HOMERIC HEROISM The Iliad is essentially the epic of Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors and, at the same time, the most complex and unlikable of the many personalities of the Trojan War. Homer redefines the essence of heroism in delineating the character of Achilles, a demi-god that quarrels with his commander-in-chief over the division of spoils who sulks and pouts in his tent when he does not get his way. In the end, …
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…him onward in battle, vowing to settle the score for Patroclus. In the final analysis, Achilles' least admirable qualities are those in which he most resembles the gods: jealousy, spite, anger and venom. The new heroism of Achilles marks a decline in the traditional values and nobility of the warrior, as exemplified by the noblest hero of the Homeric epic-- Hector. Lattimore, Richmond, translator. The Illiad of Homer. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 1967.