Character Analysis: Heroes of Trojan War

Achilles: Greatest Trojan War Hero of the Greek Army

Greatest of all the Achaean heroes who fought at Troy, and the central character of Homer’s Iliad,
Achilles was theSo f the Argonaut and companion Peleus and the Nereid Thetis, a goddess of the sea.
Achilles was trained by the Centaur Chiron who taught him the art of war. It was prophesied that he
would either live long in obscurity or die young and obtain glory. To avoid this, Thetis was said to have
dipped him in the river Styx to make him invulnerable; Critically she missed his heel where she held him.

Homer’s Iliad begins with Achilles withdrawing himself and his soldiers from the war after quarreling
with Agamemnon, commander of the Greek army. As the situation deteriorates for the Greeks Achilles
rejects all attempts to mollify him. Finally, Patroclus, his cousin and close friend, convinces Achilles to
allow him to take his place at the head of Achilles’ troops. Patroclus saves the Greeks but is killed,
causing Achilles to rejoin the war.

Given new armor forged by the god Hephaestus, Achilles goes on a rampage slaughtering hundreds of
Trojans, fights the river god Scamander, and kills the Trojan hero Hector. He then holds elaborate
funeral games in honor of Patroclus; the nature of their relationship has been debated for centuries
though many believe them to have been lovers. Achilles goes on to kill Penthesilea, queen of the
Amazons, and Memnon king of Ethiopia, both of whom were Trojan allies before he himself is killed by
the Trojan hero Paris. Achilles is a popular Trojan War Hero in both Ancient and Modern art

Agamemnon: Commander of the Greek Army at Troy

The king of Mycenae, commander of the Achaean army, and brother of Menelaus, Agamemnon was the
most powerful lord in Greece. After Helen of Troy and Paris ran off, Agamemnon gathered the various
Greek contingents to invade Troy. Before the Greek fleet departed, Agamemnon insulted the goddess
Artemis and was forced to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to make amend an act which his wife
Clytemnestra never forgave. In the tenth year of the war, as recounted in Homer’s Iliad, Agamemnon
and Achilles quarrel over Briseis, a slave girl. This occurs after Agamemnon is forced to relinquish his
slave girl Chryseis to avert a plague. Achilles withdraws from the war and Agamemnon leads the Greeks
against Troy with disastrous consequences.

Agamemnon, though not the equal of Achilles in bravery or Ajax in strength, is still one of the greatest
Achaean warriors of all the Trojan War Heroes. In one memorable scene, he goes on a killing spree
almost on the scale of Achilles. After the Fall of Troy, Agamemnon receives the Trojan princess
Cassandra as a prize and delays his returnv in an attempt to appease the goddess Athena. Agamemnon’s
homecoming is not a happy one. He and Cassandra are murdered by Clytemnestra and her lover
Aegisthus. Orestes and Electra, Agamemnon’s children, eventually avenge his death. Agamemnon was
regarded as the highest type of monarch and artistic representations depict him in a similar manner to
the famous god Zeus.
Menelaus: Homeric Lord of the Spartans

Husband of Helen, brother of Agamemnon, and king of Sparta, Menelaus appears in both the Iliad and
the Odyssey and was also a popular figure in Greek tragedy and art. According to legend, Menelaus was
one of the many suitors who sought to marry the beautiful Helen. To avoid conflict her father made the
suitors swear an oath to abide by the decision and support each other and defend Helen’s husband.
Once Paris and Helen ran off to Troy Menelaus called on the suitors to fulfill their oath.

In the Iliad Menelaus challenges Paris to single combat and easily defeats him. However, Paris is saved
by Aphrodite and Menelaus is wounded by the Trojan Pandarus who shoots him with an arrow.
Menelaus helps retrieve Patroclus’ body and is credited with killing eight named Trojan warriors. He is
one of the Trojan War Heroes of the Greek army hidden inside the famed Trojan Horse and participates
in the Sack of Troy. Later he takes Helen back with him to Sparta after a long journey during which a
storm forces them to stop in Crete and Egypt.

