The heroes of Iliad, Homer’s immortal epic on the Trojan War, are depicted at their rawest: brutal, lustful, savage. Unlike
the knights of Camelot, they make no pretenses either of chivalry or code of honor. Not that men were worse during that age; the low technological level of warfare demanded it. The worth of each man is measured by his efficiency to kill and survive. Yet for all their savagery the warriors on both sides recognize heroism and adored heroes – men like Achilles, Hector,
Odysseus, Diomed, Aeneas, Ajax, Sarpedon,
Patroclus - men who rise above themselves and triumph against formidable odds by virtue of their strength and valor.
Golden-haired, god-like Achilles personifies the timeless perception of what a hero should be. Conqueror of twelve cities and bravest of the Achaeans, he is huge, fleet-footed, and strong . He alone could wield his giant ashen spear, and draw the massive iron bolt from his gate. None of the Trojans except Hector and Aeneas, nor even the Greeks except perhaps Odysseus or gigantic Ajax can stand up to him in hand-to-hand combat. He is, according to mythology, invincible.
To avenge the insult heaped upon him by Agamemnon’s taking of Briseis, he sulked in his tent to drive home the point that without him the Greeks would be helpless “at the murderous hands of Hector”. He forbade his Myrmidons to fight while the Greeks suffered grievously in the hands of the Trojans who took advantage of his absence . He was ruthless, implacable, remorseless, and unforgiving, following his victory over Hector in single combat. Achilles shamed the Achaean hosts by his cruelty over the body of Hector whom he dragged mercilessly outside the gates of Troy for nine days in full view of his grieving kin and dragging it further to his camp long after Patroclus had been avenged . Only upon remembering his own father and the death of Patroclus did he acquiesce to the pitiful pleas of Priam who had stooped to the unspeakable humiliation of kissing the hands of the slayer of his sons .