Achilles a Hero – Really?

 

 Achilles a Hero – Really?

Imagine you come across a child in a playground who sometimes acts like a braggart and a bully and at other times complains that someone else always gets the largest piece of cake and that a bigger boy has taken his toy. He is rude to his elders and betters and forms what could be described as inappropriate relationships. At times he threatens to quit the game and take his ball and bat and go home and at other times he just sulks in his room, either playing with himself or by himself, we aren’t sure which. He runs to tell his mommy his problems and weeps in her arms. Then he throws a temper tantrum and cannot be controlled, as he deliberately tries to hurt and torment another child. In my day, a kid like that would have been given a swift kick in the backside and sent to his room with no supper.

This is not the picture of a naughty child in a playground. No, this is a description of Achilles, regarded by many as the epitome of the Homeric hero. The fact of the matter is that he did not achieve his kleos by dying a noble death in battle. In truth, Homer did not even think that his death was worth mentioning. Legend has it that died from an arrow wound to the heel of his foot, a lucky shot by the pretty playboy Paris. His existence in the underworld is portrayed by Homer in the Odyssey as being rather bleak and unsatisfying. He tells Odysseus that he would rather be a common slave on earth rather than the king of the dead. Achilles is not remembered for his heroic deeds. He is immortalized for his wrath and for his weak spot, his Achilles heel.

I write these words, fully aware of the condemnation that I will receive from Dr. Antony Makrinos, a native of Chios and head of the Department of Greek & Latin at University College London, where I recently attended his Summer School in Homer. Achilles is Antony’s favourite hero and I doubt that I will receive an invitation to attend next summer’s session. But let us take a deeper look at why I believe that Achilles is anything but a hero.

His actions bore severe consequences for others: Sing of the accursed rage of Achilles, son of Peleus, which brought untold woes to the Achaeans and banished to Hades many stalwart souls of heroes, turning them into carrion for dogs and birds of prey.

Achilles’ lack of self-awareness and the fact that he seems to be devoid of empathy means that he remains unaware of the consequences that his actions will have on others.

His is rude to his elders and to those in authority: Ah me, you greedy one garbed in shamefulness, how could any one of the Achaeans now obey you readily or go on a voyage for you or willingly fight for you with force?... But you, O great shameless one, we followed so that you, you son of a bitch, could gain satisfaction for Menelaus and yourself from the Trojans… You drunken cowardly son of a bitch, never have you had courage enough to dress for battle or to go forth to fight along with the chiefs of the Achaeans. You are so afraid of dying you sluggard… You are a king who devours his own people… You can command others but do not give orders to me because I do not believe that I will obey you any longer.

In most cases, insubordination stems from a deep frustration with those in charge and feelings of being mistreated. A toxic work environment can also lead to rebellion against authority. All of these factors were certainly present in the life of Achilles.

He complains of someone else getting a bigger share: Never have I had a prize equal to one of yours when the Achaeans have sacked a well-inhabited fortress of the Trojans… whenever it comes time to divide the spoils, your prize is always far greater and the reward which I take back to my ship is always smaller in comparison.

Achilles expresses that he is always being shortchanged by Agamemnon. This mindset can trigger anxiety and anger and lead to illogical behaviours and strained relationships. The victim of this kind of inferiority complex will often withdraw and we witness this with Achilles.

He complains that a bully is taking away his toy: But now you threaten to take away my prize from me, which the sons of the Achaeans gave me, that for which I toiled so hard.

Bring bullied leads to feelings of insecurity and of being unaccepted and the bullied one will often become isolated, angry or withdrawn.

He threatens to quit playing and to take his stuff back home: So now I will return to Pythia with my curved ship, for it is better to be at home rather than stay here dishonoured piling up riches and wealth for you.

Achilles fails to realize that such tactics seldom work and they actually weaken one’s bargaining position and damage one’s reputation. There are long term consequences here that he fails to take into account, blinded as he is by his wrath.

He is easily overcome by emotion: Great distress struck the son of Peleus and the heart within his shaggy breast was divided, whether to draw the sword from his side and rush through the crowd to slay and despoil the son of Atreus, or to stay his anger and cool his rage.

