"ACHILLES, a Great Hero, a Poor King" (BLOG # 2)

1. Analyze the character of Achilles as shown in Books 9-11. Are his decisions appropriate for a king like him? Why/ why not? What kind of warrior is he?

(1)

 Achilles? Achilles? Who is Achilles?  

Let me tell you something about this Great Warrior of the Trojan War.

ACHILLES is The King of the Achaeans, the central character of the epic poem, and the greatest, strongest, and skillful warrior of all the Greek soldiers. Some said that he has attributed of being the most handsome of all the heroes assembled to conquer Troy.

He is the son of the sea-nymph Thetis and Peleus. According to stories, Thetis anointed the Achilles in ambrosia and put him on top of a fire to burn away the mortal parts of his body. She was interrupted by Peleus and she abandoned both father and son in a rage, leaving his 'heel' vulnerable.

Going back, Achilles lead the Greek army in the assault in Troy.

He is very known in the epic poem as a good leader to the Greeks who were left alone during their battle against the Trojans. 

(2)

Achilles is a kind of a warrior being FEARED by all the other soldiers during the war because it is said that every time the Trojans see the helmet of Achilles, hear the name of Achilles, or even see Achilles in person, they become scared, nervous, or even weakened at a moment. Just a single "swooosh" of his sharp sword, every enemy could be killed in an instant! He is also a brave warrior for the only reason that he would do anything to win a battle or combat for the glory of his land. Of course, every good trait of a character also has an opposite one. I am referring to him being a selfish kind of person. He only thinks of himself and only wants his soldiers to follow the orders of what he only believes in. Another instance is when he refused to join and aid the Greek Army as they march in the gates of Troy only because he was dishonored by King Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek Army, who had taken BRISEIS as a prize for himself. I could say that because of his attitude, it leaves a great mark on his reputation as a king.

We know that Achilles is the king of the Achaeans but are his actions / decisions appropriate for a king like him? Is he a fair kind of king during those times?

 In my opinion, his decision being KING not to aid the Greek warriors to battle against the Trojans is not an APPROPRIATE decision for a king like him because it shows that he only thinks of himself and he let his emotions decide for him which is not suppose to be. WHY??? For the reason he left his own army in the middle of the battle and he even prayed to his mother, Thetis, to convince Zeus to help the Trojans gain ground in the war, so that he may regain his honor. He should have sacrificed himself in battle like the other Greek warriors who are with him.  

As king, you should set an example to your warriors because they look up to you 

as the greatest warrior and even the greatest leader they could ever serve. 

As king, you should accept all the problems and challenges you might encounter 

and you must use your mind wisely and think about what is best for your land and people, not for what is best for YOU. It will only show that you're selfish.

As king, you must not be affected for the loss of someone whom is very dear to you 

because it will affect your actions and decisions as the highest and most-powerful person in the land. If this happens, your emotions would be the one to decide for you and it might end up putting the whole land and your people in peril.

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To sum it all up, Achilles' decisions is not appropriate or suitable for a brave king like him. But, I guess his decision not siding with the Greeks has a reason and I can say that it is because Agamemnon has fooled Achilles several times and I guess the worst instance was when Agamemnon exchange Chryseis with Briseis, whom Achilles loved so much and because of this, Achilles ended up burning up with rage over Agamemnon and soon made the decision of not helping the Greek Army in battle, instead.

 

The humanization of Achilles by the events of the war is an important theme of the narrative which makes it more interesting to read.

 If I were you, I'll start reading this famous epic poem, Iliad of Homer.

Thank you for spending your time reading this and stay tuned for my next post.

Ciao for now!

- Gelo Gonzales -

REFERENCES: 

http://jrbierman.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/achilles.jpg 

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/malchev/malchev0910/malchev091000011/5657558-the-greek-hero-achilles-isolated-on-white-this-picture-is-also-available-with-background-in-my-portf.jpg

http://www.fantasygallery.net/sweet/achilles.jpg