Character Analysis of Achilles

Homer further portrays Achilles as one who is incapable of controlling his rage and anger and it is as a result of these that Achilles ceases to fight alongside his fellow soldiers when his commander Agamemnon offends him and not until his friend gets murdered that he goes back to war. This article explores the character of Achilles and how it affects the action in the epic. Achilles role in The Iliad. Achilles is the main figure in The Iliad, the main story being told is of the Trojan War and it is told with respect to Achilles experience of it. The poem starts with the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon, who is the head of the Greek troops. His only desire in his prayers is for the suffering of Agamemnon (Zanker &Graham 54).

Moreover, Achilles wants to prove to the Greeks and demonstrate to them that they are doomed to failure if he is not alongside them in battle. The author further portrays Achilles as one who is primarily driven by a craving for glory, in the end, he sacrifices everything for the sake of his legacy and that the root cause of his failure to get into the battle was caused by his anger and a strong desire for vengeance (Lattimore & Richmond 76). A vengeful aspect of Achilles character comes to light from his wishes. Not everybody would wish for the destruction and death of many people just to revenge on a single man. The book further describes how the rivers were turned red with the blood of the Trojans as Achilles went on killing more and more of them.

Moreover, Achilles goes forth to kill Hector who was the leader of the Trojans and was the person responsible for the death of Patroclus, his friend. Furthermore, Achilles violates Hector's corpse, an act that was viewed to be very offensive according to the cultures of that time. All these acts proved that Achilles anger and rage can also be instigated by other factors other than his wounded pride. The abuse of Hector's body shows a case where Achilles is responding to a provocation that does not directly concerns him and his person (Lattimore & Richmond 76). The Heart of Achilles: Characterization and Personal Ethics in the Iliad. University of Michigan Press, 1996. (Zanker &Graham 54) Lattimore, Richmond, and Richmond Alexander Lattimore, eds. Iliad. University of Chicago Press, 1961.