Intense emotions are more difficult to manage and we see Achilles constantly struggling to maintain control of his feelings. He does not seem to realize the impact that his emotions have on himself or others and this too is a signal of his emotional instability and lack of empathy.

Wait for the day when I tell you ‘I told you so’: Someday a great desire for Achilles will come upon the sons of the Achaeans, one and all, and you will not be able to assist them in any way despite your grief when many lay dying because of the man-slayer Hector. But you will eat your heart out in anger that you did no honour to the best of the Achaeans.

The ‘I told you so’ phrase often comes about from a combination of ego, self-validation and a need to be viewed as correct. The phrase validates a person’s intelligence and judgement in their own mind and increases their sense of self worth, especially when they feel that this sense of worth has been diminished by others.

He cries to his mother about his ill treatment: For indeed Agamemnon, the wide ruling son of Atreus dishonours me for he takes back for himself what was given to me. Thus he spoke shedding great tears and his sacred mother heard him while she sat in the depths of the sea near her ancient father.

A baby cries to its mother because of an instinctive need for caring and attention from its primary care-giver. Mothers are attuned to these cries and respond with empathy and attention. In the interplay between Achilles and his mother, we can conclude that the supposed hero has never grown out of the infant need for maternal comforting.

He sits sulking in his tent playing music: They then came to the encampment and the ships of the Myrmidons and there they found Achilles playing on a lyre that was beautifully wrought and had a bridge of silver. It was part of the spoils that he had taken when he sacked the city of Eetion and he was now gladdening his heart with it singing about the exploits of men.

Sulking is a complex emotional response to events or people and is usually the result of intensive anger or frustration at both. Sulking is passive aggressive behaviour and a coping mechanism for the sulking individual. Some even view sulking as a form of depression.

He expresses stubbornness in the face of logic: Neither Agamemnon the son of Atreus nor the other Danaans will ever persuade me to fight endlessly against the enemy, for there seems to be no profit in doing so. An equal portion of the spoils is allotted to a man, whether he sits at home or if he battles to his best and the coward and the bravest are treated the same. Destruction comes both to him who does nothing as well as to him who works the hardest… he lives on clothed in utter shamelessness. He wouldn’t dare look me in the eye though he has the face of a dog. I will not consult with him or work with him for he has cheated and sinned against me. Never again will he deceive me with words; enough is enough.

The stubbornness of Achilles is a reflection of his inflexibility and resistance to change as well as an indication of his fear of being perceived as wrong. The stubborn person feels the need to maintain control and the condition may be a sign of lack of awareness of self and low self-esteem.

He gets angry with those who do not support him: Do not claim him as your friend in case I, who indeed am your friend, now begin to hate you. It is indeed better that you hate those whom I hate as well.

Achilles may be strongly attached emotionally to his own viewpoint, or he may be exhibiting a lack of empathy or a fear of rejection. In any case, his anger with those who disagree with him or who are apparently not on his side is unhealthy.

He gloats at the suffering of those with whom he is angry: Son of Atreus, now I think the deadly heart of Achilles rejoices in his breast as he clearly witnesses the utter destruction and rout of the Achaeans since he has nothing but smallness in his chest.

Experiencing pleasure at the misfortunes of others can often arise from feelings of superiority and can have a highly negative impact on personal relationships and the development of any sort of empathy. This in turn can lead to a greater likelihood of engaging in behaviours that cause harm or distress to others.

Was his relationship with Patroclus sexual in nature? : Thus he spoke and a black cloud of distress descended on Achilles and with both his hands he gathered up the dark dust and threw it on his head and made ugly his fine countenance and the black soot fell on his fragrantly scented tunic. He stretched himself out in the dust, overpowered in his mightiness and with his own dear hands he tore at and dishevelled his hair.

Although there is no proof, there has long been speculation that Achilles and Patroclus were involved in a homosexual relationship. Inappropriate relationships can impact a person’s well-being and emotional health and can lead to less than healthy patterns of social behaviour such as manipulation, control issues and lack of self-respect.

