Fischer 1

Aletta Fischer

Mrs. Dietrich

Honors English 10

6 March, 2017

Achilles

The phrase Achilles heel is widely known and used by many. It refers to a weakness or

vulnerability that a person has. According to Infomory.com, It originated in 1810 when it was

cited in Samuel Taylor Coleridges essay The Friend, a literary, moral, political, weekly paper

(Facts about Achilles). This saying comes from the Greek Hero named Achilles A widely

known and almost invincible warrior. He was almost invincible because his mother dipped him

in the River Stix as a baby in attempt to make him immortal, but held him by his heel. Since the

heel was the only part of his body that was not dipped into the river, it was the only part of his

body that could be harmed. Another Greek hero that is widely known and praised is the epic hero

Odysseus. Odysseus journey in Homers The Odyssey tells of his hardships and struggles after

the Trojan War and his attempts to get home. Coincidentally, these two Greek heroes knew each

other. Odysseus is the one that convinced Achilles to get involved in the Trojan War in the first

place. Even though Achilles is not a huge part of Odysseus story in The Odyssey, he is

significant to the story because of his early life, his friendship with Odysseus, and his appearance

to Odysseus in the underworld.

Achilles mother, Thetis, was very beautiful. Both Zeus and Poseidon wanted to marry

her. That is, until they found out the prophecy. The prophecy stated, The son of Thetis will be

greater than his father so both the gods retreated, not wanting anyone to be greater than them
 Fischer 2

(Achilles). Because of his chastity, the gods awarded a Greek named Peleus with the hand of

Thetis. They got married and even the gods attended their wedding. They had seven children, but

Thetis ended up accidentally killing all but one of them. She yearned for an immortal child and

tried many methods of achieving one. One method included, covering the body in ambrosia and

putting him on top of a fire to burn away his mortality (Achilles). When this did not work,

Thetis began to get frustrated. She tried many other methods but only one succeeded dipping

her last remaining son into the River Stix, whose waters were said to confer the invulnerability

of the gods (Achilles). She held Achilles so tightly by the heel as she lowered him into the

water, that his heel was the only part of his body not touched by the river. This meant that

Achilles was indestructible everywhere but his heel. When he was nine years old, Thetis and

Peleus heard of a prophecy that said Achilles will die heroically during the Trojan War (Facts

about Achilles). When his parents heard this, They disguised him as a girl amongst the

womenfolk at the court of King Lycomedes of Skyros (Facts about Achilles). In order to

protect him, they disguised him as a girl and sent him away.

When the Greeks heard that the war could not be fought without Achilles, they set out to

find him. Odysseus was the only person who saw through Achilles disguise, by requesting

Achilles to blow a horn (Facts about Achilles). He managed to convince Achilles to join the

Trojan War. When Thetis heard about this, she made a last-ditch effort to save her son by

having special armor made for him (Achilles). In Homers The Iliad, Achilles is the main

character and is widely praised as a hero for his warrior-like deeds (Achilles).When The

Iliad begins, the Trojan War has already been going on for nine years. Achilles successfully led

one battle after the other. He commanded fifty ships and also appointed five commanders

(Achilles). Encyclopedia Britannica says, During the first nine years of the war, Achilles
 Fischer 3

ravaged the country around Troy and took twelve cities (Achilles). Achilles had a son with a

woman named Dedamia, one of the girls he met when he was disguised as a female by his

parents in attempt to escape the prophecy. His son was named Neoptolemus (Editors of

Encyclopedia Britannica). Unfortunately, Achilles did not know his son very long. Although the

death of Achilles is not featured in The Iliad, it is predicted by Paris brother, Hector. Paris, a

Trojan Prince, shot Achilles in the heel the only vulnerable part of his body (Achilles).

This shot to the heel brought down Achilles and killed him. Achilles died being known as, the

bravest, handsomest, and greatest warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War

(Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). The armor that he was given as protection by his mother

before he went off to war was given to Odysseus.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus visits the underworld called Hades. He sees shades and spirits

of people he once knew that had died. Three shades appear to Odysseus. They are Patroclus,

Ajax, and Achilles (Homer, n.p.). Odysseus is honored to have the shade of Achilles approach

him, since he thinks that Achilles has power among the shades as great as that which he had

among the living (Morford, Lenardon, 277). Odysseus called out to them but Ajax ignored him.

This is because Odysseus got Achilles armor instead of him, causing Ajax to kill himself

(Morford, Lenardon, 274). Achilles asks Odysseus about his son, Neoptolemus, and Odysseus

tells him all about how he has proven himself worthy of being his son. When hearing this

information, Achilles in his pride feels a surge of joy illumine his gloomy existence (Morford,

Lenardon, 274). The fact that the soul of Achilles approached Odysseus in Hades shows that

they respected each other and were fairly close acquaintances or even friends.

There are many different ways to tell the story of Achilles. John Pinsent explains, In The

Iliad, he is often Aeacides, not son but grandson of Aeacus, who was the most just of all the
 Fischer 4

Greeks and ended up in Hades as the third judge with Mino and Rhadamanthys (114). Also in

Homers The Iliad, Achilles was brought up by his mother at Phthia with his cousin and

inseparable companion Patroclus (Achilles). His great-grandmother, was the nymph Aegina,

and his [Aecus] people, the Myrmidons, were ants whom Zeus turned into men (Pinsent 114).

No matter what story is heard about Achilles, they all say the same thing. That he was handsome,

brave, praised, and a great warrior.

Achilles was a man that was practically unbeatable. He was known by all as a war hero

who could help the Greeks win the dreadful Trojan War. When Odysseus found Achilles and saw

right through his disguise, he convinced him to join in on the fighting. Achilles became known as

a fantastic commander and won many battles during the war until he was brought down by a

fatal weakness. The story of Achilles is widely known and told throughout the world. Perhaps

this is because the story is so relatable. Achilles saw himself as indestructible except for one tiny

part of him. Humans sometimes think they are indestructible but they are not. Everyone has a

fatal weakness. Everyone has something that would harm them, emotionally or physically, no

matter how strong they think they are. The story of Achilles shows that no one is invincible.

In Homers The Odyssey, Odysseus has a weakness. Though it is not fatal, it affected him

greatly. His weakness was his family. Throughout the entire story, Odysseus longs to make it

back home to Ithaca where his wife and son are, whom he has not seen in twenty years. When he

was tempted by the nymph, Calypso, his heart and his mind were always on the thought of

making it back home. He could have given up, he could have stayed on Calypsos island, but

instead he faced trouble after trouble and obstacle after obstacle to get back to Ithaca and back to

his family. If his wife or his son had been harmed while he was away, he would have hunted

down the person who inflicted harm upon them and killed them. For example, when he came
 Fischer 5

home and found suitors trying to marry his wife, he shot them all with arrows and killed them.

Odysseus family was his greatest weakness just as Achilles heel was his own.

The story of Achilles and the story of Odysseus are very relevant to one another. They are

both heroes who face their predestined fate. While Odysseus story is of him to return home after

the Trojan War, Odysseus is relevant to Achilles story because he is the reason Achilles had gone

into the Trojan War in the first place. Achilles is relevant to The Odyssey due to his background

and early life, his friendship with Odysseus, and the fact that he appeared to Odysseus in Hades.