Odysseus: Architect of the Greek Victory

The cunning king of Ithaca, Odysseus played a key role in the Trojan War. It was he who devised the oath
which bound the Achaeans to come to the aid of Helen’s husband, which he himself tried to avoid. His
ploy was discovered by Palamedes, whose downfall he later orchestrated, possibly with the aid of his
usual partner Diomedes. Odysseus’ main role amongst the other Trojan War Heroes is that of a
counselor and advisor, especially to Agamemnon who often relies on his support. He is the main
emissary sent to persuade Achilles to rejoin the war, where he shows off his diplomatic skills.

As the war progresses, Odysseus’ role expands. He and Diomedes conduct several special operations
against the Trojans. They kill the Trojan ally Rhesus and steal the Palladium from the temple of Athena in
Troy. After Ajax and Odysseus retrieve the body of Achilles, Odysseus is awarded them which leads to
Ajax committing suicide. Ultimately It is Odysseus who engineers the Fall of Troy first by bringing
Neopotelmus, the son of Achilles, and Philoctetes, the Wielder of the bow of Heracles into the Greek
camp, and by creating the famed Trojan Horse. His journey home after the war is described in the epic
poem the Odyssey; and Odysseus himself has been frequently depicted in both ancient and Modern art.

Patroclus: Savior of the Greek Cause at Troy

The son of Menoetius, the king of Opus and a former Argonaut, Patroclus was sent to be raised
alongside Achilles after killing another child over a game. Slightly older than Achilles he served as a
squire, counselor, and war time companion. Although later Greek authors expanded and reinterpreted
their relationship, there is no sexual dynamic between Achilles and Patroclus in the Homeric tradition.
The exact nature of the relationship between these Trojan war Heroes continues to be hotly debated to
this day.

When the war turned against the Greeks and the Trojans threatened the Greek ships Patroclus
convinced Achilles to lend him both his soldiers and equipment. Wearing Achilles’ armor, carrying
Achilles’ weapons, and leading Achilles troops, Patroclus drives the Trojans back to the city gates and
kills the Trojan hero Sarpedon. However, Patroclus hoes too far and is killed by the Trojan heroes
Euphorbos and Hector with the aid of Apollo. Hector takes Achilles armor but Menelaus and Ajax the
Greater rescue Patroclus body. A distraught Achilles later holds an elaborate burial and funeral games
for Patroclus. The Trojan War Heroes Achilles and Patroclus are often depicted together by artists

Ajax the Greater: Defender of the Greek Ships and Army

Ajax was a towering figure, the son of Telamon. He was an Argonaut who also hunted the Calydonian
boar and was King of Salamis, and half-brother of Teucer another Trojan War Hero in the Greek army.
The strongest of all the Trojan War Heroes of the Greeks he was trained alongside Achilles by the
centaur Chiron. Known as the “Bulwark of The Achaeans,” Ajax possessed high levels of combat
intelligence and despite being in the thick of the fighting and receiving little assistance from the gods, in
the course of the Iliad he is never wounded. He often fought alongside Teucer, who sheltered behind his
massive shield. Ajax fought a duel against the great Trojan hero Hector, who he wounds, which lasted
for an entire day. They meet again later when Hector attacks the Greek camp and ships. Ajax is crucial to
the Greek defense nearly killing Hector with a rock and holding off the Trojan army almost single
handedly.

Ajax is one of the emissaries sent to Achilles by Agamemnon to try to convince him to rejoin the fighting
and recovers Patroclus’ body after he was killed by Hector. Ajax also recovers Achilles’ body after he is
killed with the help of Odysseus, who is awarded the arms and armor of Achilles by the Greeks. Enraged
by this sight, Ajax slaughters the Achaean livestock which Athena causes him to mistake for his enemies.
Upon recovering his senses, Ajax is unable to live with the shame of his actions and commits suicide. The
suicide of Ajax was a popular theme in Greek and Roman art, as were depictions of him playing dice with
Achilles.

