Greek and Roman Mythology Achilles

Greek and Roman Mythology

Achilles rejects the embassy when they offer him a truce together with treasures. For him the love of Briseis as well as personal honor are more important than the rewards offered by a man he despises. The options that are left for Achilles is either fighting and dying, which will result in lasting honor or leaving for Greece and making a life with Briseis. This is a difficult choice, because lasting glory would mean lasting life, even after physical death. Achilles appears to attach great importance to this when he enters the battlefield, but when he meets Briseis, it appears that his love is gaining the upper hand.

Personally, I believe that living a long and full life on earth would have been the better choice. It is difficult enough as it is to find a lasting and fulfilling love as he has with Briseis. Obviously Achilles' heart lies in this direction, and I think he would have been ultimately happier and more fulfilled with this option.

Choosing battle, death and everlasting glory as he did can perhaps be understood from the viewpoint of the time.

I do not however believe that this was a wise choice, because being physically dead would preclude Achilles from experiencing any of the glory he so highly prized. In other words, he would not at all even be aware of the glory that subsequent generations would ascribe to him for his conquests.

With Briseis on the other hand he would have had a family to love him until his dying day. As it was, Achilles died soon and violently, knowing the love of his girl for only a limited time. In my view this is somewhat self-defeating. It is better to live long and be loved while alive than to be remembered for thousands of years after death. This is so because the former includes awareness. Achilles would have been happy and aware of the love within which he was living. With the choice he did make, his entire experience included a short time of love and of violence, after which he was dead and unaware. I do not think this was a wise choice.

Patroclus begs Achilles to let him join the battle, and Achilles allows him to do so against his better judgement. The predicament is that Achilles finds himself in a struggle between the wish for glory and the wish for peace. On the one hand, Achilles can understand Patroclus' wish to join the battle. On the other hand, however, he has promised the latter's father to keep him safe. Furthermore Patroclus promises Achilles not to pursue the Trojans once they retreat. Yet in the heat of battle he continues to do so. This leads to his death and to the ultimate predicament for Achilles.

Firstly, Achilles understands the desire to attain glory in battle. This is why Patroclus continues to pursue the Trojans, even against that advice of the gods. The dilemma for Achilles in this case lies in the fact that he completely understands Patroclus' wish for battle. Achilles himself is a warrior, and ultimately he decides himself to join the battle, regardless of his love for Briseis and regardless of the fact that he knows he will die. It is this in him that he cannot deny Patroclus.

Achilles nonetheless does all that he can to ensure Patroclus' safety. He warns Patroclus not to pursue the Trojans, because he knows this will lead to death. Furthermore he implores the gods with offerings to bring the young man back safely. None of these strategies however work, because Patroclus disregards both Achilles and the gods in his desire to attain glory. Ironically, his infamy lies only in the fact that he was foolish and that he died unnecessarily.

Furthermore Achilles' predicament lies in the fact that he is now to explain to Patroclus' father the reason why he went into battle. Achilles also lost a friend that he mourns. This is his biggest predicament. Despite that fact that he has decided to return to Greece to begin a family with Briseis, he is now practically forced to avenge his friend.

In comparison with his response to the embassy then, several differences can be detected. Patroclus, being a friend, is able to manipulate Achilles' opinion more effectively than the embassy representing a man he despises. While he has clear judgment with regard to the embassy then, his judgment with regard to his young friend is somewhat clouded. For the embassy, Achilles could give his reasons for not wanting to go into battle clearly and calmly, and also justify his decision to remain with Briseis rather than seek glory. With Patroclus however he is very easily persuaded to let the young man fight for an honor that Achilles himself was willing to give up for love.

The difference is that Patroclus is too close to Achilles to allow for clear judgment. Ironically, this appears to have been the opinion of the embassy with regard to Briseis as well. She was too close to Achilles to allow for clear judgment, and thus their opinion was that Achilles was giving up an opportunity for greatness for the sake of something far less important.