Achilles essay topics
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Maturing Of Achilles
1,068 wordsFrom the very beginning of the poem, the character Achilles is one of the major foci of the story. His actions of lack of actions have enormous effects upon how the plot unfolds. Starting with the fight with Agamemnon and his withdrawal from the battle, to the death of Patroklos, and finally to the slaying of Hektor, Achilles and his emotions decide the fate of many Greek and Trojan warriors. It is his struggle against his anger, pride, loyalty, and love that make this poem one of a tragic natur...
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Young Achilles By The Heel
687 wordsAchilles was the son of the mortal Peleus and the Nereid Thetis. He was the mightiest of the Greeks who fought in the Trojan War, and was the hero of Homer's Iliad. Thetis attempted unsuccessfully to make her son immortal. There are two versions of the story. In the earlier version, Thetis anointed the infant with ambrosia and then placed him upon a fire to burn away his mortal portions; she was interrupted by Peleus, whereupon she abandoned both father and son in a rage. Peleus placed the child...
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Shows Achilles Anger
678 wordsThe Iliad may be seen as an account of the circumstances that irrevocably alter the life of one man: Achilles, one of the greatest warriors. Throughout the course of the poem Achilles goes through many ordeals that change his character immensely. Starting with his quarrel with Agamemnon and withdrawal from battle, to the death of Patroklos, and with the slaying of Hektor. Achilles emotions and actions decide the fate of many warriors on both sides. Achilles struggles with anger, honor, pride, lo...
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Achilles Homer
688 wordsAchilles: The Super Yuppie In the beginning of Homer's The Iliad, Achilles is arguing with Agamemnon over a girl. Since Achilles does not get what he wants, he decides to leave the battle that they are in. However, this is no small battle, this is the Trojan War. Achilles action shapes the outcome of the battle, for the next fifteen or so books, with the Greeks losing. One can conclude, after reading The Iliad that Achilles is so self-centered that he kills in battle for glory, not honor; that A...
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Hero's In Ancient Greece Achilles
362 wordsGreece: Heroism In ancient Greek times heroism was much different than it is now. Today, all you have to do to become a hero most of the time is rich, after you do this the media will take it from there. But in the time of the Trojans it took much more, thing's that Achilles thankfully, was very good at or things he thought was important. Achilles was not only a hero physically, but was more importantly, a hero for the Achians army's morale, also his chivalric properties were important with his ...
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Achilles And Agamemnon
508 wordsDespite the grand scope of Homer's epics -- which present warfare, heroism, adventure and divinity as forces that shape human destiny - The Iliad may be seen as an account of the circumstances that irrevocably alter the life of one man: Achilles, greatest of warriors. Through the course of the poem, Achilles goes through many ordeals, which changes his character immensely. One example of such a character change is when he is quarreling with Agamemnon. Achilles and Agamemnon have an extreme amoun...
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Greatest Warrior And Achilles
871 wordsIn the modern world, people, as a society, have always given themselves a goal or goals that they would like to attain at some point during their lifetime. Many people seek to attain riches, love, happiness or high stature within society. When we people set that goal, we tend to mold our lifestyles around it. As people work throughout their lives to achieve this ultimate goal, it becomes apparent to others what it is we are working so hard for. Just as this pattern is evident in modern society, ...
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Achilles For A Moment
1,121 wordsThe Iliad is the quintessential epic. It is full with gods, goddesses, heroes, war, honor, glory, and the like. However, for just short while near the very conclusion Homer avoids all of those epic qualities. The banquet scene in Book XXIV is the most touching, the most "human" scene in the entire poem. In the midst of the dreadful gulf of war and anger there occurs an intimate moment between two men who ironically have much in common below the surface. Priam, old and fragile, makes his way to t...
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Dear Friend With Achilles
1,152 wordsTrue Hero Patroclus is the aid to Achilles and his closest confidant. He is an excellent complement to Achilles. They hold dear the same principles and possess the same attributes. Although Achilles skills are greater, Patroclus is a much greater hero and man than Achilles is. Patroclus moral character is very high. He stands up for what is right, and denounces the selfish actions of his friend. Achilles is the greatest warrior and Patroclus best friend, but Patroclus has no reservations about p...
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Achilles Personality Changes
454 wordsHow does Achilles change Why does the change take place Which personality is the true Achilles Initially, Achilles is selfish and petty. He refuses to fight in the war because Agamemnon takes Bris eis. His selfishness causes the death of many Argives. Without the strength and power of Achilles, no other Greek warrior is able to repel the powerful Hector. Achilles understands this and refuses to fight unless the Greeks recognize him as the supreme commander. When Agamemnon offers Achilles a plent...
