Achilles, a prominent figure in Greek mythology, is renowned as a legendary hero whose story exemplifies extraordinary strength, bravery, and unwavering loyalty. However, he is famously known for his singular vulnerability – his “Achilles heel.” The tale of his valor and exploits is captured in Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, which recounts the events surrounding the latter part of the Trojan War.
Achilles: An Intricate Background
Like many mythological figures, Achilles had a complex lineage. He was the offspring of Peleus, the mortal king of the Myrmidons—renowned for their remarkable fearlessness and martial prowess—and Thetis, a sea nymph. Concerned about her son’s mortality, Thetis sought to make Achilles invincible. According to later myths, she subjected him to a series of rituals: burning him over flames at night and anointing his wounds with ambrosia, followed by immersion in the River Styx. However, while dipping him into the river, she held him tightly by his heel, leaving that part untouched by the water’s magical protective properties. Consequently, Achilles emerged impervious to harm with the exception of his heel.
At the age of nine, a seer foretold that Achilles would meet his end heroically on the battlefield against the Trojans. To shield him from this fate, Thetis disguised him as a girl and concealed him on the island of Skyros. Nevertheless, fate led him back to the battlefield as he joined the Greek forces. When Homer composed the Iliad around 720 B.C.E., the audience was introduced to Achilles primarily as a valiant warrior with overpowering strength, beauty, and a deeply vengeful disposition. Moreover, while his loyalty to friends and family was unwavering, he was also prone to rapid anger and moodiness.
The Trojan War’s Genesis
The origin of the Trojan War, as described in legend, began when Zeus decided to diminish the human population through orchestrating a conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans. This plan unfolded during a wedding celebration for Achilles’ parents, where Zeus summoned Paris, the prince of Troy, to make a judgment on the most beautiful goddess among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Each goddess offered him a bribe, but it was Aphrodite who promised him Helen, the most beautiful mortal, who was already wed to Menelaus, the Spartan king. Influenced by Aphrodite, Paris abducted Helen, inciting Menelaus to seek vengeance by gathering an army of Greece’s mightiest warriors, including Achilles.
Achilles in the Iliad
When the Iliad opens, the Trojan War has entered its ninth year. Achilles, the central character, had led numerous successful battles and remained undefeated. Yet, the war had reached a deadlock. The narrative shifts to explore a profound conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon, the Achaean general and Menelaus’ brother. Agamemnon had claimed Chryseis, a young Trojan woman, causing distress when her father—a priest of Apollo—pleaded for her return, only to be harshly dismissed. In retaliation, Apollo inflicted a plague upon the Greek forces.
Ultimately, Agamemnon agreed to return Chryseis but demanded Breseis, Achilles’ concubine, in compensation. Although reluctant, Achilles surrendered Breseis but declared he would no longer fight for Agamemnon. His withdrawal tilted the battlefield in favor of the Trojans, leading to a series of defeats for the Greeks.
Patroclus, Achilles’ closest friend, proposed using Achilles’ armor to deceive the Trojans into believing he had rejoined the fight. However, divine intervention from Apollo led to Patroclus’ death at the hands of Hector, Troy’s mightiest warrior. Consumed by grief and rage, Achilles vowed to avenge Patroclus. Thetis sought the help of Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to forge remarkable armor for her son.
Fueled by vengeance, Achilles pursued Hector, killing many Trojans along the way. When he confronted Hector outside the gates of Troy, a desperate negotiation ensued, but Achilles was resolute and ultimately killed Hector, disregarding his pleas for a respectful burial. Instead, he defiled Hector’s remains, dragging them behind his chariot back to the Greek camp. Eventually, the narrative culminates with Achilles returning Hector’s body to his father for a proper burial, showcasing a moment of reluctant respect.
The Tragic End of Achilles
While Homer does not chronicle the fate of Achilles directly in the Iliad, subsequent legends indicate that he sought further vengeance following Hector’s funeral. Apollo, however, forewarned Hector’s sibling Paris of Achilles’ approach. In a cowardly act, Paris ambushed and shot Achilles with a guided arrow, striking the only vulnerable point on the hero: his heel, where his mother’s efforts had failed to grant him invulnerability. Thus, Achilles perished, undefeated in combat, marking a tragic conclusion to the tale of one of mythology’s greatest warriors.
