Achilles 2
From the very beginning of the poem, the character Achilles is one of the major foci of the story. His actions of lack of actions have enormous effects upon how the plot unfolds. Starting with the fight with Agamemnon and his withdrawal from the battle, to the death of Patroklos, and finally to the slaying of Hektor, Achilles and his emotions decide the fate of many Greek and Trojan warriors. It is his struggle against his anger, pride, loyalty, and love that make this poem one of a tragic nature, rather than just a gruesome account of a war. Although the reputation of Achilles claims him to be the perfect warrior, strongest of the Greeks, the poem spends more time on the man than on his reputation. I think the most obvious presentation of this occurs in the final book and is consistent with the character earlier in the poem.I believe the most speculation about inconsistencies in Achilles' character would center on his savageness towards the Trojans, especially Hektor, after the death of Patroklos, and his sensitivity towards Priam's plea for his son's body. It could be considered odd that Achilles is so understanding to Priam and the burial of Priam's son, when not that long ago Achilles was dragging the body of Hektor around t
he grave of Patroklos. This is the same corpse that Achilles vowed to feed to the dogs, the man who slew Achilles' dearest companion and led him to swallow his pride and return to the battlefield. I believe that this is not the same Achilles we saw prior to the death of his loving companion Patroklos. After Patroklos rode off into battle and was cut down by a mix of divine intervention and Hektor, grief and the desire to revenge the death of Patroklos consumed Achilles. Thus I feel his behaviour throughout these books where he is moved to battle is a function of his personality acting under tremendous pain and grief. A better place to view Achilles is in the first book. The argument that Achilles presents at the beginning of the poem is very rational and heartfelt and surprises me that it took ten years for it finally to get mentioned. Achilles sheds light on the fact that all the Greeks are at Troy to fight over the pride and honour of Agamemnon's brother and is brave enough to stand up to the king and call him greedy and selfish. His lack of hatred towards the Trojans as a people is easily seen in his statements about how the people of Troy had never wronged him prior to the conflict. This sympathy for the Trojans comes back in the final book where Achilles promises Priam twelve days of cease-fire to mourn and bury Hektor. This action, as I have said earlier, seems strange when set so close to the death of Hektor, but in context with Achilles earlier, it is not hard to believe that he would do this. Achille
Some common words found in the essay are:
Agamemnon Achilles, Greek Trojan, Greeks Troy, Patroklos Patroklos, Trojans Paris, Achilles Forced, , Hektor Achilles, death patroklos, pride loyalty love, beginning poem, book achilles, throughout poem, trojans people, bury hektor, towards trojans, character achilles, loyalty love, final book,
Approximate Word count = 1024
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
