Is Achilles a Sympathetic Character
Achilles, the grandson of Aeacus was regarded as the greatest and primal character in Homer's Iliad, the ancient epic of Greek mythology. Even though Achilles is the central character of the epic, he is considered to be an unsympathetic character. Achilles was the son of the king of Meymidouns in Phthia, Pelues, and sea nymph Thetis. As the legend goes, Achilles made invincible by his mother Thetis by dipping him in the river Styx, however, ignored to wet his heel she held him by and made him vulnerable to be killed by a blow to that heel. (Achilles [Categories: LGBT mythology, People who fought in the Trojan War]) Homer's Iliad, develops around the Trojan War that spans for ten years between Greeks and the Trojans. Illiad depicts the involvement of gods and goddesses in the lives of mortal beings. (Troy Movie Review: Warner Bros. Troy vs. the Trojan Legend) The story of Iliad develops as a clash between honor and power. King Agamemnon represents the power utilizing the cuckolding of his brother Menalaus, whose wife Helen is stolen away by the Trojan Prince Paris, he attacked Troy. However, his imperial intentions are superseded the pride of his brother in such attack. Achilles represents honor, he is prepared to fight for his fam
Disregarding the last wishes of Hector not to defile his corpse, Achiles drags the body from the back of his chariot that disappointed Appollo. Zeus recommended for a ransom in exchange of the body and Achilles surrendered the body to Priam, the father of Hector most reluctantly. The shield of Achilles with blazoning emblems marks a sharp contrast between war and peace. The emblems on the shield of Achilles depicted symbols representing the Greek Ethos and its sharp contradictions. The city at peace represented to be prosperous that restores joy, love, sexuality, continuance of the species, law and justice, festivals and harvest all life in perfect equilibrium. The contradiction is the city at war, giving room for hate, chaos, death and destruction. This depicts fully the dual character of Achilles. His love for the country, righteousness morality, and sympathy towards women led him to struggle against the King Agamemnon that appealed the king to return Chryseis. The war occurred as a result of the irresponsible activities of Paris who was the son of Priam, invited to judge a beauty contest between the goddesses Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. Paris adjudged Aphrodite to be the winner since she assured him of the beautiful Helen, the wife of Menelaus. Menelaus was an Achaean chieftain and the Achaean expedition in order to recover Helen's escalates into a full-fledged war waged against the city of Troy. There existed great conflicts among the Achaean hierarchy. A dispute occurred between King Agamemnon and the great warrior Achilles while the Agamemnon puts the Achaean force in danger by disregarding the priest of Apollo. Agamemnon took the daughter of the priest Chryseis as a prize. Chryseis offered a good ransom and appealed return of his daughter that was denied by Agamemnon and accepted to ask Appollo to cut down the Ahaeans with a plague instead. (The Iliad: Character Summary of Homer's The Iliad) ily and friends but fed up with the imperial ambitions of Agamemnon. ((Trojan) Horses for courses) Achilles was greatly hurt by Agammemnon's selfish behavior and stresses upon return of the girl and threatened not to participate in the war of Menelaus. Agamemnon agrees to return Chryeseis however, in return takes away Briseis the wife of Achilles. Achilles was emotionally broken of this event and appeals his mother- the sea nymph Thetis, to intervene in his favor by reminding of an old debt owed her by Ze
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