Editing Achilles (section)

=== In the ''Iliad'' ===
[[File:Achilles Agamemnon Pompei mosaic NAMNaples 10006.jpg|thumb|Achilles and [[Agamemnon]], from a mosaic from [[Pompeii]], first century&nbsp;CE]]

Homer's ''[[Iliad]]'' is the most famous narrative of Achilles' deeds in the Trojan War. Achilles' wrath ({{lang|grc|μῆνις Ἀχιλλέως}}, {{tlit|grc|mênis Achilléōs}}) is the central theme of the poem. The first two lines of the ''Iliad'' read:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|Μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληιάδεω Ἀχιλῆος<br />
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκε, [...]
|Sing, Goddess, of the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,<br />
the accursed rage that brought great suffering to the Achaeans, [...]
|}

[[File:Wall painting - Briseis taken away from Achilles - Pompeii (VI 8 5) - Napoli MAN 9105 - 01.jpg|thumb|Achilles cedes [[Briseis]] to [[Agamemnon]], from the [[House of the Tragic Poet]] in [[Pompeii]], fresco, first century&nbsp;CE ([[Naples National Archaeological Museum]])]]

The Homeric epic only covers a few weeks of the decade-long war, and does not narrate Achilles' death. It begins with Achilles' withdrawal from battle after being dishonoured by [[Agamemnon]], the commander of the [[Achaeans (Homer)|Achaean]] forces. Agamemnon has taken a woman named [[Chryseis]] as his slave. Her father [[Chryses]], a priest of [[Apollo]], begs Agamemnon to return her to him. Agamemnon refuses, and Apollo sends a plague amongst the Greeks. The prophet [[Calchas]] correctly determines the source of the troubles but will not speak unless Achilles vows to protect him. Achilles does so, and Calchas declares that Chryseis must be returned to her father. Agamemnon consents, but then commands that Achilles' slave [[Briseis]], the daughter of [[Briseus]], be brought to him to replace Chryseis. Angry at the dishonour of having his plunder and glory taken away (and, as he says later, because he loves Briseis),<ref>''Iliad'' 9.334–343.</ref> with the urging of his mother Thetis, Achilles refuses to fight or lead his troops alongside the other Greek forces. At the same time, burning with rage over Agamemnon's theft, Achilles [[Homeric prayer|prays]] to Thetis to convince Zeus to help the Trojans gain ground in the war, so that he may regain his honour.

As the battle turns against the Greeks, thanks to the influence of Zeus, [[Nestor (mythology)|Nestor]] declares that the Trojans are winning because Agamemnon has angered Achilles, and urges the king to appease the warrior. Agamemnon agrees and sends [[Odysseus]] and two other chieftains, [[Ajax the Great|Ajax]] and [[Phoenix (son of Amyntor)|Phoenix]]. They promise that, if Achilles returns to battle, Agamemnon will return the captive Briseis and other gifts. Achilles rejects all Agamemnon offers him and simply urges the Greeks to sail home as he is planning to do.

[[File:The Rage of Achilles by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.jpeg|thumb|left|''The Rage of Achilles'', fresco by [[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo]] (1757, Villa Valmarana ai Nani, Vicenza)]]

The Trojans, led by [[Hector]], subsequently push the Greek army back toward the beaches and assault the Greek ships. With the Greek forces on the verge of absolute destruction, [[Patroclus]] leads the [[Myrmidons]] into battle, wearing Achilles' armour, although Achilles remains at his camp. Patroclus succeeds in pushing the Trojans back from the beaches, but is killed by Hector before he can lead a proper assault on the city of Troy.

After receiving the news of the death of Patroclus from [[Antilochus]], the son of Nestor, Achilles grieves over his beloved companion's death. His mother Thetis comes to comfort the distraught Achilles. She persuades [[Hephaestus]] to make new armour for him, in place of the armour that Patroclus had been wearing, which was taken by Hector. The new armour includes the [[Shield of Achilles]], described in great detail in the poem.

Enraged over the death of Patroclus, Achilles ends his refusal to fight and takes the field, killing many men in his rage but always seeking out Hector. Achilles even engages in battle with the river god [[Scamander]], who has become angry that Achilles is choking his waters with all the men he has killed. The god tries to drown Achilles but is stopped by [[Hera]] and Hephaestus. Zeus himself takes note of Achilles' rage and sends the gods to restrain him so that he will not go on to sack Troy itself before the time allotted for its destruction, seeming to show that the unhindered rage of Achilles can defy fate itself. Finally, Achilles finds his prey.

[[File:The Triumph of Achilles by Franz von Matsch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|''The Triumph of Achilles'', fresco by [[Franz von Matsch]] in the [[Achilleion (Corfu)|Achilleion]], Greece]]

Achilles chases Hector around the wall of Troy three times before [[Athena]], in the form of Hector's favorite and dearest brother, [[Deiphobus]], persuades Hector to stop running and fight Achilles face to face. After Hector realizes the trick, he knows the battle is inevitable. Wanting to go down fighting, he charges at Achilles with his only weapon, his sword, but misses. Accepting his fate, Hector begs Achilles not to spare his life, but to treat his body with respect after killing him. Achilles tells Hector it is hopeless to expect that of him, declaring that, "my rage, my fury would drive me now to hack your flesh away and eat you raw – such agonies you have caused me."<ref>"The Iliad", Fagles translation. Penguin Books, 1991: 22.346.</ref> Achilles then kills Hector and drags his corpse by its heels behind his chariot. After having a dream where Patroclus begs Achilles to hold his funeral, Achilles hosts a series of [[funeral games]] in honour of his companion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lattimore |first1=Richmond |title=The Illiad of Homer |date=2011 |publisher=The University of Chicago |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-46937-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/iliad00home_5}}</ref>

At the onset of his duel with Hector, Achilles is referred to as the brightest star in the sky, which comes on in the autumn, Orion's dog ([[Sirius]]); a sign of evil. During the cremation of Patroclus, he is compared to [[Hesperus]], the evening/western star ([[Venus]]), while the burning of the funeral pyre lasts until [[Phosphorus (morning star)|Phosphorus]], the morning/eastern star (also Venus) has set (descended).

With the assistance of the god [[Hermes]] (Argeiphontes), Hector's father [[Priam]] goes to Achilles' tent to plead with Achilles for the return of Hector's body so that he can be buried. Achilles relents and promises a truce for the duration of the funeral, lasting 9 days with a burial on the 10th (in the tradition of [[Niobe]]'s offspring). The poem ends with a description of Hector's funeral, with the doom of Troy and Achilles himself still to come.