The Iliad of Homer - Essay Example

s The Iliad Achilles is a central character in Homer’s most celebrated epic titled “The Iliad”. Described as a fierce Greek warrior, Achilles has been exalted to the status of a hero for leading the Greek army to a decisive victory in the Trojan War. Homeric characterization of Achilles may seem static, in other words showing little or no change at all. Achilles is often portrayed as a haughty youth, he is only a teenager when the war had been declared and he fought in it for nearly a decade until his death. Therefore, being a child at the beginning and an adult by the end of it is enough evidence that Achilles’ character does undergo some very significant yet very subtle changes that adds substance to the plot on the whole. Achilles commanded men much older than him and therefore, he had strong elements of authoritarianism in his personality combined with an equally strong sense of pride. In fact, the beginning of book 1 narrates the intensity of Achilles’ rage that he refuses to fight for Agamemnon; therefore anger can be deduced as the prime trait of Achilles. In fact in many cases it is his ferocity and temper are actually the prime motivations behind all his actions along with his insurmountable pride. Book 1 of the epic focuses on Achilles’ feud with Agamemnon, because of which he withdraws to his tent and for a long time he refuses to partake in any battles. Interestingly enough, instead of going back home Achilles stays in a tent outside Troy. Achilles decides against leaving the shores of Troy because he wanted a heroic death over an uneventful life as it was prophesized about him. Nevertheless it can also be deduced that as a young boy, there was in fact certain amount of immaturity in his nature and he wanted to see the Greek; particularly Agamemnon put to shame by the Trojan, who by that time were gaining an upper hand over the Greeks. (1. 1-9) Achilles exhibits traits that are typical of a youth; he is passionate about what he does and is extremely fervent, if the matter concerns his honor. However, being a child also makes him stubborn and the rebellion he puts up against Agamemnon is a prime example of an adolescent’s mutinous attitude towards principal or authority figures. He is proud and that pride is quite understandable since, he is one of the best fighters and almost invincible but his character flaws are extremely pronounced that often overshadows his ability as a warrior. This is the reason as to why Achilles comes off as rather brutish plus, his thirst for glory is imminent through his reluctance to leave Troy. The death of Patroclus actually encourages Achilles to reconcile with Agamemnon; one may believe that Achilles has actually buried the hatchet but his anger has now been directed towards a different object and thus, his rage does not diminish a bit. In fact, Achilles even begins to plummet in the pit of self-loathing for letting Patroclus; who donned his armor for the sake of his countrymen, get slain. Achilles’ goes through mixed feelings and avenging Patroclus becomes a question of honor that he had to restore at any cost even if it meant losing his life. He is warned several times but it is obstinacy and the unusual significance Achilles has attached with the concept of honor that acts as his driving force this time. His sense of honor is highly internalized and books 20 to 24 highlights some very intriguing development in Achilles’ character not just as a warrior but in fact as a human being too. His victory over hector in the battle is a turning point in the epic because even after slaying Hector, Achilles denies him a proper burial by refusing to release his body to the Trojans; in other words, denying the dead proper funerary rites was equivalent to denying them entry in to the underworld. He abuses Hector’s dead body; this act is definitely against the code of an honorable warrior but following this act it is hinted that Achilles’ rage is subsequently alleviated. Dishonoring him was indeed a juvenile act but from an alternate perspective Achilles was acting exactly how a pompous child would act (19, 510-515). His act was meant to enable him to get rid of all the pent-up rage against Agamemnon that had been directed towards Hector. Moreover, with anger out of the equation Achilles was able to reflect at what he had done that in turn enabled him to honor Priam’s request. Achilles feels remorse for what he had done but he also realizes his mortality in regards to the prophecy made about him. His imminent death gives rise to feelings of empathy that is directed towards not only Hector but his father Priam as well; who secretly approaches Achilles to release his son’s body. He empathizes with the fact that soon he would be joining Hector in the underworld and like Priam, his father would also long to see is son’s body hence he cedes to his request. This is a drastic change in Achilles’ otherwise haughty nature that is quick to temper but this time he is driven by a sense of right and wrong. Again, Achilles sorts out her priorities and his sense of honor is redefined as he releases Hector’s body without any ransom. It is abundantly clear that Achilles’ character is indeed a very dynamic one that matures throughout the epic and finally he matures to make the right decision by the doing the honorable thing. For the most of the epic Achilles appears static because he exhibits the same kind of behavior however the dynamism in Achilles’ character is attributed to the emotional aspect of his character. Achilles’ anger in particular, is exhibited in different ways and also depicts how it affects his relations with people around him. The emotions remains unchanged for the most part of the epic however it is the exhibition that changes that sheds some very interesting light on Achilles. He matures as an adult and in the end is instilled with the sense of his mortality; therefore he sets out to make the right choice in order to seek retribution and redemption for all the carnage that he had elicited. Achilles is a very complex character that is not only difficult to like but his characteristics makes it virtually impossible to sympathize with him in any possible way. He partakes in the war for selfish motives of attaining glory in order to carve his niche in the edifice of time and chooses to opt out again for selfish reasons that involved a slave girl named Briseis. In the end, he does realize the gravity of his actions; though it is also too late to undo the harm. He dies before the war could have been ended but he died with a renewed principles and maturity that he didn’t seem to possess in the beginning. Work Cited Homer Trans. Cowper, William. “The Iliad of Homer”. New York, D. Appleton Co. 2005. Read More