“my dear companion has perished, Patroklos, whom I loved beyond all other companions,” show us how Achilleus loves and cares for his close allies with an equal strength to the hate and distrust he shows to his enemies.
Another important aspect of Achilleus’ character is how quickly he changes mood. In line 79 the hero demonstrates a deep sense of loss at the death of Patroklos but by line 92 Achilleus’ mood has undergone a rapid change; his grief is transformed into a desire for revenge. He wants to slay Hector,
“first be beaten down under my spear, loser his life and pay the price for stripping Patroklos,”. This is very different language to that used earlier, it is brutal and without mercy or restraint.
The great contrast between the ‘love’ Achilleus has for his friends and deep-seated hate for his enemies is an important aspect of Achilleus’ character. He is a man of intense feelings that swing from one extreme to the other in a matter of moments; this is seen when his profound grief for the loss of Patroklos is redirected and transformed into a desire for revenge.
The idea of ‘a life for a life’ is central to Achilleus’ beliefs regarding justice. There are two examples of this within the extract, firstly Achilleus states that he wants to slay Hector to avenge the death of Patroklos. Secondly, however, in lines 98 and 99 we see how Achilleus blames himself for the death of his comrade as Patroklos died fighting in his place wearing his armour. The hero knows he will die because the fates have decreed it will be so, yet Achilleus is happy to accept this fate because he believes he deserves to die.
“I was no light of safety to Patroklos” demonstrates that he feels guilty about his friend’s death and feels that his philosophy of ‘a life for a life’ should therefore be extended to him and that he should die to avenge the death of Patroklos also.
Achilleus accepts his fate in a manner that we would find unusual in our modern European society as is shown by the line,
“I will accept my own death, at whatever time Zeus wishes to bring it about,”. Achilleus realises that he is but a mere mortal and a pawn in the games of the gods despite his parentage. He is happy to accept his fate not only because he realises there is nothing he can do to prevent it, the gods being all powerful, but also because he hopes to die a glorious death. Another part of Achilleus character is coming forth from the text at this point. He is trying to satisfy his desire for honour and eternal glory by dying a hero’s death on the battlefield. This mixture of pride and bloodlust combined with his desire for revenge are what drives Achilleus to put his armour back on and rejoin the fighting. This is confirmed in the line,
“Now I must win excellent glory”. Ultimately he is willing to sacrifice everything including his life so that his name might be remembered.
To conclude, Achilleus is a great hero who places great emphasis on his honour and pride. He has very intense emotions, Achilleus cares deeply for those whom he counts as friends but is completely without mercy to his enemies.
Achilles is the greatest Homeric hero. How does he differ from a typical 21st century AD hero?
In answering this question it is first important to consider the cultural differences between Mycenean civilisation and our modern European culture. Honour and glory were obtained and held by very different methods to today. Whilst modern heroes would include figures from a broad spectrum ranging from peacekeeping troops in war zones to film stars and philanthropists, the Homeric hero of the Mycenean period would have been a warrior.
The concept of what makes a ‘good person’ has changed dramatically. A good person then was someone who would take part in war rather than try to prevent it. For example, Achilleus wishes to die in battle because it ensures that his name will live forever as that of a glorious hero who fought and died bravely. He even goes as far as to ask his mother not to try and stop him when he says,
“Do not hold me back from the fight”. His mother is happy to accept the fate of her son because she would rather he died a hero in battle, Thetis describes what Achilleus intends to do as “no cowardly action”. Another character from the Trojan war who does very little fighting is Paris, he is rarely featured in battles and hence earns himself something of a reputation among both sides as a coward.
The situation in modern Britain could not be more different, we applaud peacekeepers whom try to separate warring parties and negotiate between them or disarm them. More often than not, modern heroes will try to prevent violence rather than cause it. Noble deeds in the modern world are not about making war but preventing wars, as we have become more and more civilised there has been a change in attitudes. It is not the civilised thing to do to make war, or on a more mild scale, argue. There has been a shift away from heroes being soldiers towards entertainers and sportsmen. If you questioned a young person about who they wished to emulate today they would probably reply with the name of a footballer, pop star or actor. ‘Noble deeds’ are no longer a necessary quality in a hero, simply the ability to entertain combined with good looks is enough. However, that is not to say that the Homeric heroes were not handsome. Towards the end of the extract Thetis comments on Achilleus’ appearance,
“your splendid armour, glaring and brazen”. This shows it is not true to say that it was only heroic acts that were important but it was also important for Achilleus to have the most elaborately decorated armour on the battlefield.
In the last 3500 years daily life has changed and were are less bloodthirsty as a whole. Sport has overtaken war as an arena for heroes to display their skills and masculinity. We no longer find it socially acceptable to slaughter large numbers of men and then rape and pillage their city. Modern heroes are more likely to be found on the sport field than the battlefield. If Achilleus and the Iliad were to be transported through time into a modern setting it is most likely that the Greeks and the Trojans would be opposing football teams with Hector and Achilleus and their star players.
It should not be said that modern society does not need or have a taste for heroes. Heroes are the people we look up to and idolise as perfect human beings. Heroes, or to use a more modern term, role models are an essential part of society as they give the remainder of the population a goal to achieve and someone to emulate. The Myceneans would have all wished to be as glorious as Achilleus and die in battle whereas we would all wish to be as famous as Michael Owen and score the winning goal in a world cup final.
To conclude, the development of civilisation has bought with it a more developed and different set of moral values. These have meant that it is no longer considered noble to slay large numbers of people and die on the battlefield, the noble people of today’s society prevent wars and death. The attitudes have so far changed that the character Homer wrote of as a hero would now be thought of as a threat to civilised society and would be tried for war crimes.
