Achilles’ Moral Ambiguity in “The Iliad” by Homer

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Homer’s The Iliad paints a spiteful, arrogant, and petty picture of Achilles right from the first chapters. The portrayal of Achilles as an ungrateful youngster becomes considerably starker as the tale continues. Nevertheless, Achilles starts to demonstrate traits that would be seen as heroic in modern culture. Achilles has a profound shift in personality with the death of his devoted and valued buddy Patroclus. Achilles sets aside his immature behavior when faced with the genuine horror of death and violence to do what is suitable for his comrade, fellow soldiers, and conscience. In this sense, Achilles’ character development might be compared to how people mature from childhood to adulthood regarding his moral ambiguity.

Homer attempts to contrast Achilles’ early childhood deeds with those of a young kid. Achilles begs his mother to approach Zeus and request that the deity punish the Greeks unless they accord him the respect he merits (Evzonas 2018). Thetis tells Zeus that her son will either have a brief, beautiful life or a lengthy, lifeless one when she visits him. It is hard to see Achilles settling for a longer lifespan without glory, even at this early stage of the epic. However, this is precisely what Achilles intended to accomplish later in the epic. Achilles responds to Agamemnon’s embassy sent to beg the fast runner (Homer, Book 9, line 500):

“…two fates bear me on to the day of death.

If I hold out here and lay siege to Troy,

My journey home is gone, but my glory never dies.

If I voyage back to the fatherland, I love,

My pride, my glory dies…

True, but the life that’s left me will be long,

The stroke of death will not come on me quickly.”

Achilles then urged the remainder of the Greeks to leave Troy and return home. This could suggest that Achilles has put his adolescent bravado behind him, but in the same passage, he blisters Agamemnon. Instead of his prior childishness, his inability to let go of his rage and worry about his future suggests a more teenage or young adult worldview.

Odysseus, Telamonian Ajax, and Phoenix, the three emissaries, all implore Achilles to let out his rage, meaning that they see him as a young man outraged by injustices in the outside world. Odysseus informs Achilles, “Now fail us? What suffering it will cause you in the coming years. When damage has already been done, there is no cure and no therapy” (Homer, Book 9). He adopts a paternal attitude toward Achilles when he recalls Peleus’ final words to him.

With the voice of authority, he forewarns him of the impending anguish. Phoenix adopts a similar tactic, but more overtly: “Great godlike Achilles – I made you my son, I tried, / so someday you would battle catastrophe off my back” (Homer, Book 9). Both of these requests are severely rejected by Achilles, as one might anticipate an adolescent rejecting his parents’ counsel. However, Ajax treats Achilles more like an adult than a child. “Past all the other men, all other Achilles comrades,/we wish to be your nearest, dearest friends,” he says to Achilles (Homer, Book 9). Achilles’ best response to this strategy is still a refusal, which he justifies by saying that Agamemnon’s fury still possesses him.

Several books later, when Patroclus implores Achilles, Achilles first exhibits evidence of having a sense of obligation towards the Greeks. The justification given by Achilles for his continued refusal to engage in the fight is that “Still, by God, I vowed I would not relax my rage, / not until the shouts and carnage reached my ships” (Homer, Book 16, 70). Achilles’ desire to fight is evident from this comment, but he refuses to accept that his first refusal to do so was incorrect. Achilles sends Patroclus, who is armored as a fast runner and in charge of the Myrmidons, in his place. Achilles is morally changing, starting to act responsibly toward his friends, but he still has a vengeful commitment to his rage.

When Patroclus passes away shortly after, Achilles is eventually persuaded to put aside his rage. In the epic’s final book, Achilles’ character undergoes its final development. According to Homer, the gods ordered Achilles to give Priam access to Hector’s body when the king arrived to fetch it. This might be seen as Achilles experiencing a change of mind and recognizing that his hatred toward Hector is equally futile as his fury toward Agamemnon. Therefore, Achilles respects Priam when he arrives to get Hector. Achilles also consents to allow Priam ample time to bury Hector properly (Worman 2017). Achilles is now acting in the epic’s most sympathetic manner.

His acts demonstrate that he finally confronts his anger and realizes it is harmful and futile. He is prepared to carry out his obligation to the Greeks, but he is also prepared to show consideration and respect to his adversaries since they are also people.

In conclusion, it is simple to see how Achilles’ development in The Iliad may be considered morally ambiguous to fairness and violence, but one is to expect that from a maturing child. Achilles’ growth reflects that of a typical person from childhood to adulthood, from the bitter wrath at the outset to the sympathetic regard at the close of the epic. The ideas that first matter to him—honor and glory—slowly give way to more sensible and mature notions of responsibility, respect, and compassion.

Works Cited

Evzonas, Nicolas. “Achilles: A Homeric Hero Enamoured with the Absolute.” The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, vol. 99, no. 5, 2018, pp. 1165–1185. Web.

Homer. Iliad. Translated by Angus M. Bowie, Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Worman, Nancy. “Reflection.” Moral Motivation, 2017, pp. 39–43. Web.

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Achilles’ Moral Ambiguity in “The Iliad” by Homer

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