Patroclus And Achilles In The Iliad

Words: 1369
Pages: 6
Open Document
Decisions are extremely difficult to make in the moment, but scrutinizing them when looking back on what has already occurred is a much less stressful task. In Homer’s Illiad, this dynamic plays an extremely important role within the war and especially with the relationship of Achilles and Patroclus. These best friends ended up playing vastly different roles in the war, as Achilles refused to participate due to being shames, while Patroclus was doing just the opposite and ended asking Achilles for approval to wear his armor in order to scare the Trojans into thinking Achilles returned. Achilles agrees, despite understanding that he is putting Patroclus into possible danger, but does ask him not to go too far and to only strike fear into the …show more content…
In this story, Achilles still respects his fellow soldiers, especially his best friend Patroclus, but is still trying to show the rest of his side that they made a mistake allowing him to be dishonored. Despite that, he puts at least some of his pride aside and allows Patroclus to pose as him by wearing his armor and that decision had much to do with different aspects of being a soldier and understanding what it is to blindly help and be loyal while also understanding the dangers and pursuing glory. Achilles understands that the Greeks are in a place of danger when Patroclus comes to him and decides to let his best friend risk his life to use his armor, but does not go himself which shoews that he was still thinking about himself in some capacity during his thought process of whether or not to help Patroclus. He may have decided to allow it both for himself and for his soldiers, including Patroclusw, but it surely was not a purely selfless deicison. It is much easier to reflect and have many different opinions on a choice after it is made, but it is extremely difficult to truly understand how circumstances and values impacted a decision at the time it was made, but everything that is involved in being a soldier played a huge role in Achilles letting Patroclus use his armor and pose as the great
Show More

Related Documents: Patroclus And Achilles In The Iliad

Essay on Feminism: Iliad and Patroclus

Homer and Troy- Death of Patroclus Do the values of Homeric warrior culture translate into the movie Troy? The Homeric warrior culture is based on the principle that war is a constant fact of life. Defeat usually means the destruction of one’s property, slaughter of males and enslavement of both women and children. In times of war, women were regarded as objects and were considered prizes. Warrior culture also revolved around three main terms. The first term was Arête, which meant the innate…

Words 1385 - Pages 6

Vengeance Is Mines Essay

of this paper is to determine if the violence in the Iliad is gratuitous or adds shock value. First, I will discuss the rage that sets the path of violence. Second, I will discuss the rage of Achilles that led to Hector’s death. Last, I will discuss if the violence in the Iliad is gratuitous or adds shock value. In conclusion, rage is what led to the violence throughout this epic poem. "Rage - Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless…

Words 650 - Pages 3

The Iliad Short Paper 2

of the Iliad Achilles is pushed to the breaking point. He is ridden with guilt because of the death of his close friends Patroclus which he feels responsible for. His thought process through comprehending the death of his friend and the decision to avenge him is one of the turning points of this novel. Patroclus begs Achilles to allow him to wear his armor and return to battle. Achilles agrees but only under the condition that Patroclus only fights long enough to save the ships. Achilles also prays…

Words 603 - Pages 3

Grief In The Iliad

grief is explored in Homers Book 24 of The Iliad, Ransom by Malouf and Petersen’s depiction of Troy. Patroclus’ death triggers Achilles into an immense stage of grief. In all three adaptations, this moment and the moments following allow the authors and director to show Achilles at his worst, showing him as ‘savage’, ‘wild’ and ‘barbaric’, qualities associated with animals and primitive creatures, displaying him in an almost unhuman form. In Book 24 of The Iliad this is shown using subtle language, while…

Words 685 - Pages 3

Humanity In The Iliad

Reading the Iliad from a structuralist viewpoint, there is an evident clash between civil and primitive behaviors. Characters in the text can be seen in positive and negative lights to reflect the Ancient Greeks attempt to reconcile the primal and civilized aspects of humanity. There are multiple instances in the Iliad that sets up the two opposing binaries of primal human instincts and civilized behavior. War tends to bring out the wild side in humans which is evident in the Iliad. Patroclus’ aristeia…

Words 989 - Pages 4

Gods in the Iliad Essay example

Influence of the Gods in The Iliad The Gods in The Iliad had a monumental impact on the outcome of the story. They played with the characters, almost like a simple game of chess. After considering a move, they sprung, which eventually culminated into considerable consequences. In the Iliad, battles were won with the help of Zeus and other Gods influencing the opposing army or the area surrounding them. Hector and Patroclus’ deaths were influenced majorly. The Gods in The Iliad played their role as “God”…

Words 709 - Pages 3

Similarities Between The Iliad And Camelot

In both the stories of the Iliad and Camelot, the main characters seek success through either side of the order versus chaos dichotomy with Arthur on the side of order and Achilles with chaos, which ultimately leads to irreversible consequences for both characters. In Camelot, Arthur tries to figure out a way to unite England and stop the warring territories. He comes up with an idea that he shares with Guinevere in which he says “Jenny, suppose we create a new order of chivalry? A new order, where…

Words 872 - Pages 4

Iliad and War Zeus Essay

In Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, it was believed that the gods had an active involvement in the human world. Most, if not all the gods took part in the outcome of the Trojan War, which is the undermining story within Homer’s Iliad. Zeus took the form of the leader of the Greek gods, which was very unrealistic due to his lack of involvement in the Trojan War. Throughout the war Zeus stayed very moderate by not showing favoritism towards either side. Zeus stays moderate throughout the war so he can…

Words 1404 - Pages 6

greek mythology Essay

Achilles wanted, himself, who would lead to troops to defeat the Trojans and win the glory. He lent the armor to Patroclus because thinking first, Patroclus was his friend, when the Trojans see his armor they would be scared and afraid to fight forward and this would decrease the death probability of Patroclus. Second, Achilles had his little own selfishness that when Patroclus wear his armor, it will protect him from getting hurt, but at the same time, people on the battle would bear in mind of…

Words 358 - Pages 2

Achilles: A Modern Day Hero

them. Thus, Achilles would not be considered a modern-day hero like he was in ancient Greece, because whilst they valued glory, brutal strength, and revenge, today we value selflessness,…

Words 1035 - Pages 5