Summary:
One of literature's examples of the tragic hero is Achilles from Homer's The Iliad. However, Achilles is different from the classic tragic hero in one major way - his story does not end tragically. Unlike the usual tragic hero, Achilles is able to change, reverse his downfall, and actually prove himself as a true hero.
Achilles as Tragic Hero
In his classic work "Poetics" Aristotle provided a model of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is more admirable than the average person. This results in the tragic hero being admired by the audience. For the audience to accept a tragic ending as just, it is crucial that the tragic hero be responsible for their undoing. At the same time though, they must remain admired and respected. This is achieved by the tragic hero having a fatal flaw that leads to their undoing. One of literature's examples of the tragic hero is Achilles from Homer's The Iliad. However, Achilles is different from the classic tragic hero in one major way - his story does not end tragically. Unlike the usual tragic hero, Achilles is able to change, reverse his downfall, and actually prove himself as a true hero.
The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability on the battlefield. By having battle as central to the story, it is made clear that ability on the battlefield is not a trivial ability, but one to be respected and honored. This illustrates that Achilles can be considered as being more admirable than the average person. This is also expressed in the poem, such as where Apollo refers to Achilles saying, "Let that man beware, or great and glorious as he is, / We mighty gods will wheel on him in anger - look, / He outrages the senseless clay in all his fury!" (Homer, XXIV 58-60). This passage recognizes Achilles as great and glorious.
This passage also mentions the fatal flaw, which is the second requirement of Aristotle's hero. Achilles fatal flaw is his tendency to go to extremes out of anger. Apollo recognizes this where he refers to Achilles' fury. This fatal flaw is also expressed in the opening lines of the poem, "Rage - Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, / murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses" (Homer, I 1-2). The rage that is spoken of first causes Achilles to react and refuse to join the battle. When Patroclos is killed, it then causes Achilles to react again, with his rage driving him too far. This allows the audience to see that Achilles is a great man, while having a fatal flaw that leads to his own undoing.
The final aspect of the tragic hero is that his life ends tragically because of his downfall. If Achilles fit with this model perfectly, he would become aware of his excessive rage at the end of the poem. However, while he did become a better person at the end of the poem, it would be too late for his story to end positively. Achilles would be expected to die tragically at the end of the poem, though still dying with honor. This would create in the audience a sense of pity for Achilles, especially enhanced because he remains respected. At the same time, the audience would see that Achilles is ultimately responsible for his own tragic ending. This would create a sense of justice for the audience. The end result is that the audience would identify with the events and see the importance of changing their own actions for the better. As noted, however, The Iliad does not follow this form exactly. Instead of ending tragically, Achilles becomes aware of his own problem and is able to right things. This occurs in assistance with the Gods who become angered when they see how Achilles is treating Hector's body. The Gods then send Achilles' mother Thetis to see Achilles. Thetis makes Achilles aware of his tendency to go to excess. This marks a period of change for Achilles, where he recognizes the flaw in his own character and begins to address it. Achilles meets with Priam, shows sympathy for him, and finally acts based on reason, and not rage. In these final actions of returning Hector's body and announcing a truce period so Priam can bury his son properly, Achilles shows his heroic qualities. In the end then, Achilles does not become the tragic hero. Instead, he becomes the tragic hero who avoids the tragedy. Achilles follows the model of a tragic hero in that his fatal flaw leads to his undoing. However, unlike the typical tragic hero, his undoing does not eventually lead to a tragic ending. Instead, Achilles is able to recognize his problem, change, and avoid the tragic end that could have resulted. It was noted earlier that the normal tragic hero's death would leave the audience with the understanding that they must take action to save themselves. Achilles' story provides the same message, except that it shows how one can change and save themselves. Of course, it must also be noted that Achilles overcomes his own flaw with the help of his mother and the Gods. However, this is still Achilles own decision to change, and his own personal journey. For example, he does not simply grant Priam the time he needs to grieve his son because his mother tells him to. Instead, he does so because he understands Priam's grief and feels sorry for his actions. This is made clear where Priam and Achilles weep together: ."..And overpowered by memory / Both men gave way to grief" (Homer XXIV, 592-593). This makes it clear that Achilles is responsible for the changes in himself. Overall, this shows how a fatal flaw can be preventing from becoming fatal.
Overall, it has been seen that Achilles meets the major requirements of a tragic hero. He is more admirable than the average person. He also has a fatal flaw that leads to his own undoing. However, unlike the normal tragic hero, Achilles is able to address his own flaw and prevent his downfall from spiralling to the point where his life ends tragically. Ultimately, Achilles is an almost-tragic hero who saves himself from tragedy. Ultimately, The Iliad is an almost-tragedy with hope, where the audience can see the tragic ending that had been narrowly avoided.
Works Cited
Aristotle. "Poetics." In The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. Ed. David H. Richter. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990.
Homer. The Iliad. New York: Penguin, 1998.
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