the illiad essays

the illiad essays Achilles is the greatest of all the Greek warriors and he knows it. His withdrawal from the fighting has an immense impact on the entire battlefield. Both sides of the war feel the effect of his actions. On Achilles side, the Greeks feel as if they are fighting a losing cause and without their fiercest man on the field, the situation worsens for them. The Trojans, however, see this as an opportunity to take advantage of a Greek weakness. Achilles actions are extremely negligent. He cares nothing for his fellow man. He feels he is above fighting with them just because Agamemnon has slighted him. Achilles does not have the killer instinct that one with his great ability should possess. He does not show any passion until his good friend Patroclus is killed by Hector. He lets a petty squabble with Agamemnon insult his pride and take him out of action for a good number of days. It seems like Achilles does not want to take part in the battles until the last minute so that it appears that h e has saved the day. All that he wants is to be known as the greatest hero who ever existed, but he does not realize that he must earn that title. If he had just continued fighting, instead of debating whether he should go back and live peacefully or being angry with Agamemnon, Achilles would have already attained the status he desires so greatly. His decision to take the drastic step of withdrawing from the fighting greatly postponed his achieving of his rank as the greatest hero of all time. Book 6 of the Iliad is an important chapter because it greatly explores the tremendous character, Hector. As the leader of the Trojan army, he feels that it is his job to protect his beloved city. He cares so much for the people of Troy that he goes to the women of the city to tell them to pray to the gods. He does this because he wants to ensure the safety of the women and children of Troy in case the city walls fall to the invadin ...