Achilles

ACHILLES

Pietro Testa, Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector, 1648, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, etching on copper plate.

Antonia Kwan

Pietro Testa’s Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector captures in copper one of the most significant scenes from The Iliad, a striking vignette from the immortalized legend of Achilles. Inherently dramatic in its Baroque intensity, the brutality of Testa’s lines conveys both pathos and emotion in vengeful force. Greek hero Achilles—his armor marking his identity—ties Trojan prince Hector’s slain body to his chariot, preparing to drag it around the walls of Troy. In this pivotal moment of desecration, Testa illustrates the paradoxical nature of heroism in The Iliad—more than an act of retribution; it is an expression of grief, an assertion of dominance, and a tragic turning point in Achilles’ own fate.

Testa achieves remarkable effects of space, texture, and light through etching upon copper plate immersed in several stages of acid baths. The result is a stark interplay of darkness and illumination: the deep, shadowed lines of the central figures contrast against the sketchier background details—the devastated city of Troy, its mourning citizens, and a grief-stricken Priam and Hecuba. This chiaroscuro contrast is not merely a technical feat but a reinforcement of The Iliad’s thematic dualities—love and war, rage and sorrow, honor and desecration, mortality and immortality. War, as Homer presents it, is both barbaric and inevitable. Yet within this brutality lies a paradoxical beauty: the idea that through suffering and sacrifice, one may achieve eternal renown. Friedrich Nietzsche, in his theory of the will to power, later argued that this acceptance of war stems from an intrinsic human drive—inescapable and deeply embedded in our nature. (Rosenthal 2012)

Homer, however, does not present war solely as a matter of human ambition; it is also an instrument of divine will. Even Achilles—peerless in strength and unmatched in battle—is ultimately powerless before fate. He is ever aware of his own mortality and the choices that define his legacy:

“My mother Thetis …

Tells me two fates sweep me on to my death.

If I stay here and fight, I’ll never return home,

But my glory will be undying forever.

If I return home to my dear fatherland,

My glory is lost but my life will be long.” (The Iliad 9.423–28)

Testa’s engraving captures this tension. Achilles stands in a pose of full, invigorated glory, Nike—the winged goddess of victory—floating behind him with a laurel in hand. Yet his furrowed brow betrays a more complex state of mind. This moment, meant to immortalize Achilles’ triumph, also seals his doom. By avenging Patroclus, he ensures his own death. Achilles is heroic in his greatness but troubling in his morality. His unparalleled skill in battle evokes admiration, yet his desecration of Hector’s corpse provokes horror.

 Homer’s language itself underscores Achilles’ godlike ferocity:

“As inhuman fire sweeps on in fury through the deep angles

of a drywood mountain and sets ablaze the depth of the timber,

and the blustering wind lashes the flame along, so Achilles

swept everywhere with his spear like something more than a mortal,

harrying them as they died, and the black earth ran blood.” (The Iliad 20.490–94)

But if Achilles is a hero, then what of Hector? Unlike Achilles, Hector does not fight for personal glory but for the defense of his family, his city, and his people, fully aware of his doomed fate. If heroism is measured by nobility of cause rather than by sheer prowess, then Hector, not Achilles, is the true hero. Achilles, driven by personal vengeance rather than justice, stands at the uneasy boundary between admiration and condemnation. His desecration of Hector’s corpse—dragging it in endless circles around Troy—is a reflection of Levi-Straussian ideals of contrasts in myth: a shameful act by a noble death, so appalling that even the gods take offense (Morford et al. H12):

“What good will it do him? What honor will he gain?

Let that man beware, or great and glorious as he is,

We mighty gods wheel on him in anger—look,

He outrages the senseless clay in all his fury.” (The Iliad 24.62)

Achilles is both monstrous and deeply human. His rage is unrelenting, yet his grief is just as consuming. His rejection of Agamemnon’s gifts, his hubris and return to battle only on his own terms, and his final moment of compassion—when he grants Priam his son’s body—reveal a man who is at once powerful and profoundly broken. In The Iliad, heroism is paradoxical. The great are destined to die young, and the tenderness of human connection—Hector’s farewell to Andromache, Priam’s plea to Achilles—can never truly overcome the relentless demands of honor and vengeance (Morford et al. 481). The poem’s deepest tragedy lies in this tension: to achieve eternal glory, one must forsake the very attachments that make life meaningful.

Testa’s etching immortalizes Achilles and Hector as perfect foils—one burning with life, the other silent in death. Their contrast reflects the Sophoclean belief that what is best for man is an early death, for in death, the hero is freed from suffering and granted everlasting fame. Yet Achilles himself remains an enigma: is he the ultimate victor, or merely another victim of fate? Even as he stands triumphant, he is bound by the same inexorable forces that govern all mortals. Testa does not offer a definitive answer—only the tragic grandeur of war, heroism, and destiny, locked forever in conflict.

Anthony Wang

Pietro Testa's etching Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector (1648) captures one of the most powerful and emotionally charged moments in Greek mythology. Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior of the Trojan War, drags the lifeless body of Hector over the walls of Troy to avenge the death of his friend Patroclus. Although Testa's portrayal is faithful to the events described in the Iliad, his artistic choices emphasize Achilles' brutality, depicting him as a figure consumed by rage rather than a heroic warrior bound by fate. By comparing traditional Greek mythological depictions of Achilles with Testa's artwork, we can see how interpretations of heroism and revenge change with the medium and cultural context.

