In Homer's Iliad, Achilles is often called a very brave Greek hero, but a deeper look at the epic will reveal a man who is more arrogant than courageous. It was his arrogance that made his name famous and not his courage. Achilles was a narcissistic and selfish man who did not care about his fellow countrymen. His courageous actions can easily be revealed as selfishness instead of what most people believe. Early in Achilles' life, the Greek goddess Themis prophesied that he would die young and famous in battle or live a long nonexistent life without battle. . His mother, Thetis, took this as an omen of death and placed Achilles in the magical waters of the River Styx. He did this to help him be immortal, but didn't take into account that the area he held, his ankle, was left vulnerable (Claybourne). This start in life leads him to believe that he is better than everyone else because the gods protected him. It is him believing he is superior which leads to his fatal flaw of being selfish. While fighting the Trojans, Achilles and Agamemnon came to blows in a display of superiority. Agamemnon, the Greek warlord, put Achilles in his place by reminding him that he was in control of what really happened and took Briseis, Achilles' war prize, for himself. This angered Achilles and from that moment on he would no longer fight alongside his countrymen against the Trojans or even sulk as a child would (Puchner, , et al 238-239). During this act Achilles demonstrated that if he could have his toys he would no longer play with his friends. His refusal to participate in the war hurt the Greeks terribly and many men were lost. Achilles couldn't have cared less about the loss of his p... middle of paper... battle that Achilles' ego needed. However, Hector tried to do the right thing by offering that the deceased be returned to their respective camps after the battle was over. It is at this point that Achilles goes beyond common courtesies of war and flatly denies Hector's request. This action of Achilles shows his arrogance and the bloodlust that was truly in his heart rather than the courage that so many people claim he had. Works Cited Claybourne, Anna. "Achilles." Gods, goddesses and mythology. Marshall Cavendish Digital, January 4, 2012. Web. March 13, 2014. http://marshallcavendishdigital.com/articledisplay/41/8483/89264.SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNotes on the Iliad.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Network. March 5, 2014Puchner, Martin, , et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Third. A. New York: WW, Norton & Company, Inc., 2012. 230-331. Press.