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Achilles is one of the heroes of Homer’s great poem The Iliad. Achilles appears to the reader as an invincible, strong, and brave hero. He is also the divine son of the goddess Thetis, who granted him such extraordinary power. In the poem, Achilles is portrayed as the strongest and most invincible of all the warriors; he is a real hero. But despite his divine origin, tremendous strength, and power, he is still a person who is characterized by all human weaknesses. He is short-tempered and easily infuriated if his pride is hurt, but despite this, he has the qualities of a loyal friend. It is these human qualities, his strengths, and weaknesses, that make Achilles a human hero.
There is a certain duality in Achilles’s portrait, which may have come to him because of his semi-divine origin. He is temperamental, knows no mercy, and can be terribly cruel. The origin of Achilles provides him with extraordinary strength, speed, and endurance that are only available to the gods. Achilles does not appear immediately in the poem; instead, Homer shows a scene where the Muses sing a specific ode to Achilles. They sing of Achilles’ great wrath, which caused countless warriors to be thrown into the realm of Hades (Homer 5). This beginning demonstrates that Achilles has such unimaginable strength and fury that he can kill countless soldiers.
Despite how divinely strong and resilient Achilles appears, there are also human weaknesses in him. One of the qualities that distinguish Achilles from the heroes and make him a human is his quick temper and touchiness. That is why, being insulted by Agamemnon, Achilles refuses to participate in the Trojan war. But when the Trojan leader Hector kills Achilles’ friend Patroclus, he forgets his resentment and reconciles with Agamemnon. The mighty Achilles, protected by the goddess Athena, shows miracles of bravery on the battlefield and kills Hector in a duel, whose death marks the Trojans’ final defeat. In a fight with Hector, Achilles demonstrates superhuman qualities, such as incredible strength, power, and anger. He acts incredibly fast, analyzing all the weak points of his opponent, and deals Hector with a decisive blow.
It may seem that Achilles is driven by a thirst for revenge and his short temper. However, this immediate reaction of Achilles, his anger and rage, proves his loyalty to his beloved friend Patroclus (Homer 365). Achilles furiously grieves for his lost friend, sheds tears, and shows genuine human emotions. It is this moment that can be described as defining in the formation of Achilles’ human character. He is closest to a modern reader when he is most human, weeping and grieving, knowing that a person dear to him has died. Achilles bears the typical features of a mythological epic hero, a courageous warrior who values war above all. At the same time, he also has the same human weaknesses as pain, pity, and grief.
Thus, the semi-divine origin co-exists with Achilles’ human nature, rewarding him with qualities close to the modern reader. He is militant, brave, and fearless, but at the same time, he is loyal, compassionate, and quick-tempered. Like any human being, Achilles has his limits, which he cannot overcome in any way. He grieves like any of us, cries like any of us, and gets angry like any of us. By endowing Achilles with such qualities, Homer made him a genuinely human hero.
Works Cited
Homer. The Iliad of Homer. Translated by Richmond Lattimore, U of Chicago P, 2011.
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