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Emily Pawczuk
Prof Dyer
HIST 134
6 October 2014
Alexanders Obsession with Achilles
There is no doubt in anyones mind that Alexander the Great was an inspiring leader. He
won every battle he fought and he expanded his empire across the entire known world of his
time. But what was the inspiration for him? It seems that Alexander had a hero of his own, the
great Greek warrior Achilles.
Achilles was a warrior in Homers The Iliad, he was the son of Peleus and a water nymph
named Thetis (SparkNotes). When Achilles would fight in a battle, the battle was sure to be won
by him, if he did not fight then defeat was inevitable. While Alexander was growing up, he was
taught by the philosopher Aristotle who had Alexander read The Iliad. It is rumored that he read
and reread the poem many times, and even kept a copy by his bed side.
Alexander aspired to be like Achilles. He never lost a battle, like Achilles did and they
were both fearless soldiers. After a time even the name, Alexander the Great, struck such fear
into his enemies, it is thought that this was a large part of his enemies defeat in battles. They both
also had an intense temper. Once, Alexander set fire to a town because of a revolt they did
against his rein. He even went so far as to in one battle, he tied an African to his chariot and road
it around the castle he was protecting (A Heros Hero).

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There were even legends that Alexander was the son of Zeus because there was no way
that he could be a mortal, he even believed this himself. Because of how he idolized Achilles and
turned out to be such a great leader from wanting to be so much like his hero, his soldiers started
to idolize Alexander. Because of his obsession with The Iliad and Achilles, he achieved being
one of the greatest conquerors and leaders of all time.

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Bibliography
"A Hero's Hero- Alexander and Achilles." Word Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
<http://riteshjsr.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/a-heros-hero-alexander-and-achilles/>.
"Spark Notes: The Iliad: Character List." Spark Notes. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/iliad/characters.html>.