He fought nobly in all battles and believed in tradition when called upon. Achilles is seen as the admirable heroic figure. Homer clearly presents Achilles as one of the greatest of the warriors of Troy. He displays Achilles as “the greatest of the Greek heroes fighting in the war against Troy” (Homer xvii). He even begins the Iliad’s introduction with “the rage of Achilles” (Homer xvii).
Throughout The <br>Iliad, Achilles went through some significant changes that affected himself, as well as the <br>Achaeans and Trojans. He began a hero and ended a tragic hero. <br> The Trojan War is vital to Greek mythology and provides a backdrop for <br>discussion. Before the war even started, however, it was known by all Trojans and <br>Achaeans that Achilles was the best fighter. He was the hero of all fighters.
Hector and Achilles are both excellent warriors; however they both fight for very different reasons. Achilles has menis, which means that he has a great deal of killing force. This superiority over all of his peers in battle translates into social statues and honor through respect. Through his accomplishments in battle, Achilles receives the Trojan girl Briseis which is a token of honor. (Homer).
In Homer's lyrical verses and in his use of detail, diction, and imagery, he paints his own portrait of a classic hero through the brave deeds as well as the human flaws of Hector and Achilles that eventually lead to the downfall of proud and powerful Hector. The first characteristic that is assigned to a classic hero by Homer is the fact that they are strong and brave, and may even have god-like qualities. To emphasize this, Homer deliberately and repeatedly adds adjectives that praise the two heroes before their names almost every time he refers to them. While Achilles is usually depicted as swift and godlike, Homer portrays Hector as bright, dazzling and dignified. Homer uses phrases like, "...noble bright-helmeted Hector..."(398;Book 22), "...man-killing Hector..." (149;Book 6), and "Resplendent Hector..."(146;Book 6) to describe the Trojan soldier, while he praises Hector's Greek opponent with such expressions as "Achilles, peer of the plume-waving war god..."(145;Book 22) and "...Achilles, swift of foot..."(182;Book 1).
Homer’s exploration of Achilles’ struggle for eternal glory establishes the main element of the Hero in ancient Greek culture as the immortalisation of his life in song or epic poetry. Kleos, meaning ‘glory, fame, that which is heard’ refers to both the medium and the message, and is one of the driving forces for many of the warriors in the Illiad. For the heroes, and indeed Achilles, they fight not for their Kings or countries, but for the concept of kleos. In order to achieve this, they have to suffer through an ordeal, accomplish great deeds, show excellence in fighting, and ultimately, die in battle. According to Goldhill, “Poetry confers
His cockiness of being so “strong, swift, and godlike” (Norton’s page 110) results from many reasons. Achilles’ evident strength makes him the most fierce and best fighter of the Greek army. Showing Achilles feels he is so good, the Greek army with be nothing without him, he swears by his scepter to Agamemnon, “When every last Greek desperately misses Achilles, your remorse won’t do any good then, when Hector the man-killer swats you down like flies, and you will your heart out because you have failed to honor the best Greek of all.” (Norton’s page 113) As mentioned, Achilles holds a scepter made from the mountains of Olympus. It is said, “A scepter-holding king has honor beyond the rest of men, power and glory given by Zeus himself.” (Norton’s page 114) The greatest factor of all which allows Achilles to have such a high conception of his position is how he is linked to the gods. Although Achilles’ father, Peleus, is a mortal, his mother is not.
The Iliad is the first great book, and the first great book about the suffering and loss of war. Homer, for reasons of his own, suppressed the truth about the Trojan war- in reality, the Greeks lost. Homer once said, “Men learn with difficulty… But they are deceived only too readily”. In The Iliad, two characters have the narrative urge, and something approaching a synoptic view of the scenes surging around them. Achilles sings stories of heroes' deeds in battle, and Helen embroiders scenes of fighting on an elaborate textile.
Tough Love – Life in the Spartan Army The Spartan Army was the military force of Sparta, one of the leading city-states of ancient Greece. Sparta created one of the toughest and most disciplined armies in the world. Their soldiers were trained from being infants to be tough and obedient to their laws. Sparta enjoyed a period of supremacy after the Peloponnesian War until they met their first defeats against Iphicrates of Athens and Epaminondas of Thebes. The troops were citizens known as the Spartiates, the superior social class of Sparta; the others were the Helots, who were slaves and the Perioeci who were the upper-slave-class.
The Iliad of Homer, also originally an orally spoken epic poem that was later written down and translated, and takes place during the last year of the Trojan War. The main character Achilles also has to face the decision of whether or not to fight in the battle at hand. There were many similarities and differences in the doubts and resolutions Arjuna and Achilles faced before entering battle due to culture, religion, and the time periods in which both these epic poems took place. Arjuna is a great warrior in his culture and the rightful heir to the throne. However, the opposing party, who happens to be relatives of Arjuna, also believe that they are the rightful heir to the throne.
This is how Homer “gained his fame.” Many other scholars also believe the idea that “Homer” could have meant any travelling scholar, as there were no written records back then. The two poems are talking about a period in Greek history during the Trojan War. The Iliad is a lengthy poem about the Trojan War, and its’ ending. The poem starts out with the Achaean army taking over the town of Chryse and continued to tell the story of a greedy leader in the Achaean army, Agamemnon, and how he makes enemies with one of his best fighters, Achillies. The story goes on to tell about how the gods toy around with the humans, and take sides over each other that other gods may not like.