Did Achilles contemplate suicide? : On the other side of them, Antilochus cried and shed tears and held the hands of Achilles who was moaning in sorrow deep in his heart, for fear that he might cut his own throat with a blade… my dear companion Patroclus has died, he whom I treasured before all my other comrades, even more so than my own life.

Psychologists tell us that there are two distinct phases to the development of suicidal thoughts. The first step is the experiencing of intense psychological pain. The second step involves the feelings of disconnection and the perception that one has become a burden to others. We witness Achilles expressing both these steps following the death of Patroclus.

He acts like a wild madman: Then Achilles grabbed his body by the feet and threw it into the river to float away. He gloated heartily over him and spoke with feathered words. “Float there among the fishes and let them lick the blood from your wounds, for your weeping mother will not be placing your body on a funeral couch.

When a person acts like a madman, such as Achilles does later when he attempts to fight a river, his actions can stem from a variety of factors. Such factors can include mental health conditions, temporary conditions such as stress, or psychological factors such as defense mechanisms or personality traits, social and environmental factors such as a toxic environment or other factors such as misunderstandings, performance pressure or lack of self-awareness.

Achilles throws a temper tantrum: Thus he spoke and then planned great evil for the body of godlike Hector. He pierced the tendon of both his feet between his ankles and his knees and fastened an oxen leather strap through them and then tied them to the back of his chariot with his head trailing behind. He mounted his chariot and lifted into it the glorious armour and whipped the horses with the lash to get them started and the pair of them flew off like a shot.

Dragging Hector’s naked body behind his chariot for days on end is an example of a pure and simple temper tantrum on the part of Achilles. With children, tantrums are a way of releasing pent-up emotions and often indicate a lack of emotional awareness or emotional intelligence. Tantrums are a way of getting attention, communicating feelings and having needs met. In adults we often see tantrums being manifested in actions such as road rage, domestic abuse, throwing objects or other sudden outbursts of impulsive, aggressive and violent behaviours. Here we see another example of the wrath of Achilles.

Achilles has a complete change of personality: So he spoke and in Achilles he stirred the desire to mourn for his father and he took the old man by the hand and pushed him away. The two of them thought about their dead and wept, the one for the sake of the man-slaying Hector as he crawled on the ground at the feet of Achilles, but Achilles himself wept for his father and at other times for Patroclus and the groaning of both of them went up through the house. But when the godlike Achilles had had his fill of mourning and the longing to do so had departed from his limbs and his heart, he sprang up from his chair and taking the old man by the hand and pitying his grey beard and his grey head, he spoke to him with winged words.

Feelings of intense sorrow change Achilles’ demeanor entirely. His deep feeling of sadness over the death of Patroclus and his musings about his own father lead him to accept what has happened and to establish a connection with the old man Priam. He even develops empathy. This reflection and pondering on his part becomes a catalyst for change in his life and opens the door to personal growth for him. His life experiences and the events that he has witnessed result in an unintentional personality change on his part. It is important to note however that he does not make this happen, instead it happens to him.

So were the actions displayed by Achilles the actions of a brave and mighty Homeric hero, or were they the actions of a petty, truculent, self-centered, angry, stubborn, vengeance-seeking, rude and complaining brat who cannot control his wrath or his emotions? It is a term that psychiatrists now say is outdated, but Achilles appears to display all of the characteristics of a paranoid schizophrenic. He is emotionally unstable, perhaps mentally ill, and certainly a danger to himself and to others. In my mind he is nothing like a hero, but he is a foil for one. The more that Achilles acts in a non-heroic fashion, the more he points out the superiority of the true hero of the Iliad, Hector. Hector is a true Homeric hero in every sense of the word and it almost seems that Homer cast Achilles in a most unfavourable light, so that the light which shone upon Hector was even brighter. Was Achilles a hero? Not really!

But this raises another question – did Homer favour the Trojans or the Greeks? Why did he portray the main Trojan character of the Iliad in a more favourable light than the main Achaean one? We may interpret something about where Homer’s heart was centered when we consider that his birthplace Chios is only 7 kilometers off the Turkish coast, whereas Agamemnon’s Mycenae is 420 kilometers away from his native island. Was Homer a closet Trojan?