The Relationship Between Achilles and Homer - Essay Sample

To acknowledge the Greek mythical stories of their heroes and, more importantly, the kleos, one must first understand the inspirational songs of the Greek as well as the lyrical poetry composed by Homer also identified as the Homeric poetry, its role in the lives of the classical population. In ancient Greece, hero worship was a cultural norm, and lyrical poetry was used as a medium through which these heroic myths were passed down from generation to generation; thus, marking the relationship between Achilles and Homer. In other words, the relationship between Achilles and Homer was professional since Homer was dedicated to writing stories kleos on the battles and victories of Achilles; thus, making Achilles the mythical hero and Homer, the composer of the myths. Therefore, regarding kleos and Greek epical tradition, the paper analyzes the relationship between Achilles and Homer.

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In ancient Greek, the population yawned and wanted their stories to be composed of glorious moments and activities, especially excellence and fame during battle. The approach of adding glory and fame was termed as kleos, and it was an approach of writing that strived within this community. Kleos was an essential feature of the Iliad, an epic poem composed of war tales. It was these features that composer/poets/bards such as Homer used to narrate the stories of Greek warriors to assist them to survive. Additionally, kleos was incorporated in these tales since it was an approach to how a message was told through poems and stories. From a different perspective, the characters used in composing the Iliad were used towards producing the kleos, but the Iliad itself was a standard and type of the kleos. The short description promotes examples used by Homeric compositions in defining Achilles and Hector, among others.

One of the messages that enhance the relationship between Homers and Achilles is the secret kept by the author about his character. Majorly, after Hector killed Patroclus, Achilles swears to kill Hector as a means of attaining his fame. In other terms, Achilles is determined to kill his opponent, but in the meantime, he has the ambition of performing well during the war to honor Patroclus. Homer uses Achilles' kleos and extends it to the death Patroclus since his fame will bring kleos to his friend. Majorly, the main issue highlights the norms of loyalty and the extent to which Homer goes to protect the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. There are critics composed to understand the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles. According to some writers, the reason why Achilles was determined to seek revenge as a means of attaining kleos for Patroclus was that they were more than friends, making them lovers. Besides, it is believed Homer's loyalty to Achilles made him omit the relationship as a means of maintaining the heroic endeavors and victories of Achilles.

To conclude, the ancient Greek mythical stories and kleos enhance that Homer and Achilles had a mutual character author relationship. Additionally, to strengthen the bond between the two, the author, in his means, used Achilles kleos to obtain Patroclus' kleos. Unfortunately, during the tales, it was identified that Homer portrayed the two as friends and nothing else, an issue that has been criticized for a generation. It is therefore concluded that since ancient Greek was composed of norms that promoted fame and heroism, Homer relied on that to establish and produce the story of Achilles, minimizing any theme that would tarnish his image and make the work not being passed down from generation to generation.