Mid term number one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mid term number one - Essay Example He is the greatest combatant and fighter among the Achaeans. He is invincible because his mother, who is a goddess, dipped him in the River Styx when he was a baby. His only weak spot is his heel, which is vulnerable to any weapon (Pope). Achilles possesses a powerful awareness of communal responsibility, which initially is obvious in his apprehension for the chaos and disarray in the Achaean camp. A lethal disease is killing the soldiers, and Achilles is determined to find out why this is happening. The king, Agamemnon is doing nothing for the soldiers, so Achilles is determined to do something to help the soldiers. He orders the entire army to convene, which is against the order of the set of rules because the king is the only person authorized to assemble the army. Achilles determination to bring order in the Achaean camp is only successful to a degree, because he discovers the reason for the plague is the king himself who is responsible for the death of hundreds of soldiers. Apol lo eventually ends the plague, and Achilles pulls out his troops from the Achaean army, even after which, order does not return to the Achaeans (Pope). Although, both Achilles and Agamemnon share a common responsibility for the plague, Achilles shows ill-temper and is quarrelsome which diminishes the little bit of goodwill that does exist. Achilles is very angry that Agamemnon takes all the best war prices, although he does not fight on the battlefield to earn these prizes. In his anger, he tries to kill the king, but is prevented from doing so by the Goddess Athena (Pope). Achilles is justified in leaving the Achaean army because the king demanded and took the maiden Briseis, who is Achilles’ war prize. Achilles feels that this is an insult to him personally and can be compared to the kidnapping of Helen. He feels himself to be in the same situation as Menelos, and he thinks he is within his right as was the war against the Trojans. Although, Agamemnon tries to placate Achil les by returning Briseis along with other gifts, Achilles is still angry which shows that one of his major character flaws is his extreme and unnecessary pride. Achilles believes that the gifts offered by the king do not compensate for the offense that he has suffered, added to the fact that the kind had previously taken back given gifts, and he could do so again. Therefore, Achilles believes that the king is not sincere about his promise of more gifts. The relationship with the gods is unusual in the context because his mother was a goddess and his father a mere mortal. It is also unusual river god attempts to drown Achilles for his hatred of all Trojans and the desecration of their corpses’ by denying them burial rites as he did to Hector. It is important to note that that the River god is the only god that wants to punish him, but later the other gods also regards Achilles in the same manner as the river god because of his excesses against the Trojans. The River god wants to deny Achilles the rites of Greek burial and tries to smoother him in a deluge of mud. The Greek warriors regard Achilles as the most important combatant against the Trojans, and his sulking affects them as they depend upon him to lead them to achieve victory. When Achilles is sulking or in a bad mood,