Achilles: A Tragic Hero

Over time there have been many men and women who have received the title “hero.” They likely have been named by their bravery, strength, and willingness to give up their own comfort, if not their own life, to benefit the wellbeing of others. Every hero differs in many ways. Each one of them has his own story of heroism. The tragic hero survives in our literature. The first characteristic of a tragic hero is that they must suffer more than deserved. This stands true for Achilles, Hector, Beowulf, and Hamlet. Achilles, son of King Peleus and Thetis, rightfully earned his title as one of the greatest heroes in the war between the Greeks and Trojans. Achilles was a special warrior because he could only be killed if he was wounded in his
He was wounded spiritually by the death of his best friend named Patroclus. The death of a close friend or relative can be worse than physical suffering; however, Achilles experienced both spiritual and physical wounds. He fought bravely during the war between the Greeks and Trojans; unfortunately, Paris killed Achilles later during the war. Along with Achilles, Hector experienced physical and spiritual pain. After Achilles killed Hector Achilles horribly disrespected Hector’s body by dragging it around behind Achilles’ chariot. At first Achilles refused to give Hector a proper burial, this is how Hector suffered spiritually. Even though Hector did eventually receive a proper burial, he still died fighting his brother’s battle resulting in him becoming a tragic hero. Beowulf became a tragic hero after suffering physically. Beowulf died trying to protect people from a killer dragon. All Beowulf’s warriors left him and refused to help him fight the dragon. Although Beowulf did kill the dragon, he was injured so badly that after he defeated the dragon he died. Lastly, Hamlet suffered physically and spiritually. Hamlet suffered spiritually because he lost his father and his mother married the man who killed Hamlet’s father. While trying to avenge the death of his father, Hamlet accidentally killed his lover Ophelia’s father. In the end Hamlet ultimately suffered physically because he died by the sword. The last characteristic of a tragic hero is that they have been faced with a very serious decision to