The defilement of Hektor's body by Achilleus is a grotesque and elaborate moment in the story of the Iliad, while all the other bodies killed in the epic are either brought back by their comrades or left to the vultures. His treatment of the body is obscene; even the gods are horrified by it and must ultimately stop it. This brutality is difficult to understand in a society centered on ceremonies, glory and strict adherence to the rules of behavior in combat. However, it is clear that Achilleus' behavior is not showmanship or glee. When Achilleus defiles Hektor's body, he defiles the representation of the passionate rage that has defined his character thus far in the epic: rage against sovereignty, rage for his lost comrades, rage against the murder of his best friend and rage towards one's destiny, an early death with glory or a long life without any glory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of the epic, Agamemnon and Achilleus have an altercation, in which Achilleus disagrees with the attitude of Agamemnon towards the return of Chriseis, and he in turn wins Briseis, the prize of Achilleus. Thus begins the tragic rage of Achilleus. “Thus he spoke, and wrath seized the son of Peleus... / wondering whether to draw the sharp sword from his thigh, driving out / all those who stood between the two and killing the son of Atreus” (Homer, 1.188-191). ). At this point, not only does Achilleus become the furious spectator that he will be for eighteen books of the epic, but he develops an image of Agamemnon as a leader who lacks consideration for consequences, changing for good the mentality of Achilleus. He will no longer obey. or follow orders, and with that Agamemnon loses a great fighter for himself and for all the Achaeans, as when Achilles says: "For surely, with a ruined heart, he makes sacrifices / and has not enough spirit to look behind and before him / that the Achaeans fighting alongside their ships, they will not perish” (1.343-345). With this, the stage is set for the tribulation. The king's rash actions will lead not only to an angry Achilleus, but also to the deaths of hundreds of Achaians and, ultimately, Patroklos. In this light, Achilleus' defilement of Hektor's body is a defilement of poor leadership, stubborn acts of selfishness, and authority as a whole. In the fighting before Achilles returned to battle, the Trojans had several days of success. Without Achilleus, as well as Zeus's support of the Trojans, the Argives suffered countless losses and were continually pushed back to their ships. Even their leaders and the most skilled fighters are injured during the war. Although there were times when they temporarily recovered, the Achaeans suffered great losses both in numbers and in respected members of their troops. If Achilleus withdrew from the fighting very early, he undoubtedly felt the effects of these losses from his ship. He shows his concern by sending Patroklos to obtain an inventory and identify a corpse that he sees brought back from the fight. When Achilles finally enters the fight and confronts Hektor outside Troy, he says: "You will pay at one time all the punishments of my companions whom you have killed in the fury of your spear" (22.271-272). In this way, the desecration of Hektor's body is a desecration of the countless deaths of Achilleus' comrades and friends. The next, and most obvious, reason for Achilleus' actions is the death of Patroklos. When Achilleus hears the news, he faces incredible grief and guilt, as he, 1951