The Epitome of a Warrior
Achilles is the main character in the Iliad. He is a very powerful and feared warrior, who fought in the Trojan War. King Agamemnon affronted him and this has caused his wrath. Thus, the story begins. Wartime is said to bring out the best and worst of men. This paper is written to prove that Achilles is not the ideal Greek warrior.The ideal Greek warrior in the Iliad must embody the following: aristos-the goal of being recognized as the best; aristeia- warrior prestige; arete- the most important thing is what others think of you; and kleos- to be able to attain fame and glory. A hero has to have military prowess-the skill and courage to conquer or to fend themselves from invaders. He must also be loyal to friends and comrades. The Greeks gave their warriors no room for pride because they have to accept everything as Fate. Attaining glory is more important than life itself. Honor and status is gained through respect from other people or from material possessions. He should have the coura
Humility is another requirement Achilles fails to meet. Achilles' excessive pride is seen throughout the Iliad. Those requirements were skillfulness in battle, reverence for authority, modesty, and calmness under rage. Achilles however, only fought in the war because of selfish reasons. Like in book 16, Patroclus begged him to rejoin the war because his comrades were already dying and some of the best Achaean warriors were already injured and yet he refused to help them. Every time Achilles is mentioned in the book, it seems like he is in some kind of rage. A warrior must respect authority, both governmental and religious. The final requirement of being a hero is coolness. Though Achilles has some of the qualities like military prowess and love for the arts, he could not be called a perfect warrior because these flaws disprove Achilles as the epitome of a warrior. If it not had been for Patroclus' death he would not have rejoined the war. In book one, he is angry at Agamemnon and even tries to kill him and in book 18, when he learns about his friend Patroclus' death. I think being the true and ideal warrior has nothing to do with one's number of victories during battles. ge to risk one's own life not to let one's family and comrades down. It is also evident that the trait Achilles lacks most is calmness. The last episode of Achilles' great fury is in book 24, after killing Hector.
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