Achilles Doom Essay - 1429 Words

â€Å"To be, or not to be, that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them.† Though written centuries after the death of Achilles, this quote from Shakespeare’s â€Å"Hamlet† speaks honestly of his life. The epic poem, â€Å"The Iliad† of Homer, is a story of the journey of his soul, and his attempts to escape his fate. He questions his fate set out for him by the gods, pondering whether or not he should die for the sake of war, and it is by this questioning of the divine judgment of the gods that he brings doom upon himself. It is known by himself, and by the gods, that he is to live a short, but glorious life, however it is†¦show more content†¦Agamemmnon sees how beneficial Achilles is to the army and sends some of his men to beg for his return. It is in the ninth Book of the poem that the Greeks offer to him many riches in exchange for his return to battle. He refuses their offers and relates to them, â€Å"Fate is the same for the man who holds back, the same if he fights hard. We are all held in a single honour, the brave with the weaklings. A man dies still if he has done nothing, as one who has done much† It is shown through this quote that he believes his life is more valuable than for it to be given up for the sake of battle. He has chosen to be content with living his life quietly for a long time, and is encouraging others to consider this life style as well. He attempts to run away from his fate by retiring from battle, and though his own selfishness, he brings on his damnation. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;It has been said that it is difficult to change a person once they have made up their mind to do something. After refusing in Book Nine to return to battle, Achilles watches as his army loses again and again to the powerful, divinely driven Trojans. He, and his best friend and companion, Patroklos, watch as the fighting continues. The Greeks appeal once again to Achilles to leave behind his personal feelings and lead them to victory once again, but again, heShow MoreRelatedEssay on Differences in Heroes in The Iliad780 Words   |  4 Pagescommands ! Never again, I trust, will Achilles yield to you – My hands will never do battle for that girl, Neither with you, King, nor any man Alive.†(p 111) With these wrathful words of Achilles to his commander Agamemnon, so begins the sequence of events in The Iliad that ultimately pits Achilles the runner against Hector, breaker of horses. Although these men were already enemies, Achilles being an Achaean and Hector being a Trojan, it is truly Achilles’ rage that makes the rivalry personalRead MoreThe Iliad: Achilles Rage Essays1052 Words   |  5 Pages`Rage--Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus son Achilles The first line of the Iliad describes a human emotion that leads to doom and destruction in Homers poetic tale of the Trojan War. Achilles rage is a major catalyst in the action in the Iliad. It is his rage that makes him both withdraw from and, later, rejoin the war with a fury. Why is Achilles enraged? Is his rage ignited solely by his human adversaries or do the gods destine him to the experience? Achilles rage has many facets. His rageRead MoreAn Study Of World History, Word Of Mouth1056 Words   |  5 Pagesthat can be encouraged or circumvented in a Civilization. The stories of Iliad is a story where the Greeks are fighting the Trojans during the troy war. The leaders of the Greeks is Achilles and the leaders of the Trojans is hector. Subsequently, hector and Achilles fight near troy and Achilles kills hector. Then Achilles behavior towards the death of hector, can and should be seen as great examples of positively and the negativity of the value of his behavior an d other individual behaviors in the timeRead MoreSuffering the Iliad Essay examples810 Words   |  4 Pagesthey will have to eventually go through. As a warrior Achilles has witnessed much death but this war has him questioning why labor through it all? Achilles does not believe in this war initially. He knows the war is over power and ego of a man who could not keep his wife, and doesn’t understand why many men must be dragged into personal affairs and get their hands dirty will the Kings stand back and watch their people and country die. Achilles identity is based on being a proud fighter and he weepingRead MoreFate And Fate1431 Words   |  6 Pageseven conceivable to enable the characters to try and settle their choices or consider different results? Actually, if Achilles never settled on a choice and abandoned his life to fate he would have never been known as one of the best Greek warriors. Achilles would have never been plunged into the river of Styx as a newborn child if his mom Thetis did not choose to do it. Achilles wouldn t have been in the Trojan War on the off chance that he didn t choose in any case to en ter the front line andRead MoreTrojan War and Iliad1134 Words   |  5 Pagesas when Apollo sends the plague upon the Achaean army and they represent internal forces acting on individuals, as when Athena, the goddess of wisdom, prevents Achilles from abandoning all reason and persuades him to cut Agamemnon with words and insults rather than his sword 2. Book VI a. What misfortune did Andromache suffer from Achilles? * Andromache s father and brothers were killed by Achilleswhen he captured Thebe during the Trojan War b. Why is Andromache called â€Å"Hector’s precious wifeRead MoreSympathy : Sympathy And Mutual Identification1435 Words   |  6 Pagesare normal to them. Therefore, their sympathy is represented in a different form. In Book 22, Zeus and Athena showed their sympathy towards Hector when Hector was coursing by Achilles around the city. Feeling grief for Hector, Athena encouraged Hector to face Achilles. Athena knew that Hector had no chance to win against Achilles such that only death can relieve Hector’s pain. Because gods have the right to determine the lives of mortals, they show their sympathy for a deeper good. Athena can’t saveRead MoreComparison of Gilgamesh and Achilles Essay example1574 Words   |  7 Pagesheroes who stood out to me were Gilgamesh, and Achilles. Gilgamesh’s greatest fear was death, while Achilles feared his legacy being lost and forgotten. Technically their desires are different, but their journey share many similarities, and i n the end, boils down to the same thing. Each man in his own way, both Gilgamesh and Achilles desired immortality above all else. Though immortality takes on very a different meaning for Gilgamesh, as it does for Achilles, every decision as well as all the sacrificesRead MoreThe Iliad Of The Homer s Iliad Essay1475 Words   |  6 Pagesas Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom; it does lack many critical events and characters that play a key role in Homer’s Iliad. While the film and poem have the same overall plots, revolving around the takeover of Troy by the Greeks, the feud between Achilles and king Agamemnon, and such events that ultimately triggered the actions of the Trojan prince Paris stealing Helen of Sparta. While at the same time, revolving around the same general plotline, in that of Homer’s Iliad, many significant differencesRead MoreThe Rage That Drives Achilles Essay785 Words   |  4 PagesThe Rage That Drives Achilles In Homer’s book the â€Å"Iliad† lays an epic conflict between a man and his inner self that ultimately leads to great loss on a wider scale and not just to himself. Achilles is a man with a superpower but has a severe problem when his ego is insulted. Achilles is driven by rage and anger and will do everything in his power to seek vengeance on anyone whom gets in the way of his pride whether it is friend or foe. One might argue whether Achilles is an epic hero but this