How heroic do you find the character of Achilles? Essay

A submarine is more than fair(a) a character that it especially noble, courageous, self-sacrificing etc. A hero is also a protagonist, a character to whom we tail end relate, and with whom we can sympathise. ultimately a hero is a character with which we can identify, and an example which for each one of us wishes to follow. Achilles often appears to be such a character. Of all the Homeric heroes, he is by far the most passionate and emotional. When begging his produce to help him in curb 1 he speaks with tears locomote. His protection of Briseis and his honour is extreme.He goes to the lengths of withdrawing from the fighting, even though his smell yearned for fighting, he causes and endures the suffering his fellow Argives, and his speaks affectionately of Briseis as his wife in stark contrast to Agamemnons relationship with Chryseis, whose purpose Agamemnon describes as to give ear my bed. Achilles is also a great man, and has a idol-like status at heart his army. It is Achilles who calls the assembly to discuss how to end the plague in the Greek plurality and it is Achilles who protects Kalchas from Agamemnon.But the character of Achilles in book 9 is anything but heroic. His ears to desensitize to three impassioned pleas of his dear friends Odysseus, Ajax and Phoinix, his tutor. He is offered all that has been pilen from him his girl, Briseis women from Lesbos, the island which he captured and from which Agamemnon excessivelyk the prizes, he is offered riches and glory beyond measure, as well as the chance to win a heroic victory, to gain the glory that he so badly desires the Achaians will honour you like a god. In this passage there can be no reason for Achilles.His anger at Agamemnons insult in book 1 can be understood. But by book 9 he has got what he wanted the Trojans are winning, Agamemnon has accreditedised his mistake although admittedly none of those coming to Achilles make any offer of a public plea by Agamemnon, and he cou ld strike all that he had lost. In book 1 Achilles stubborn attitude could be excused as foment of the moment (we are after all, talking about Achilles whom Peleus urged to control your hearts tall passion), and in book 1 Achilles is peradventure unaware of at least unthinking of the consequences of his actions (i.e. the death of many Danaans).Achilles real crime is to let his personal quarrel with Agamemnon get in the trend of his duty to his friends. As Odysseus says But if your hatred for the son of Atreus has gr profess too strong in your heart then still have favor on the other Achaians of the army in their affliction. However, the story of Achilles does non end in book 9. By the end of book 22 he has atoned for many of his previous sins. He has conquered his hearts high passion and finally returned to the fighting.He has totally reversed the tide of the war, forcing the Trojans to take shelter inside Troy. The killing of Hektor is in fact unremarkable condition the supp ort of Pallas Athene and earlier statements once he stood up to me alone, and barely escaped my attack. What is remarkable is that Achilles in fact sees the batter of Hektor as a triumph for the whole Greek army, not plainly personal revenge, and he says We have won great glory we have killed glorious Hektor.In the act of returning to the fight and killing Hektor Achilles has traded his own life (i.e. he has chosen the short and glorious life) for the fall of Troy. This is why I feel that Achilles is a true hero. He is wronged massively, by his friends and by cruel fate. He grapples with his own demons of anger and pride. But eventually he corrects this by making the ultimate sacrifice for his people. His triumph over mishap is a story common throughout world literature, and is one to which we can all relate, and one which each of us in our own lives, has emulated in some way or another.