Why Did Achilles Want To Die
Bailee Gates
English 2332-881
Professor Brooks
21 November 2014
To Stay or to Go? When Achilles was first born, his fate was to die by Troy. He is the son of King Peleus, a nymph, Thetis. Achilles was brought up by Chiron, who taught him how to fight and become a great warrior. Achilles mother knew about his wretched fate. As a baby, it is said that she took the infant, Achilles, to the River of Styx in hopes that submerging him in the water would make him completely immortal so he could escape his fate. She submerged all but his heel, which would soon contribute to the fulfillment of his destiny. When Achilles got called to help the Greeks to get the princess, Helen, back from the Trojan Prince, Paris, he was then faced with a life changing dilemma. He had the option to either go fight and die and be known as a Great War Hero, or to stay behind and live. …show more content…
Achilles had always grown up as a fearless, war-minded, young man. Death in war did not scare him because he was raised knowing that war was in his blood. Being the prideful man that he is, Achilles chose to go to war. He could not pass up his opportunity to receive eternal glory. But the honest question is, was it the fates that chose his destiny, or Achilles? Achilles decision to fight for his own selfish benefits proves that he is personally responsible for how things ended. He did not try to escape his fate. The idea of becoming the greatest war hero of all time intrigued him even more to be involved in the Trojan War. He was not sincerely concerned about the welfare of the Greeks; he was only worried about what would be said of him after the war. Achilles had one mission— gain eternal glory. Achilles had too much pride to back down from war, even if it meant death. Therefore it is proven that because of his selfish lusts, Achilles holds responsibility for his
English 2332-881
Professor Brooks
21 November 2014
To Stay or to Go? When Achilles was first born, his fate was to die by Troy. He is the son of King Peleus, a nymph, Thetis. Achilles was brought up by Chiron, who taught him how to fight and become a great warrior. Achilles mother knew about his wretched fate. As a baby, it is said that she took the infant, Achilles, to the River of Styx in hopes that submerging him in the water would make him completely immortal so he could escape his fate. She submerged all but his heel, which would soon contribute to the fulfillment of his destiny. When Achilles got called to help the Greeks to get the princess, Helen, back from the Trojan Prince, Paris, he was then faced with a life changing dilemma. He had the option to either go fight and die and be known as a Great War Hero, or to stay behind and live. …show more content…
Achilles had always grown up as a fearless, war-minded, young man. Death in war did not scare him because he was raised knowing that war was in his blood. Being the prideful man that he is, Achilles chose to go to war. He could not pass up his opportunity to receive eternal glory. But the honest question is, was it the fates that chose his destiny, or Achilles? Achilles decision to fight for his own selfish benefits proves that he is personally responsible for how things ended. He did not try to escape his fate. The idea of becoming the greatest war hero of all time intrigued him even more to be involved in the Trojan War. He was not sincerely concerned about the welfare of the Greeks; he was only worried about what would be said of him after the war. Achilles had one mission— gain eternal glory. Achilles had too much pride to back down from war, even if it meant death. Therefore it is proven that because of his selfish lusts, Achilles holds responsibility for his