Achilles In Homer's The Illiad

Though this may seem like the actions of a man that had lost his mind but consider that he is a warrior and has been through ten years of war, he had seen thousands of deaths before this one. This death, specifically of his best friend, makes him act the way he does. Throughout all of The Illiad, not once is Achilles this upset or moved by anyone else’s death, this mean that Virgil had meant to specify and make sure that the reader understands how much Patroklos means to Achilles and how close of friends they are. With how severely depressed he gets that Antilochos thinks that he may kill himself is another hint that Achilles if actually a very emotional person. The way his actions are described clearly show that he is completely distraught because of the loss of his comrade. “Antilochos held Achilles’ hands as Achilles moaned / in his noble heard, and Antilochos feared that he would cut / his throat with a knife” (XVIII.32-33). The fear that Antilochos has that Achilles may cut his own throat also is another example of how much Patroklos meant to him and how emotional he was. Lastly, after the fighting had subsided and after the death of Hector and the funeral of Patroklos, Priam had
Achilles knew how Priam felt because he had just lost Patroklos and was still mourning him at this time, so he was able to relate to the sadness and depressed state that Priam was in. He was also able to relate to Priam because he spoke of Achilles’ father as well as offered ransom and the mourn of the fallen. These incidents of passion to take down Hector, his depressed state and his ability to sympathize with Priam all show his emotion for the people and humans in general, instead of just seeing them all as another person dying. Their lives actually meant something to