<br> It all began when Agamemnon stole away Briseis, Achilles’ woman. To ease the <br>anger Achilles had for Agamemnon, Thetis asked Zeus to provide honor for her son, <br>Achilles. Zeus granted her request by promising that the Achaeans would suffer enough <br>losses to force Agamemnon to come begging for Achilles’ help. <br> The first major change in Achilles was caused by his rage toward Agamemnon. <br>Achilles, the great warrior, allowed his wrath to infest his desire to help his own comrades <br>in the battle against the Trojans.
The Trojan War: Its Causes and Principle Actors The Trojan War was fought between the Trojans and the Greeks over the loss of one man and the gain on another. It all started with a royal wedding. Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons, was marrying a sea nymph named Thetis. Many of the gods were invited to attend but Eris, daughter of Zeus, was not. Being the goddess of discord and strife, she was bound to make trouble at the wedding.
. The Illiad was set in a time where war was a constant threat to the people. The storyteller, Homer, recounts a story of a 10-year war between the Achaeans and the Trojans that resulted from the attack by the Trojans where they made off with Helen the wife of an Achaean chieftain named Menelaus. Hector and Achilles were alike in many ways. They seek glory on the battlefield, to die a hero, to be honored in death by their people yet they were depicted as very different men who had come to a time in their lives where their ultimate reasons for the war were very different.
Then, Chryses begs to get his daughter Chryseis back and offers Agamemnon a huge ransom. Once Agamemnon refuses, Chryses prays to Apollo to help him get his daughters back and Apollo sends a plague onto the Greek camp. After ten days, a soothsayer reveals that this plague was caused by Apollo because of Agamemnon not giving back Chryseis. Agamemnon is enraged and won’t give her back unless Achilles gives up Briseis and gives her to Agamemnon. Before Achilles kills Agamemnon, Athena and Nestor calm the situation and prevent the duel.
He even begins the Iliad’s introduction with “the rage of Achilles” (Homer xvii). This shows how significant Achilles is to the poem and history. Homer’s use of the word “rage” is said to only be used when talking about the gods, thus exposing the importance of Achilles (Homer xvii). The poem places Achilles within the “top of its hierarchical structure” because he seen as a hero and superior man (Homer xxi). Achilles follows tradition through the heroic code and through the fight with Hector.
An epic is more or less a story that has been considerably exaggerated to the extent that, in some cases, gods that possess the ability to manipulate the laws under which the natural world operates interfere and pose such a threat, that the security of everything we know is at stake. Epics are characterized by a literary term known as In medias res which translates to,” in the middle of things,” meaning that they usually begin either at the mid-point or conclusion, rather than the initial beginning. Somewhere in the piece frequently lies an invocation to a particular muse, for blessing, aid, protection, etc. This I believe is a crucial element in determining the role of a hero in an epic. In the two epics I am familiar with (Beowulf and Odysseus), both “heroes” were originally driven by their own hubris, ego, and self-admiration.
Me and my classmates were fed all those great examples of people fighting during Second World War sacrificing their lives and not even dare to look for any kind of reward other then admitting them into “hero ranks” of their “great” country. Fighting for reward was not hero like behavior. I realize though that this understanding of hero was more due to the norms and obligations of certain time and society. In “The Iliad” hero is noted for his courage and strength and desire to fight especially if they risk their life or put it in any kind of danger. But at the same time Homer also pays great attention to rewards, heroes get for their fighting.
His anger stems from his contempt and jealousy against Agamemnon, a commander in the Achaean army, after he claims his prize in war, a woman named Chryseis. Although he has already claimed another woman as his own, Briseis, Achilles refuses to step down until he can obtain both women and restore his honor. Agamemnon's actions insult Achilles, and Chryseis is returned safely to her father only once he gives up Briseis. Achilles prays to his mother Thetis in hopes that she would convince Zeus to punish the Achean army. This is one of many examples of how Achilles, an honorable and feared man, indulges in selfish behaviors because of the power he holds above others and his fear of losing the glory he feels only he deserves.
Claiming The Hero, Strife For Greatness – The First Modern Hero of Western Literature? (Hektor versus Achilles) In the beginning of the poem Iliad, Homer talks about the “wrath of Achilles”. With this Homer sets up a hero for the poem, they praise the mighty warrior Achilles and the wrath he provoked within himself being who he was, being discord, this sets up a heroic honor. The hero’s role in the Homeric poem is important. The hero should have great deal of confidence and not to be insulted in any way do to the heroes pride which was the glory and within glory there was immortality.
The importance of the Iliad in relation to both Ancient Greek culture and the history of human idea and practices can be seen when the Achilles and Agamemnon discuss, “You threaten now to confiscate the prize I worked so hard for, gift from Achea’s sons… my prizes never match the ones you get... the major share of war’s fury rests on me [yet] you get much larger trophies” (Iliad, line 160-165). Although this story and this scene is a myth it relates to Ancient Greek Culture and history because the main events in the story are factual. The baseline around the story is true, such as the war. The characters were also actual individuals, actual kings and warriors. This also relates to Ancient Greek culture because during this scene, the Ancient Greeks get together into an assembly.