Why Achilles Changes

In The Iliad, after Patroclus dies in battle, wearing Achilles armor, Menelaus sends word to Achlles, Patroclus’ closest friend. When Achilles hears the news, the once bitter warrior changes. While his transformation seem to alter the course of this story, his movement from an egotistical fighter to a concerned soldier not only changes the course of the story but also exposes Achilles for the character he really is, exposing some patterns of human nature in similar situations.

One of the most distinguished themes in The Iliad is the ego. Arguably the person most obsessed with this idea is Achilles, so when he puts his feud with Agamemnon aside, it made me. Throughout the majority of the epic poem, Achilles and the Achaean leader constantly conflict, usually in regards to power and influence, so I began to question, why does Achilles put all of these quarrels aside? One answer exposes something true about life. When you put things in perspective, the smaller things start to become less important. If you think about it, these kinds of things happen quite often. After the Attacks of September 11th, for example, George Bush’s approval ratings were hovering around 90%, some of the highest numbers in American history. However, less than a year earlier, the President lost the popular vote in the 2000 election, so it seems strange that he would have such high approval ratings. While this is a strange example, what I’m trying to show is that when there is a common enemy/idea or something much larger going on, internal feuds suddenly seem petty. In this case, Achilles sees Hector as the main enemy and vows to avenge the death of his closest friend. Also, Achilles starts to limit his ego, perhaps solidifying that the famous warrior has put this war ahead of himself (unlike Hector, who becomes more self-centered at this point). After Patroclus dies, Achilles sees this war in a new light, and is able to abandon some of his proud tendencies.

However, there is another possibility why Achilles changes so much. Perhaps he used Patroclus’ death as a vehicle for him to fight. The only thing that is harder than placing yourself lower than another person is doing so after you have established that you would never do that. It’s similar to the idea that once you have established your views, its impossible to go against them without seeming weak. It only heightens the problem if you are an egomaniac like Achilles. I think Achilles may have wanted to fight for the Achaeans, however, he thought others would see him as weak if he would back down from Agamemnon if there was no distinct reason why he would, especially after stating he would never fight for him. Perhaps Patroclus’ death was the only way Achilles could abandon his pride (and even stubbornness) to fight for the Achaeans, and therefore change the course of the Trojan War. I think that this idea is natural as well. People tend to hate grudges, and it is part of human nature to let some things go. A piece of evidence for this theory is Achilles being able to control his rage and stay levelheaded long enough to get new armor. Perhaps this shows that he has been ready for this situation for some time before it actually occurred. Nevertheless, the true reason he changes is unclear.

Because the true reason behind Achilles changing is impossible to know for sure, it makes his change so much more interesting. Perhaps it is the idea that when something big happens, people start to act and put their lives into perspective, causing them to forget the grudges that once occupied their lives. However, it may be part of our inherent nature to look for excuses to reconcile differences and let go of grudges, and perhaps Achilles uses Patroclus’ death as means to do so. In my eyes, each answer is valid, however, only one can be true. My question to you is, which one do you think it is?