Is Really Achilles a Hero?

The Iliad is not a work that gives a mere account of historic facts and events but one where persons are the protagonists by virtue of their behaviors, values, motives and decisions which affect the flow of the story. Achilles is one of these persons that play a primary role in the plot of Iliad; as Homer puts it in the first lines of this work, the anger (mênin) of Achilles, his withdrawal from the battles and the devastating effects that this has on the Greek army will be the core of the story. Achilles appears in the story as a complicated character with his own idiosyncrasy and system of ideals that sometimes no one else but him can understand. This system of values is exactly what I am going to explore in this paper. In particular, I will look at these values and examine how they affect Achilles’ dramatic decisions and the people around him. However, I will especially focus on the characterization of these values from the point of view of the following questions: Is it worth abiding by this system of values as firmly as Achilles does? What does Achilles not accomplish in his life by adopting these ideals? Is this the best way for one to live? My response to these questions will seriously question this system, for it leads to obdurate, cruel, mindless behaviors that do not befit either a humane, minded individual or an inspired leader. The first step in this exploration will be to locate Achilles’ values in the text. In the Iliad, as a whole, Achilles reflects a paradigm of the hero that has fallen in deep love with honor and glory. Behind every action or decision of Achilles lies his thirst for everlasting timé (honor) and reputation, and this single-mindedness and persistence permeate the whole story. In [1], A 302, and [1], A 352-355, Achilles maintains that the prizes from his battles are evidence of his glory and the loss of these prizes as a result of Agamemnon’s orders disgraces him. As a result, he attempts to prevent the loss of Briseis at all costs; he does not even hesitate to pray for the destruction of the Greek army and Agamemnon, as a