Character Analysis: Achilles

Achilles

Achilles can be considered the main character of the film and one of the main characters of the poem. He is the Achaeans' greatest warrior, and he and his Myrmidons form the strongest and most deadly part of the Greek army. In the Trojan War, he is an essential part of the army, and the Iliad focuses on what happens when he withdraws his support. Two significant points that are different or consistent between Homeric Achilles and Petersen's Achilles are as follows: His immortality, and his emotions.

In the Iliad, Achilles' backstory is not told, but it went as follows: When he was a baby, his mother (Thetis) dipped him in the River Styx (In the Underworld) and his skin was made invulnerable, EXCEPT for his heel, where Thetis had held him to dip him in.

Thetis dipping the infant Achilles into the river Styx

. Painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1630s

This made his skin impervious to the weapons of the time, which is why he was such a great warrior. This is not seen or explained at all in Troy, although it is alluded to, when a boy asks Achilles if he is invincible, and Achilles replies by saying that if he was, he wouldn't bother with a shield would he? It is clear that Achilles in the film was not invulnerable because he was killed by Paris shooting him four times through the chest (and first, once through the heel, a nice little reference to his death in mythology). Achilles didn't actually die in the Iliad, that happened after the events of that story. The reasons for Achilles' mortality being shown in this way will be explored in a later post.

The other main point that should be made about Achilles' character is his emotional state. This is one characteristic that is very similar between both texts. Achilles is a very distressed, yet quite compassionate person. There are small differences in character, but overall he is a very human character. This is very important because he is essentially the main character of both texts, and as such he must be consistent. His anger and frustration towards Agamemnon caused the events of the Iliad. Achilles is very much his own man, not responding well to authority. This is quite an influential part of his character, along with his compassion and his tendency to rage, whuch will be examined in more detail later. We can see the extent of his rage when he drags Hector's body behind his chariot, seen in the below picture:

This is Achilles' idea of justified revenge, but to the Greeks this was a massive thing, and Hector could be forever maimed in the afterlife, IF he made it there. The other side of his emotional state is the gentleness expressed more in Troy. Briseis brings out the softer side of him, seen in the below clip:

Achilles is very human, and we can see this clearly in both texts. He has his good side and his bad side and this helps the audience to relate to him.

Achilles is the main character in both texts, and the important things to note about him are his mortality/immortality and his emotions.