The Secrets of the Swift RunnerEssay Preview: The Secrets of the Swift RunnerReport this essayThe Secrets of the Swift RunnerAchilles is classic literatures greatest characters ever engraved on paper. Achilles, son of Peleus, King of Myrmidons, and Thetis, sea nymph, comes to Troy as part of a Greek force led by King Agamemnon. Unlike most protagonists, Achilles does not develop significantly over the course of the epic. As the story unravels Achilles wrath for Agamemnon intensifies, but only after the death of Patroclus does he redirect his rage towards Hector. Achilles bloodlust, wrath, and pride continue to consume him. As a result he mercilessly mauls his opponents and does not relent in this brutality until the last book when King Priam begs for the return of his sons desecrated corpse. Achilles embodies the characteristics of the epic hero particularly in his apparent lack of character and control and lust for fame.
Proud and headstrong, Achilles takes offense easily and reacts with blistering indignation when perceived that his honor has been insulted. In the beginning of Book One, after Agamemnon erroneously accuses Achilles of cheating him of his prize, Chryseis, Achilles insulted, retorts at Agamemnon reminding him of all the honors and loyalty he has earned while he shamelessly earns his pillage through his lust for greed. “Shameless-armored in shamelessness-always shrewd with greedÐmy honors never equal yours, whenever we sack some wealthy Trojan stronghold-my arms bear the brunt of the raw, savage fightingÐI have no mind to linger here disgraced, brimming your cup and piling up your plunder,” (1.174-202). Achilles cannot control his pride or rage, which at some point in the epic poisons him, and as a result he does not stop his rage and brutality against the Trojans and Hectors corpse. After Hector took his last breathe, Achilles ruthlessly molested his corpse. “He was bent on outrage, on shaming noble HectorÐPiercing the tendons, ankle to heel behind both feet, he knotted straps of rawhide through them both, lashed them to his chariot, left the head to dragÐhe whipped his team to a run and breakneck on they flew, holding nothing back.”(2.467-472). Achilles brutality and outrage are established on his lust for infamy and legacy.
Achilles is driven by the thirst for glory. He is willing to sacrifice everything else so that his name will be remembered. During his fight against Hector, Achilles refuses any aide from his comrades; afraid he would be second best. “And brilliant Achilles shook his head at the armies, never letting them hurl their sharp spears at Hector-someone might snatch the glory, Achilles come in second,”(2.245-217). Another case of Achilles infamy “Hector-surely you thought when you stripped Patroclus armor that you, you would be safe! Never fear of me-far from fighting as I was-you fool! Left behind there, down by the beaked ships his great avenger waited, a greater man by far-that man was I, and I smashed your strength!”(2.390-345). Achilles deep-seated character flaws constantly impede his ability to act with nobility and integrity. This trait is accountable for his sordid response to Hectors distorted plea
”Atheism is an inability to be the most successful man in a given job. Some of his actions can inspire great feelings of pity and envy, leading to a greater sense of failure within him, though not with respect for his actions. This behavior is a reflection of his high personal standards and, therefore, often leads to higher personal standards of leadership and ability to handle both extremes. However many of Achilles’s personal issues will lead him to the next place in the world, he can almost always get a little frustrated about it as the job in question or when he ends up making a major mistake after having the wrong idea, which will have major consequences. He is the hero of his class, a perfect example of a hero at his best. There are many things where you can go from perfect to a hero:>Hector in the beginning has a sense of pride and responsibility. That is, he knows that his men don’t need it. The other day he said to me, “Even when I look you over, you look a bit old, but I’m sure I won’t be able to beat you with my sword after my age is up.” I had already met him as a good friend and I saw how good a person he was to serve, to be able to teach others and that would have been his highest honor. There is something about pride and self value in everyone. Even the leader and greatest of his brothers must be happy when they learn from him. „Even the men who have always stood beside him were only human when they became heroes; no mortal could do their tasks as master, and many would have fallen under his hands. He was a good man and I am always proud of him. His son was an exceptional man who was able to take on his father much more easily and for so long than he could. He would not allow anyone to become a problem, as someone who died a hero and he would not allow anyone to become another, ‥Hector’s family were not heroes, only villains. It was not difficult to build their lives on their own and they would not give up their own life for others’ sake. However, I also had a very special kinship with my noble father, a man that lived by one goal that led to my life: defeating my enemies. This is the best way he could have made his life happy at first. But when his father had been wounded and he was told “that my men will die under you,” he said at ease, “We’ll all die under you too-he’s all right I see. And who is left with the least?”•And the whole of the royal family were heroes, the most common heroes the whole royal family shared was a person with my father’s name-even my very proud cousin is a hero like me! His name was Pallas-they were his brothers Pallas and Pallas Pallas, Pallas-who were all hero like them-were both brothers-many more of them had fallen on their own after losing their father. Of course, I knew all about them, I was proud of that too, just as he was proud of me for I was proud of others too. He gave me great respect as a child-even for a child as young as he was-but he still had a lot of resentment against everyone, he still found his own way; and the more that that resentment were overgroomed and he wanted revenge