Analysis of Achilles in the Play Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare - Research Paper Example

Analysis of Achilles in the Play Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare Analyzing the image of Achilles in the play, one can conclude that it is rather complicated. On the one hand, Achilles is perceived by other Greeks as an insolent and arrogant person who thinks first about his own pride and ignores the interests of the Greek army. On the other hand, Achilles is seen as a brave, courageous and strong warrior. All his opponents are afraid of him because they know that his strength and power have no borders. They know that his belligerence and bravery always bring him victory by allowing him to crush even extremely strong opponents. A careful study of his image makes it possible to see that his indifference to the fate of the Greek army in the battle with the Trojans is due to certain reasons. In fact, subsequent events in the play reveal that Achilles is not so callous and indifferent as he seems to be. His devotion to the Greek army is confirmed by his desire to avenge Hector, who killed many Greek soldiers including his beloved friend Patroclus. As it turns out, the war between Greece and Troy does not stop for more than 7 years. In this war, the Greeks cannot overcome their strong opponent. Every day the Greek army loses its best soldiers. All this happens for the simple reason that many of the Greek soldiers cannot find mutual understanding. As a result, …tis this fever that keeps Troy on foot, Not her own sinews. To end a tale of length, Troy in our weakness stands, not in her strength (Shakespeare 165). In this respect, the behavior of Achilles is perceived negatively as it brings serious harm to the Greeks. The negative assessment in respect of Achilles is demonstrated primarily by Ulysses and Nestor. Ulysses calls Achilles an insolent and arrogant man who even dares to laugh at Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek forces. Despite the fact that the greatness of Achilles is being recognized by all unconditionally, his indifferent and arrogant attitude is of extreme indignation: The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns The sinew and the forehand of our host, Having his ear full of his airy fame, Grows dainty of his worth, and in his tent Lies mocking our designs: with him Patroclus Upon a lazy bed the livelong day Breaks scurril jests; And with ridiculous and awkward action, Which, slanderer, he imitation calls, He pageants us (Shakespeare 165).  Despite his advantages, Achilles has his own drawbacks. In particular, he has excessive pride, arrogance, as well as he is unable to forgive offenses. It becomes obvious that Achilles’ refusal from participation in the war is caused by his desire to insult Agamemnon in response. Disappointment and anger of Achilles are the main reasons of his refusal to participate in the battle and no tricks of Agamemnon and the other Achaeans can eliminate his demonstrative indifference. Achilles is well aware that his help is extremely important for the Achaeans, but his wounded pride does not allow him to return to the battlefield. Shakespeare does not focus on the causes that led Achilles to refuse to participate in the war, but Achilles enables the reader to understand that he has some serious reasons for his decision not to assist the Greeks in the war against the Trojans. In a conversation with Ulysses who tries to persuade him to return to the battlefield, Achilles says that he has “strong reasons” for the refusal. This unsuccessful attempt to convince Achilles to continue his participation in the war leads the Greeks to the idea that they should punish him by insulting his pride. For this reason, they offer Ajax to fight against Hector, who is known as a great warrior who has killed a great number of Greek warriors. Greeks are well aware that Achilles has to fight with Hector, because only he is a worthy adversary for Hector. However, a desire to punish his arrogance makes the Greeks ask Ajax to participate in the battle against Hector: “But, hit or miss, our projects life this shape of sense assumes: Ajax employd plucks down Achilles plumes” (Shakespeare 181). “Ulysses realizes that Achilles is intended, but suggests to Nestor that they send the brute Ajax instead, thereby playing productive games with Achilles pride” (Delahoyde). In turn, despite the fact that Hector is their enemy, the Greeks demonstrate an extraordinary respect for him. Hector is considered not only a brave warrior, but also as a devoted husband, whose honesty and integrity are recognized by both the Greeks and the Trojans. Compared with Hector, Achilles looks much less decent, honest and worthy warrior. The play repeatedly confronts these two images forcing the reader to believe that Achilles is not such a worthy warrior than Hector. Even the leader of the Greek forces Agamemnon always stresses respect for Hector by calling him the “great Hector.” Compared with the great Hector Achilles is being perceived as “a drayman, a porter, a very camel” (Shakespeare 152). Despite his numerous victories, his brash behavior leads to the fact that he is considered a man of brute force, deprived of special mental abilities. However, it is not so simple with Achilles as it may seem at first glance. In fact, he is able to demonstrate such qualities as loyalty, willingness to provide strong support, etc. The reader has the opportunity to observe the inner development of one of the most powerful warriors among the Achaeans. If previously Achilles thought only of himself and his pride, he has changed at the end of the play. He demonstrates the ability to think not only about himself, but also about other people. The murder of his best friend and awareness that the Trojans overwhelm the Greek army eventually force Achilles to show his best military qualities. He becomes a warrior whose sword brings death to the great Hector forcing the Trojans to understand that their end is near. Considering that Hector is a symbol of the Trojan army bringing his people victory after victory his death at the hands of Achilles means that the Trojans lose the opportunity to win over the Greeks: March patiently along: let one be sent To pray Achilles see us at our tent. If in his death the gods have us befriended, Great Troy is ours, and our sharp wars are ended (Shakespeare 349). To sum, the complexity of Achilles’ perception is due to the fact that he demonstrates his indifference to the fate of the Greek army, while he has personal reasons to refuse to participate in the war. He always avoids any contacts with other Greek warriors including Agamemnon who is the leader of the Greek army. Other Greeks’ negative perception towards Achilles is determined by the fact that they primarily pay attention to his bold and brash behavior. Moreover, some Greeks consider him a goof who does not do anything except having fun and spending his days idly. Nevertheless, the loss of a close friend as well as a successful game with his pride carried out in particular by Ulysses are doing their job and Achilles returns to the war against the Greeks. This return gives him the opportunity to avenge the best friend and at the same time to demonstrate his military qualities, which once gave him fame and love of all the Greeks. At the end of the play, the reader can watch Achilles in all his glory. Achilles appears as the glorious winner whose victory over Hector heralds the coming victory over the whole Trojan army. Works Cited Delahoyde, Michael. “Troilus and Cressida.” Washington State University. n.d. Web. 16 May 2015. Shakespeare, William. Troilus and Cressida (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series). Ed. David Bevington. London: Thomson Learning, 2006. Print. Read More