¶ … heroes of Homer's great work, The Illiad, is Achilles. Achilles, known for his handsome appearance and physical invulnerability, is driven by his compelling need and desire to have his memory preserved in history. Although such need and desire is expressed as Achilles' personal compulsion, the author Homer certainly intended that it was reflective of human kind in general. This desire and need for everlasting immortality remains an important part of western culture even today.
The real question is whether Achilles' actions in the Iliad qualify him as a real hero. Most readers of the epic tale view Achilles as a hero but a more careful reading may raise doubts as to his status as such. Part of Achilles' appeal is based on his described appearance and charm. He has the traditional earmarks of a hero such as a muscular build denoting extreme strength, handsome, masculine features, and an apparent close relationship with the various Greek gods. In battle, he is apparently fearless and stands out as the bravest member of the army. These are attributes that society would expect to find in its heroes but there are some other aspects of Achilles' character that are less than heroic.
The great dilemma for Achilles is presented to him by his mother, Thetis. Simply, Thetis points out to Achilles, as Achilles is deciding whether to go to battle on behalf of the Achaean army, that his option is to fight in the war and thus become a hero and be remembered forever or can stay home from the war and live his...
Homer Will the Real Greek Homer Please Stand Up? Homer is the name by which the legendary Greek poet of great fame is known. He is credited with the Greek epics The Iliad and They Odyssey, as well as with the authorship of the mini-epic Batrachomyomachia, the corpus of the Homeric Hymns, and also the Margites. (Docu) Nothing about Homer's actual biographical information is known, (though he is commonly assumed to have
Homer, Herodotus, and the coverage of the Iraqi war reveal a great deal about the gradual loss of mythology in modern Western culture. Herodotus' recording of history was the first movement towards the end of oral mythology, and marked the beginning of a move toward modern methods of recording history. Today, the immediacy of modern media's telling of the war in Iraq further eliminates the possibility for the development of
The Myrmidon king took advantage of the opportunity and began to chase the Trojan, which had lastly realized his physical disadvantage and the fact that he had little chances of winning the combat. Hector had not been moved by his people's cries "and he stood his ground awaiting huge Achilles as he drew nearer towards him." The gods had also intervened in Achilles favor through Minerva, who tricked Agamemnon into
Illiad and the Odyssey In what ways do the acts of the warriors on and off the battlefield serve as models of behavior for the Greeks? One could contend with conviction that The Iliad appears to be celebrating war. Characters in the epic are worshipped, glorified or vilified (or ridiculed) based on their competence level and courage as warriors. Paris, for instance, does not like war, and accordingly begets the ridicule of
In his last moments, Hektor realizes he can never persuade Achilles because "in his breast is a heart of iron" (XXII.357). Achilles reveals his cold nature when he says, "Die: and I will take my own death at whatever time" (XXII.364) moments after Hektor dies. Again, we see the stark contrast between these two heroes. Achilles is another face Homer attaches to the notion of war and kleos. Achilles is
Those with issues to overcome are always more heroic. Hector also becomes a hero when, after at first running from Achilles, he eventually stands up to him and dies a heroic death. The Iliad is primarily a war epic. In your opinion, is the Iliad condemnation of the it could easily be argued that the Illiad glorifies war, as much of the poem is spent portraying the warriors as brave
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