How Does Achilles Present Violent Behavior

Both poems use various characters to present the idea of aggressiveness and violent behavior present in an individual when seeking for revenge. For instance, in The Iliad, upon hearing Patroclus’ death and the disrespect his body received, Achilles is driven by retaliation to avenge his companion and kill Hector. Achilles portrays this behavior in Book 22, after Hector has begged Achilles to spare his life, “‘Beg no more, you fawning dog—begging me by my parents! Would to god my rage, my fury would drive me now to hack your flesh away and eat you raw—such agonies you have caused me! […] The dogs and birds will rend you—blood and bone!’” (22. ). Homer uses diction, repetition, tone and mood to emphasize the unremorseful attitude Achilles have towards Hector. In the …show more content…
The phrase “fawning dog” shows how Achilles is degrading Hector’s standards as a warrior and as an individual by calling him an animal who portrays very obsequious behavior. Additionally, Achilles is displaying very vicious and hostile behavior when he wishes to “hack [Hector’s] flesh” and “eat [Hector] raw” because these words show a very cannibalistic and animalistic behavior that is present in Achilles, which can be the cause of revenge taking over an individual. The repetition of the word “you” emphasizes Achilles accusations towards Hector and his poor actions that led him to beg for his life from Achilles and this highlights the idea of Achilles angry tone towards Hector which contributes to the scary mood surrounding the scene. Consequently, Achilles sense of decency is forgotten by him because of his focus on vengeance, moreover, this causes Achilles to be unable to distinguish between his moral responsibility and satisfaction for his own good, which shows Achilles ignorance of justice and acceptance of retaliation. On the other hand, in the Beowulf, the author uses not only humans but also non-existing creatures to point out the idea of brutality that is introduced in a