Diomedes: The Young Greek Rival of Achilles

Youngest of the Greek Trojan War Heroes, beloved of Athena, partner of Odysseus, and king of Argos,
Diomedes had more military experience than any of the other champions. Prior to the Trojan War,
Diomedes led a major expedition against Thebes, where his father had died as one of the Seven Against
Thebes; the largest military conflict before the Trojan War. During the war he kills the Trojan hero
Pandarus, nearly kills the hero Aeneas, faces Hector and becomes the only mortal to wound two gods,
Aphrodite and Ares, in a single day. He was also respected for his wisdom and counsel.

He was selected as an emissary to Achilles and had a memorable exchange with the Trojan hero Glaucus
on the battlefield. Diomedes often partnered with Odysseus to conduct special operations such as the
night raid on the camp of the Trojan ally Rhesus or in stealing the Palladium from the temple of Athena
in Troy. The theft of the Palladium was a popular artistic theme. After the Fall of Troy, Diomedes
returned safely to Argos but was exiled by his wife and the people who had turned against him.
Eventually Diomedes settled in Southern Italy and founded ten cities in the region.
Nestor: Counselor and Advisor of the Greek Army

An Argonaut, who had battled centaurs, and hunted the Calydonian boar, the aged Trojan War Hero
Nestor was king of Pylos. Too old to engage in combat, Nestor led his troops from his chariot and let his
sons, Antilochus and Thrasymedes, do the fighting. Nestor was a skilled public speaker and counselor,
who often offered his advice to the younger Trojan War Heroes of the Greek army.

There is a subtext of humor in Homer’s portrayal of Nestor, who is never able to dispense his advice
without first offering long winded accounts of his own heroic actions in the past when he faced similar
situations. Nestor’s military advice is also often considered anachronistic, more suited to an earlier time
when he was younger. While much of Nestor’s advice is of a questionable quality, his reputation as a
wise counselor rested more on his speaking abilities than on the quality of his advice or counsel. After
the Fall of Troy, Nestor immediately left for home rather than trying to appease the gods, and arrived
safely without any issues. He later appears briefly in the Odyssey when Telemachus travels to Pylos
seeking news of his father Odysseus.

Idomeneus: Cretan Ally of the Greek Army

Leader of the Cretan forces, he was the son of Deucalion, an Argonaut who also participated in the hunt
for the Calydonian Boar, and the grandson of Minos remembered for his Labyrinth and the Minotaur.
Idomeneus was one of the older Trojan War Heroes of the Greek army, a trusted advisor of Agamemnon
who continues to fight on the front lines. He is credited with killing twenty Trojans, three Amazons, and
briefly repulsed one of Hector’s most deetermined attacks.

After the Fall of Troy Idomeneus returns to Crete but his ships are caught in a terrible storm. In exchange
for the God’s protection Idomeneus promises Poseidon that should he survive, he will sacrifice the first
living thing he encounters to the god. Upon his return, Idomeneus is greeted by his son who he dutifully
sacrifices. Angered by this, the gods send a plague to Crete and the Cretan people exile Idomeneus, who
travels first to Calabria in Italy and then to Colophon in Anatolia.

Machaon: The Greek Physician at Troy

Alongside his brother Podalirius, Machaon led the Thessalian contingent of the Achaean army though he
is remembered more as a healer than a fighter. Machaon was the son of Asclepius, the god of healing
and medical arts. During the Trojan War Machaon tended to the various Greek Trojan War Heroes when
they were wounded.

His most important contribution to the war effort was the healing of Telephus, the king of Mysia. After
arriving off the coast of Anatolia the Greeks attacked Mysia, mistaking it for the city of Troy. The Greek
attack was beaten off but Achilles dealt Telephus a wound with his spear which refused to heal. Seeking
a cure for his wound Telephus journeyed to Argos where the Greek fleet was regrouping. Machaon
revealed that the only way to cure the wound was with rust from Achilles spear, and after his wound
was healed the grateful Telephus offered to guide the Greeks to Troy. The healing of Telephus was a
popular theme in Greek and Roman art. Machaon was killed in the tenth year of the war by Eurypylus,
the son of Telephus.