I've been reading the Iliad for the first time and I'm constantly struck by how cowardly and immature Achilles comes across.
At times it really feels like a shitty shounen. Achilles gets pissy, hides away, watches and listens as his allies, friends and countrymen are destroyed, then glides in at the climax - purely because his safety is at risk - and saves the day? What a monumental asspull.
Aias and Hektor should be remembered more fondly than this petulant prick. I'm ashamed to have part of my anatomy named after him.
>I'm ashamed to have part of my anatomy named after him.
You named your penis "Achilles"?
No, my chode is named 'much-enduring Odysseus'.
I liked that part in the end where the heroes saved the day
Whoever made that cover has clearly never read Iliad.
How can this Homer gay rip off Marvel like that and get away with it MCUbros? Smh fr fr
If this isn't bait how the frick did you read the Iliad and think the Greeks were heroes?
One thing to keep in mind is that the Iliad takes place during the ninth year of the war, so Achilles' wrath only breaks out now, after he's had nine years to grow up and realize he's the best fighter.
It's also through his realization that the nature of the war changes--everyone up until now has been fighting just to get Helen back for Menelaus, and they'll take any chance to leave as a result, but after Achilles lays out this claim about his deserving honor and glory, all of a sudden the rest of the heroes come to a similar realization, that the war doesn't just have to be about an old wedding pledge, but that they can themselves showoff their prowess and get something like immortality by making their names known and respected on the battlefield. Ajax and Diomedes become greater as a result of Achilles' challenge to Agamemnon.
Where are you getting the idea that Achilles rejoins for his safety?
You make a good point - I definitely did forget that this takes place specifically in the final days of the war. I also suppose that I fail to consider the symbolic importance of Chryseis to Achilles, as I didn't really consider her to be anything more than a trophy.
I still find Achilles arrogance to be grating, and therefore I admire him less than Aias, Hektor, Diomedes etc. in spite of the 'bro just trust me' insistence from Homer that he's rightfully haughty.
>Where are you getting the idea that Achilles rejoins for his safety?
I'm wrong, he rejoins because Patroclus is killed. Just one guy out of thousands of others.
I forgot the scene with his wife. My favourite is when he breaks through the gate of the encampment and scares the shit out of the Greeks while holding two spears, with the description of him being like a shadow wearing glowing armour.
Sadly, his supposed best moment, killing Patroclus is really bad. If you really understand it, he only dealt the last blow after both a God and some random character beat him. It was made to put him down, to make the listener(or reader in our case) to be glad when Achilles kills him.
>I'm wrong, he rejoins because Patroclus is killed. Just one guy out of thousands of others.
The Myrmidons are the only people Achilles really care, his soldiers. They do not fight at all during the Illiad until Achilles joins the war. Patroclus was the only one fighting at that moment among the people Achilles brought to the war with him, obviously he would care about what happened to him. That is also not including how important Patroclus was to him compared to everyone in that place. Most of the Greeks were tired of that war, as you can see in that book where Menelaus and Paris finally fight(and that fricker Paris run away making the war still going again), they literally, at that point, didn't give a shit to Menelaus, they just wanted to finish it. Most, if not all of them, only joined that war because of Agamemnon. Do not blame Achilles for caring only about his own, most of them were really tired of that shit at that point and had no reason to continue that war if not for "let's end this shit here and now, it's been fricking nine years, for zeus's sake".
>in spite of the 'bro just trust me' insistence from Homer that he's rightfully haughty.
You're a ressentimental pussy which is why you dislike an unambiguously masculine character like Achilles.
Achilles is a pussy, stop coping.
Ajax wrote this post
Who?
>shounen
Wtf is that
Anon, are you ignoring the fact it's the ninth year of the war and, althought it's not show there, Achilles has proved over and over he is the best warrior? The rest imply and even say it over and over again that without Achilles they can't win? Achilles won that girl by killing and destroying soldiers left and right. Having it removed from it because of Agamenon's stupid choices is reason enough to get mad.
Also, Hektor is remembere a lot. He is the most interesting character in the book, has the best moment (talking to his wife), is mentioned in all books (not even Achilles gets that),etc.
That's because the archeans are the of the story.
If you look at the historical reception of the iliad, Hector has always been more respected and appreciated than Achilles. Achilles is not meant to be 'heroic' in the sense of modern fantasy storytelling trope sense and if you are reading the poem that way then you are missing the point.
>If you look at the historical reception of the iliad, Hector has always been more respected and appreciated than Achilles.
Lol based on what? Non-grecian accounts? Who cares. Doing whatever the frick you want and undermining the very Gods themselves is what constituted as heroic, and Achilles embodies that Grecian character perfectly.
>I've been reading Hamlet for the first time and I'm constantly struck by how cowardly and indecisive Hamlet comes across
Fr
Hector fought for his family and country, Achilles fought for his own ego. Achilles dying to Paris has to be the best revenge Apollo could have come up with.
>Also
Achilles never did beat Hector, Athene did.