Achilleus: A superior character, or less than heroic?

Although Achilleus possesses superhuman strength and has a close relationship with the gods, he may strike modern readers as less than heroic. He has all the marks of a great warrior (one of the requirements for heroism), but his deep-seated character flaws constantly impede his ability to act with integrity or nobility. His lack of control over his pride so poisons him that he abandons his comrades in battle and even prays for their defeat, …

…of the epic, and still wants to remain glorified in the Shadwill, 4 eyes of all; he holds this above everything. Priam's words do not make him a more deliberative or self-reflective character. He was willing to risk the fate of his city for a dispute over a war prize, and had not Patroclus been killed, he might not have been bothered to "re-examine" his position. Shadwill, 5 Works Cited Homer. The Iliad. New York: Anchor Books, 1974.