Essay on Achilles The Tragic Hero of The Iliad - 669 Words

Achilles can be described as a Tragic Hero in many ways. He was brave and had great strength but, he was also prideful and lacked control with his emotions, and in all the label of a tragic hero fits him. A Tragic hero is â€Å"a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy† (â€Å"Tragic Hero†). To many men Achilles was god-like, and immortal, the epitome of a hero to the Greeks, he was strong, brave in the face of war, and of noble birth because he was the son of a goddess. In the Iliad, Achilles, driven by anger seeks revenge on Hector for killing his â€Å"dearest comrade† (â€Å"The Heroic Age†), Patroclus, whom he claims to have valued more than his own life. He†¦show more content†¦He then returns the body to Priam and feels guilty about his friend. â€Å"Feel no anger at me, Patroclus, if you learn--- even there in the House of Death--- I let his fa ther have Prince Hector back† (Homer). Achilles wants his friend to forgive him and once again has succumbed to the intense emotions he feel that are out of his control. These emotions have Achilles act on rage and impulse. Achilles is a tragic hero because he exhibits the qualities of a hero but, in the end is fated to death. Achilles’ fatal flaw could be his lack of emotional stability. This can be argued and shown throughout the Iliad. Achilles is courageous, full of strength, and god-like but he is also full of pride and rage, and not in control of his emotions. He doesn’t think of the consequences that come with just acting upon his emotions, he just impulsively does what he feels in the heat of the moment. This can be shown as his fatal flaw because emotions can be the cause of certain actions that might lead to difficulties in the future or in this case Achilles’ death. In a sense Achilles can inspire the contemporary generation to face the challenges of life, though he is probably not the best example. Achilles acts on impulse which is not something that our generation should do all too easily. Achilles inspires bravery but, with that he also inspires recklessShow MoreRelated Achilles: a Tragic Hero Essay example1166 Words   |  5 PagesAchilles as Tragic Hero In his classic work Poetics Aristotle provided a model of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is more admirable than the average person. This results in the tragic hero being admired by the audience. For the audience to accept a tragic ending as just, it is crucial that the tragic hero be responsible for their undoing. At the same time though, they must remain admired and respected. This is achieved by the tragic hero having a fatal flawRead MoreTragic Heroes of The Iliad and Oedipus Rex Analysis749 Words   |  3 Pagesclassic from of heroism called tragic heroism in his work entitled Poetics. 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