Greek Arete - Personal Excellence
...ew of all soldiers. Therefore he pulls himself and all his troops from battle. Achilles clearly strives for personal excellence, not only as a warrior, but as a man to be respected as well. For his part, Agamemnon displays an equal amount of pride by holding out and not apologizing to Achilles until later on (Book 9) after the Achaian army is completely demoralized and considering sailing home. When Agamemnon does offer Achilles valuable gifts as well as Briseis, Achilles refuses! This is the point where it becomes clear that Achilles has put his injured pride above all other considerations. Basically, he becomes the bad guy. When his best friend Patroclus is killed in battle, Achilles is so grief struck that he finally decides to join the battle (Books 16-19). When Achilles duels Hector in Book 22, his excellence in Battle is clear. That excellence is what makes him a hero. And all cultures love ...