Achilles' heel

11/22/16 Achilles today is now known as a Hero and a Legend, but was once known as a man who was simply born into greatness. His father was Peleus King of the Myrmidons, and his mother was a Nymph named Thetis. When Achilles was first born, his mother wanted him to be safe and therefore came up with idea to bath him in the Styx river to make him immortal, but she held him by his heels when she dipped him in so that was the only part of his body that wasn’t immortal. Though overall Achilles was…

based their heroes or villain’s on ancient Greek or Roman stories. Over the years these stories have continued to reflect contemporary day situations because of the lessons taught to people of any age. Two ancient most popular heroes, Odysseus and Achilles have influenced modern day heroes: Spiderman with his various strengths, athleticism and Superman with his loyalty, humility. Odysseus was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of homer’s most epic poem, Odyssey. He was considered as…

A critical reason why ancient Greek mythology has remained recognizable in today’s culture lies in battlefield of the Trojan War. Although many scholars question whether or not the Trojan War actually happened as Homer described it in his infamous epic poem the Illiad, archeological excavations of the city of Troy in Turkey have uncovered that the city was indeed destroyed by a war in 1180 B.C. (Korfmann). Evidence that a war did in fact take place around the city of Troy, which was an affluent…

underway, and Troy had to prepare to be attacked by a great and strong army that would soon reach the city's famous walls, which no enemy had been able to overcome. The great Greek army was led by the brother of Menelaus, Agamemnon, and had the help of Achilles the best warrior of the antiquity. Also, they had the help of Ulysses, main protagonist of the Odyssey and the most astute and intelligent and Ajax, a giant with incredible power. However, the Trojans relied blindly on Hektor( Son of…

Why are achilles and hector a perfect example of an archetype? What is an archetypal hero? Archetypal heroes appear in many epics from many centuries ago. They express personal ideals of a heroic human being. Most archetypal heroes share very similar characteristics, they are smart, usually attractive, strong, and in almost every way, perfect. These types of heroes exemplify the most cliche heroic characteristics, found in even todays stories. In ancient greek mythology, these heroes were…

While raiding Troy, Achilles is finally met with Paris, one of the last people of royalty in Troy. Achilles, being overly cocky, ignores Paris and his bow, fighting others who are attacking him. Finally, Paris draws his bow and with the guide of Apollo shoots Achilles with a poison arrow at his heel. Achilles falls with an inch of his life, Paris then draws his bow again and shoots Achilles in the chest, fulfilling the prophecy of Achilles. The Great Achilles was slain by Paris. Promptly,…

the story which is written at a different time than the story took place. One of the most important characters of the story, Achilles follows that trend of character development throughout the plot. His role as a warrior of the Greeks under the authority of Agamemnon is constantly challenged throughout the epic and ultimately shapes the outcome of the Trojan War. Achilles role as a Greek hero during the epic helped the Greeks defeat the Trojans by proving his toughness and excellence as a leader…

begin the novel ten years into the war because when the book was written most of the readers knew the back-story. The first word “Rage” contributes to the theme and sets the conflict for the whole novel. In the first lines, the reader is told that Achilles rage condemns warriors to death and their bodies are left for scavengers such as dogs and birds to eat. Next, Homer states “Zeus` will was done” meaning the whole war happened under the power of Zeus (7). A couple lines later, homer asks…

between conflict and resolution. In Fagles’ translation of Homer’s The Iliad, the scene in which Achilles and Hector face off displays violence in three forms; the emotional violence of senseless killing ,the physical violence of war, and the mental violence of exertion. The scene in which Achilles murders Hector reflects firstly emotional violence. Hector begs Achilles to have mercy on his body, but Achilles is not persuaded Hector pleads, “...Come, we’ll swear to the gods, the highest…

While many readers may dismiss Achilles as nothing more than “that guy who died because of his heel,” his character is actually quite complex. He is both flawed and worthy of admiration, as the vast majority of all human beings are. His passionate emotions and ambition, as well as his deep sense of justice, create a well-rounded central character with whom the reader can sympathize. In The Iliad, Achilles seems to feel nothing in half-measures. He is controlled by his very strong and passionate…