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Main Character Odysseus And The Two Armies
1,272 wordsThe Odyssey and the Iliad In our day and age, people strive for independence and a sense of authority. However, at many times this is more easily said than done. Whether it be God, or in the eyes of the Achaeans and Trojans, the immortals, lives and actions are commonly defined by a higher being. Which leads to Homer's epic poems the Odyssey and the Iliad which deal with constant conflict in a world where the mortals are not even masters of their own destiny. The main character Odysseus, and the...
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Agamemnon Over A Slight To Achilles Honor
752 wordsGeneral Plot Summary of Homer's Iliad The Iliad is a lengthy poem of some 15,693 lines, divided into 24 books (cantos) and has as its theme the anger (men is) of the Greek hero Achilles, the greatest of the heroes to sail to Troy. In the tenth year of the war, Achilles quarrels with the leader of the expedition, Agamemnon, over a slight to Achilles' honor. In his anger, Achilles withdraws from the fighting and wins the aid of Zeus, the king of the gods, to see to it that the war turns against th...
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Briseis From Achilles
1,057 wordsACHILLES: A HERO NO MORE In the introduction of the Essential Illiad given by Sheila Murnaghan, Achilles is labeled as "the greatest of the Greek heroes". In classic mythology a hero is a person of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits and is often the offspring of a mortal and a god. Achilles was the greatest fighter among the Greeks or Trojans and feared no man in battle. He was also the offspring of a mortal and a god so by classic mythology definition, Achilles was indeed a...
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Actions Of Telemachos And Odysseus
1,225 wordsIn these epics, several female characters had a profound effect on the plot. They wielded their influence through typically feminine skills and attributes: seduction, supernatural powers, intelligence, and beauty. Some of the women of The Odyssey and The Iliad influenced the actions of men, playing key roles in the epics, such as Calypso, the Sirens, Helen, or Circe; all of these women were responsible for the actions of the men. In The Iliad, Helen and Athena are two characters who display "the...
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Odysseus A Greater Hero
474 wordsIn Webster's Dictionary, a hero is defined as a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose, especially if this individual has risked or sacrificed his life. It can also be used in reference to a mythological or legendary figure, often of divine ancestry, who is favored by the gods, endowed with great courage and strength, and celebrated for his bold exploits. War or dangerous adventure is the hero's normal occupation. In my opinion, Odysseus is much more heroic than Achilles. Throug...
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Achilles By Agamemnon
1,425 wordsAchilles' Anger and Unreconciliation: Reassessing the Concepts of Mortality and Honor The subject of Homer's epic poem, the Iliad, is very clearly stated-it is "the rage of Peleus's on Achilles". The reader remains continually aware of the extent of Achilles' rage, yet is never told the reason why Achilles remains angry and unreconciled. There is no definitive answer to this question. Achilles is not a static character. He is constantly changing; thus the question of why he remains angry solicit...
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Journeys Of Achilles
1,842 wordsAlex Hastie The House That Homer Built 12/13/99 Have You Met-A-Physical Journey Throughout life, we are all faced with some kind of journey that must challenge us to make us grow up. There are two kinds of journeys; the physical and the spiritual. The physical journey entails overcoming a tangible barrier (e.g. a test of strength or a rite of passage). A spiritual journey causes one to reach a higher level of human consciousness and to find meaning in their journey (e.g. a pilgrimage or meditati...
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Characteristic In Beowulf And Achilles
532 wordsThe three characteristics that I am about to mention are all very important for an epic hero, such as Beowulf or Achilles, who both exhibit the characteristics very well. Courage is a characteristic in Beowulf and Achilles, which all epic heroes must have for them to be classified as heroes. In addition, both of these characters affect the fate of nations, because if they did not, they would not have any significance, and would not have been written about. Finally, both of these characters inter...
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Socrates And Achilles
1,309 wordsThe concept of heroism is a central theme in Greek mythology. Achilles, the main character in Homer's The Iliad, accurately depicts the concept of a tragic hero. Throughout his many experiences during the Trojan War, he reflects heroic qualities, and earns his name as the purest, the highest and "the best of the Achaians. ' Similar to Achilles, Socrates demonstrates several heroic characteristics, in Plato's work The Trial and Death of Socrates. Through his trial, apology and death, Socrates sho...
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Achilles To The Fame And Glory
1,245 wordsBeowulf is a story about a man named Beowulf who desired fame and fortune in life. The Iliad had a character named Achilles who is similar to Beowulf because he also desired glory. But they are two completely different stories written at different times and different places by different people. Both stories have unique qualities such as dragons in one and multi-gods in the other and that is what makes fictitious stories like these classics. Since achieving fame is a goal of these two characters,...
