What a worthless, burnt-out coward Id be called If I would submit to you and all your orders, Fling them at others,Dont give me commands !Never again, I trust, will Achilles yield to you My hands will never do battle for that girl,Neither with you, King, nor any man Alive.(p 111)With these wrathful words of Achilles to his commander Agamemnon, so begins the sequence of events in The Iliad that ultimately pits Achilles the runner against Hector, breaker of horses. Although these men were already enemies, Achilles being an Achaean and Hector being a Trojan, it is truly Achilles rage that makes the rivalry personal. These two men, from opposite sides of the battle lines, are both strong, brave, and heroic, but also possess a myriad of conflicting character traits. It is these differences that aid both men in their independent pursuits for honor and the implementation of their separate destinies. Achilles is half-divine because he is the son of the goddess Thetis and a mortal, Peleus. He is by far the greatest warrior in the Trojan war and is considered to be worth an entire army (p.134). The very sight of him throws fear into the hearts of, otherwise courageous warriors. A true man of war, Agamemnon calls him, the most violent man alive (p 107). With his fierce nature and taste for war also comes his prideful ways. When this delicate pride is damaged by the public disgracing Agamemnon brings upon him by taking his war prize, he selfishly decides to withdraw from battle. Achilles goes to his divine mother for the malicious reason of asking Her to beg Zeus for help in getting reprisal on Agamemnon. He pleads with her : now, go and sit beside [Zeus], grasp his kneespersuade him, somehow, to help the Trojan cause,to pin Achaeans back against their ships,trap them round the bay and mow them down.So all can reap the benefits of their king So even mighty Atrides can see how mad he wasTo disgrace Achilles, the best of the Achaeans ! (p 114) T...
