As we continue our discussions of The Iliad I'm constantly questioning why Achilles is considered a hero at all. For the majority of the poem Achilles hinders the Achaens by refusing to fight side by side with the rest of them. It makes me wonder how we can call a warrior who refuses to fight for selfish reasons can be called a hero. By my standards a hero, on a battlefield, is a warrior who is willing to put aside his own selfish reasons to fight for what he believes to be the greater good, but perhaps that's the issue; the Greeks had different ideals than we have today, maybe that's why I can't seem to make the connection. While I might not see these qualities that Achilles carries as important as those that I feel he should have maybe the Greeks do.
First off we know that Achilles is son to Thetis, a nymph, and Peleus, king of the Myrmidons. Seeing as how Greek mythology includes many gods and goddesses that absolutely love to meddle around in the lives on mortals and can/do mate with them giving them offspring with awesome strengths then it doesn't seem that far off that they would automatically give these beings a better and more admirable position in society. It certainly sets Achilles apart from the rest of these low class soldiers when he comes from a group of peoples who are known for their bravery and strength. Although today we might not see this as a reason for why he is a hero, perhaps the Greeks believed glory and honor should reach through the generations.
Another reason Achilles might be seen as a hero might be because of the armor he carries. Time and time again we see how much importance armor carries to these soldiers. Patroclus, closest to Achilles, begged and begged him to be able to use it in battle and only when Achilles felt it was absolutely necessary, he allowed him to wear the armor. Armor seems to be an extension of themselves, a second skin that allows them to wield their bodies as weapons of death so that they might achieve the honor they fight for. Only after Hector took Achilles armor from Patroclus's corpse did he realize that he couldn't use the armor. It seems as though the armor itself refuses to be used by those who aren't worthy. After Thetis convinced Hephaestus to create new armor for Achilles, Homer described the Shield of Achilles in great detail, adding to the idea that armor is only an extension of the warrior himself.
There is only one thing about Achilles that made me consider him a hero. Although he sat out for a large part of the poem for seemingly selfish reasons when he was the key to winning the war, he joined the fighting for what I believe to be an admirable reason. After Hector killed Patroclus he broke the agreement in which corpses were to be handed over to their respective sides. After Achilles heard that his closest comrade was killed and was disrespected he joined the war despite knowing that he would die. Achilles entered the conflict to avenge his dead friend, constantly seeking out Hector.
While I realize that Achilles is considered a hero by Greek standards, I still feel as though his actions stop him really being considered a hero, or at least a great one. His inaction leaves him looking selfish yet his actions leave him looking loyal to those he cares about. Maybe he is a different type of hero than I'm used to thinking of, perhaps he's a hero with too much pride that sometimes gets in the way of allowing himself to be a greater hero.
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5 comments:
I like your stance in this blog, especially by saying that Achilles was not the perfect hero. When we started the Iliad, we all expected Achilles to be the closest to perfect. Now that we have finished the story, I think most of us would disagree with our preconceived notions. I mention some similar ideas in my blog, especially in regard to Achilles being heroic when avenging the death of his friend. As far as your idea about Achilles' armor making him a hero, I disagree. I think that the armor he is given is due to his ability to fight as well as his heroic nature as a leader. In truth, Achilles is a hero, however he is human, and therefore flawed.
Hmm. Ok, first off, i'm biased because i think Achilles IS a hero.
Keep in mind that the Iliad is a chronicle of only a very small part of the entire Trojan War.
However, i think you've got a really good point with the whole god-descent thing.
i don't think that Achilles is by any means the perfect hero, but i think that when he is compared to Hector (the only other real candidate for the "hero" of the Iliad), the way Achilles develops versus the way Hector develops is striking. it goes back to that thing Mr. Crotty drew on the board, where as Achilles goes up, Hector sort of sinks to Achilles' first level.
I like how you said Achilles' personality hinders him from being a great hero and settling for just good. I agree with you that he is only a good hero because of his inaction for most of the poem. But, as others have pointed out, who would want to fight a seemingly pointless war when you know you are going to die? Only when Achilles is faced with a tragedy does he put aside the inevitable and become a somewhat better hero, but as you say, not great.
I find it difficult to accept Achilles as the hero if the Iliad. He chooses not to fight in the beginning of the war and lets his ego consume his actions. A hero does not need the death of a friend to inspire him to fight in a war. A hero fights for the honor and pride of his country and people. Achilles seems to only care about his own personal glory and seeks to avenge Patroclus because he feels guilty for the death of his friend.
Achilles brutal treatment of Hector's body once again reiterates Achilles arrogance and disrespect. A hero would never commit such vile acts. I don't think of any single character as a hero in the Iliad. Achilles survival at the end does not make him a hero.
I first want to disagree and say that Patroclus wanted Achilles' armor to inspire the troops so they would think Achilles was fighting with them, not so he could suddenly fight better. I think the fact that hector couldn't wear the armor for some magical reason is silly and ruins most of the parallel I would make with modern day stuff. But I agree that Achilles isn't much of a hero at all. I don't think he's redeemed by joining the fight later either though. He joins for revenge, not to help the Acheans, still a selfish jerk, not a hero, in my book.
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