Achilles





Achilles was a legendary war hero in ancient Greece. He was very wise, brave, and extremely handsome. Achilles was known to be emotional, once in a rage it was almost impossible to calm him down. He was the fastest and most skilled warrior in all of Greece. His opponents thought him to be invincible. ** THE LEGEND OF ACHILLES ** Achilles was born the son of King Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis. Thetis is said to have dipped Achilles into the River of Styx as a child. She held him by the ankle; this was the one area of his body not touched by the magical water. Therefore, Achilles heel was left vulnerable. Achilles fought heroically against the Trojans, but was killed by Paris. Paris shot Achilles with a poisonous arrow from behind. According to the legend, Paris’s hand was guided by the god Apollo. To this day, any weak point is called an "Achilles heel". We also refer to the strong tendon that connects the muscles of the leg to the heel bone as the "Achilles tendon". ** ACHILLES AND THE TROJAN WAR ** Achilles is widely known for his role in the Trojan War. He did not fight the first few battles, due to a disagreement between him and the Spartan king Agamemnon. The Spartans were known to have the most skilled and powerful armies of their time. Both forces knew a victory without Achilles would be almost impossible. However, the course of the war was soon changed. Hector, the Trojan prince, accidentally kills the cousin of Achilles, Patroclus. Patroclus was upset with Achilles decision not to fight. In order to raise the moral of the men he put on Achilles armor and went to battle. Hector sliced Patroclus’ throat and when his helmet was removed Hector realized his mistake. This event unleashed the famous wrath of Achilles. He went to the great Trojan wall and screamed for Hector. The two warriors fight and Achilles slays Hector. Once the Spartans penetrate the gates of Troy they cause complete havoc in the city. Achilles fights bravely until he is killed by Paris. ** ACHILLES AND POLYXENA ** Polyxena was known to be a beautiful Trojan Princess. She was the youngest daughter of Piram, king of Troy. Polyxena and her brother Troilus were fetching water from a well when they were ambushed by Achilles. He slays Troilus and will soon become interested in Polyxena. The Spartans, later captured Polyxena at the temple of Apollo. She was given to the troops but Achilles came to her rescue. Achilles fell in love with Polyxena and genuinely trusted her. He found her words comforting. She was the only one he told of his single weakness. When Achilles kills hector, Polyxena’s brother, her father Piram comes to retrieve the body. When Piram sees his daughter is unharmed he asks for her release. Achilles had great respect for Piram. So, Achilles tells Polyxena she is no longer a prisoner but his guest and gives her the choice to return home. She does so and returns to Troy with her father. Some stories say Polyxena loved Achilles and others say she pretended for one reason or another. However, when Troy was invaded Achilles once again sought out Polyxena. They met in the Temple of Apollo where he asked for her hand in marriage. Paris, Polyxena’s brother, emerges and kills Achilles with a shot to his heel that is said to be guided by Apollo himself. There are two endings to this tragic story. Some claim Polyxena commits suicide out of guilt for Achilles death, while others say the ghost of Achilles demanded Polyxena to be sacrificed to him.
 * THE GREAT ACHILLES **

media type="google" key="3124277183017757883&hl=en&fs=true" width="400" height="326" media type="google" key="1130004116606931100&hl=en&fs=true" width="400" height="326" 1.Achilles 2.****Achilles**
 * (Links)
 * 3.** [|outline,achilles..wps] ( You must save document in order to open.)