Homers Achilles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homers Achilles - Essay Example Achilles was killed by Paris of Troy who was avenging his brother Hector's death. Paris has been termed a coward in some literature because he took advantage of Archilles' weakest spot and killed him by an arrow to his heel. Sophocles' Greek character, Philoctetes, resembles Achilles because he was wounded in his foot. His injury did not cure. Philoctetes was about to participate in the Trojan war when he was bitten by a snake on his foot. He suffered great pain and the wound smelled bad. His superior, Odysseus, betrays him and leaves him behind on an island called Lemnos. It seems Philoctetes' has an 'Achilles heel' too because his weak spot on his foot refused to heal. However, Philoctetes, unlike Achilles, does not die from his foot injury. It seems that the pain in his foot was linked to his reception of Heracles' bow. For when Neoptolemus tried to deceive Philoctetes and steal his Heracles' bow, the pain in his foot magnified. Neoptolemus took pity upon him and returned his bow. Philoctetes fought in the Trojan war. As a reward from the gods, his foot was cured of pain, smell and disease. Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus. She was a brave heroine who tried to bury her slain brother Polyneices, against the orders of Creon, Haemon's father. Her lover, Haemon, defended her actions and committed suicide after her death. Haemon's mother, Eurydice, killed herself because of grief. Creon gives up his life to his enemies.