Achilles

The Warrior with One Weak Spot

Achilles was the son of Peleus, a mortal king, and Thetis, a sea goddess. He became the greatest warrior fighting for the Greeks during the Trojan War. Ancient poems describe him as incredibly fast and deadly in battle. The later story that Thetis dipped him in the River Styx, leaving only his heel vulnerable, is famous today but is not part of Homer's Iliad.

The Iliad begins with Achilles furious at Agamemnon, leader of the Greek army. Agamemnon takes Briseis, a woman awarded to Achilles, and Achilles feels dishonoured. He refuses to fight. Without him, the Greeks begin to struggle against the Trojans.

Achilles's closest companion, Patroclus, eventually wears Achilles's armour and enters battle. The Trojan prince Hector kills him. Achilles is devastated. He returns to the war with new armour made by Hephaestus, defeats Hector and drags his body behind his chariot. His anger is frightening, but the poem later shows a different side when Hector's elderly father Priam begs for his son's body. Achilles finally agrees and they grieve together.

The Iliad ends before Achilles dies. Other Greek traditions say Paris kills him, often with help from Apollo. Later writers connected the fatal wound with his heel, giving us the phrase 'Achilles heel' for a single weakness. Achilles remains memorable because his enormous strength exists alongside grief, pride, friendship and anger.

Achilles also has an unusual relationship with the gods. His mother Thetis knows that he faces a choice between a long, quiet life and a short life with everlasting fame. The heroic tradition remembers him because he chooses the path that leads to Troy. He is closely associated with Patroclus, whose death changes the entire direction of the Iliad. Achilles's new shield, forged by Hephaestus, is described in extraordinary detail, showing cities, farms, dancing, stars and the ocean. The greatest warrior carries an image of ordinary human life into battle, which makes the destruction around him feel even more tragic.

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