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Achilles

Literary Character
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A Greek hero of the Trojan War, famous for his extraordinary strength and vulnerable heel.

Detailed Definition
Achilles is the central warrior of Homer’s Iliad, where his anger, withdrawal from battle, and eventual return shape the poem’s tragic movement. Son of the goddess Thetis and the mortal Peleus, he embodies heroic excellence while remaining subject to grief, pride, and mortality. His quarrel with Agamemnon reveals the destructive cost of wounded honor, and his encounter with Priam gives the epic a profound meditation on shared human suffering.
Example
Example in poetry:
Homer presents Achilles in the Iliad as the greatest Greek warrior whose anger drives the poem's central conflict; A poet may invoke Achilles to represent nearly unmatched skill joined to destructive pride; In an elegy, an "Achilles" can symbolize a hero whose short life ends in glorious but tragic fame; A modern poem might contrast an Achilles-like fighter's battlefield strength with his emotional vulnerability
Additional Notes
Achilles comes from Homer’s Iliad and is the greatest Greek warrior in the Trojan War. His near invulnerability and vulnerable heel make him a symbol of exceptional strength paired with a hidden weakness. In poetry, an “Achilles’ heel” is a person’s decisive flaw. His anger, pride, and eventual grief also illustrate the heroic code and the cost of honor.
Other Meanings of “Achilles”
Also Known As
Achilleus
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