Topic
Wrath and Justice in Homer’s Achilles
Instructions
Write a topic analysis Wrath and Justice in Homer’s Achilles
Answer Preview
Even if Achilles achieved redemption towards the end of the poem, the journey toward his salvation was long. In his journey of achieving goodness, Achilles was full of grief and wrath and in his negative orientation for which he is to be admired, he accomplished the will of Zeus (1.5). In addition, Achilles’ character was not attributed to humans and brutes but associated with divinities. Furthermore, his wrath was a manifestation and a reflection of complete divine might and would only show itself in instances where humans had overstepped beyond the set confines of behavior. Even though by this show numerous innocent people would suffer, the consequences were acceptable since they serve to restore order which was preferred to the chaos (Muellner 7-8).
This meant that Zeus and Achilles were ready to bear all the injustices that ensued from their disposition if only it meant that order would be restored. All the same, since Zeus was a god and Achilles was not, the only logical conclusion would be Achilles was an unknowing collaborator in that “cosmic mission” aimed at restoring societal integrity (15.97-100).
Word Count: 1600