achilles agreed to travel to Troy city in the company of Odysseus and be the leader of his father people, the Myrmidons, into the Trojan war.

Trojan War

Achilles rapidly proved himself in the battle upon his arrival in the Trojan lands. In his leadership, the Greeks overcome many cities. However, in one particular city; the narration gets a twist. Achilles took a woman known as Brieis in the city of Lyrnessos as his personal reward. Achilles fell in love with her and put much concentration on her that he lost interest in battle. To worsen the situation, king Agamemnon took Briseis from Achilles the moment he lost his price Chryseis to Apollo. It was a god command to return his beloved priestess. The decision infuriated Achilles to the extent that he refused to participate in the war, and as a result, the battle turned into Trojan favor. The Greeks were unsuccessful in trying to persuade Achilles to return to the battle. However, Achilles best friend, Patroclus believed that he had found a solution. He understood that no one could convince him in a time that the warriors morale was deafening. In that perspective, he asked Achilles to lend him his weapons and pretend to be Achilles so that he could motivate the troop to proceed with the battle. Patroclus was killed the next day by a Trojan soldier known as Hector.

Hector believed that he had killed Achilles and took the Patroclus body with armor still on. Achilles was infuriated when he had the news and he had no option but to return to the war. He returned to the battle wearing new armor garments made by Hephaestus. He revenged for his best friend by killing Hector and went on to taint his image by dragging the body in front of the Troy city gates so that everybody would see. Achilles declined to give Hector’s body to the Trojan so that he could be given a decent burial as he played a major role in the Trojan battle. Instead, Achilles took the dead body to his camp and placed it on a stick as a display of his anger. However, that night, one of Troy’s king secretly sneaked into Achilles camp and begged him to give them the remains of an individual that that they considered their hero, in which Achilles gave out the body as a depiction of respect.

Achille Weakness

The word, “Achilles Heel,” came in because of the hero's one flaw. He really had a bad heel when he was a very young boy. Indeed, when he was young, there was a prophecy he would lead a brief but valiant life. He was going to die early. His heel was his great downfall, and it happened when Thetis, his mum, dipped him in the Styx River, which was meant to make him strong and robust. Although this was the case, she skipped dipping in his heel because she kept him there as he was sunk in. Thus, his foot never touched the sea. This will come into play around his passing.

As Achilles tried to dream of a way to save the Greeks from Apollo, he discovered that Apollo had created all the Greeks' troubles when Agamemnon failed to consider a ransom for Chryses' daughter (1. 98-106). Achilles was angry, insisting that Agamemnon return the girl to her home. Agamemnon wasn't happy to return his kid, so he took Achilles' wife. Achilles' response is sheer anger (1.203), but because Athena participated, he didn't battle Agamemnon. She told Achilles not to battle because Hera, who loved both guys, sent her to stop the war. Achilles was still fuming, but he promised to follow the gods to answer him while he prays (1.220-230). Achilles proves he respected gods and mortals and even though it was about what he wished to do, he obeyed gods. As he obeyed the goddess in the middle of his anger, this revealed his valiant attitude and his spiritual relations.

Since fighting with Agamemnon, Achilles declined to go back to war. His youthful pride did not encourage him to go back to war, since Agamemnon took his wife and shamed Achilles. Several wanted to speak to Achilles, and even Patroclus wanted to urge Achilles to return to war. Achilles was persistent, so upset at missing Agamemnon 's reward. Finally, Patroclus gave his weapons to his best mate. Patroclus wear the shield and Hector murdered him. After Patroclus' passing, Achilles claims nothing occurred because he declined to fight. He said he wanted all conflict between man and gods to cease because it throws us into anger fits (18.109-114). Now he's with anger and grief alongside himself. Achilles "with his hands and defiles his scalp" (18.29). "Achilles' sorrow stung the breeze" (18.38). Achilles' confidence brought his best friend 's demise.

Ultimately, Achilles suffered this foot's mortal fracture, the location of his one major weakness. The battle continued and Achilles had defeated several enemies including Memnon and Penthesilea, amazon hero. He kept fighting bravely until Paris, Troy's prince, led by Apollo himself, wounded him with an arrow to his heel. The wound appeared serious since Achilles died. An arrow, shot by Trojan Prince Paris, kills Achilles. Most versions of the tale state the god Apollo led the arrow into his weak position, his head. In one version of the tale, Achilles is scaling Troy 's walls and sacking the city when fired. In other sources, he marries Trojan princess Polyxena and reportedly negotiates an end to the war when Paris shoots the shot that kills him. After his death, Achilles is cremated and combined with his dear friend Patroclus' ashes. The Odyssey describes Achilles' massive tomb on Troy's sand, and Odysseus encounters Achilles during his underworld stay with a party of dead heroes.

Conclusion

While Achilles seemed inexperienced at the beginning when he lost his temper, and his ego made him seem self-centered, he's a true epic hero. He was born to a king and a sea nymph, inform and size, and godlike. Achilles wanted to fight because he knew he'd die early. Ever knowing his name and legacy was more important than living a long life. Achilles may be ruthless and fierce, but he showed love to Briseis and Priam. He was an excellent fighter who fought without fear. Many people revered or hated Achilles, possessing a decent friendship with gods and goddesses. Ultimately, Achilles knew his life would be healthier if he spent more time caring for people and less time seeking honor and glory, but he had all the attributes of a heroic hero.Finally, Achilles' search for excessive prestige and fame deprives him of a healthy life. Achilles can be praised for his decisiveness in battles, but he has nothing to prove in his social and personal life, on the other hand, so he is not concerned with the impact of his conduct on others. He is excessively hot-tempered and committed to his code of principles, which would not encourage him to fulfill all other interests that can define a human being's existence. Sometimes, this fascination demotivates Achilles and also makes him aggressive. The framework of ideals that Achilles has opted to adopt should also be dismissed, let alone his way of adhering to it.