In Greek mythology, Achilles is a complex characterization, he is a warrior of unrivaled skill, but also an emotional man bound by fate. According to the Iliad, Achilles is driven by honor and anger, especially after the death of Patroclus at the hands of Hector. His grief transformed into anger and he not only killed Hector, but also desecrated his body by dragging it over the city wall (Morford, et al. 481). Later, moved by Priam's pleas, he shows a moment of compassion by returning Hector's body for a proper burial (Morford, et al. 481). Achilles is both vengeful and compassionate, and this duality defines his character in the myth.

However, Testa's etching amplifies the darker side of Achilles. The piece highlights the overwhelming power dynamic between Achilles and Hector's corpse. Unlike literary depictions that leave room for Achilles' eventual redemption, Testa captures only the moment of raw vengeance. The lack of emotion on Achilles' face in the etching suggests that he was an insensitive warrior without any notion of honor or respect. Art historians have noted that 17th-century European interpretations of classical mythology tended to emphasize themes of divine justice and human cruelty, which may explain why Testa focuses on the cold nature of Achilles rather than his eventual reconciliation (Harvard Art Museums). Such a depiction makes Achilles seem less like a hero and more like a ruthless conqueror driven solely by personal grief.

One of the most significant differences between these two works is the depth of Achilles' emotions. In mythology, he is a warrior bound by fate and personal loss, which makes his anger almost justifiable in a heroic narrative. Testa's work, on the other hand, strips away this emotional complexity, presenting Achilles as an instrument of revenge and highlighting the sheer brutality of his actions. This shift in focus reflects how ancient figures were interpreted in different periods, molding them to fit contemporary ideals and artistic trends. Whereas Achilles in Greek mythology was both a hero and a deeply flawed man, Testa's etchings favored the depiction of unfettered power and revenge.

In conclusion, The Iliad and Testa's Achilles Dragging Hector's Body tell the same story, but highlight different aspects of Achilles' character. While Homer's Achilles is complex, emotional, and bound by fate, Testa's Achilles is a colder, more vengeful character. These differences show that myths are fluid and adapt to different artistic and cultural interpretations over time. By examining these differences, we can gain insight into how historical and artistic contexts shape the way we understand legendary figures such as Achilles.

Ryan Zhu

Curator’s Remark: Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector

Introduction

An important and violent scene from Homer's Iliad is depicted in the engraving Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector, which graphically describes Achilles' fury and the results of honor-driven combat in Greek mythology. This Baroque-era artwork highlights the dramatic intensity of Achilles' acts while adhering to classical artistic traditions. The depiction of Achilles' vindictive deed—dragging Hector's lifeless body behind his chariot—is a prime example of the Greek myth's recurring themes of fate, bravery, and divine intervention. The moral and emotional complexity of Achilles, a warrior divided between human sorrow and heroic glory, can be better understood by examining this piece of art through the Iliadic perspective.

Engagement with the Selected Piece

This piece of art graphically depicts the scene from Iliad 22–24 where Achilles kills Hector as payback for the passing of his best friend Patroclus. Hector's body is dishonored by Achilles, who ties it to his chariot and drags it around Troy's walls out of overwhelming grief and rage (Homer, Iliad 22.395-405). Achilles' rage is highlighted by the engraving's dramatic composition, which centers on his muscular body and his aggressive, powerful stance. Hector's lifeless body, stretched and limp, depicts his total subordination, while the horses, rearing in motion, highlight the act's blatant savagery. The emotional impact of this event is increased by the presence of onlookers, who may be Priam and Andromache in the background. This foreshadows Priam's fervent request for his son's body in Iliad 24.

Demonstration of Information Learned in Class

The incident is consistent with the Greek saga's thematic frameworks and heroic values that were covered in class. Achilles represents the aristeia, or the warrior's pinnacle of skill, but his deeds also expose the more sinister effects of unbridled wrath (mēnis). The fury of Achilles (mēnis Achilleos), which opens the Iliad, serves as the main plot point (Homer, Iliad 1.1). When Priam, Hector's father, pleads for the body, he treats Hector's corpse in a way that goes against Greek traditions of respect for the dead and prepares the way for their eventual reunion (Iliad 24.486-676). Even the most ferocious warrior must recognize human pain and divine intent, as this encounter serves as a cathartic moment. Achilles' decision in this particular instance also connects to the greater subject of nostos (homecoming) vs kleos (everlasting glory). Achilles' pursuit of Kleos would have resulted in his early death, and his conduct against Hector cedes his claim to immortality at the expense of his own life. This engraving reinforces the complexities of Greek heroism as it was covered in the lecture by depicting both Achilles' moral decline and his pinnacle of glory.

Comparative Analysis & Scholarly Criticism

When comparing this portrayal of Achilles to other creative interpretations, we notice a recurring focus on his mental struggle and physical dominance. This engraving displays a post-victory violence evocative of Baroque melodrama, in contrast to previous vase paintings where Achilles is frequently shown engaged in combat. According to classical scholars like Jasper Griffin, Achilles' anger at this particular point is emblematic of the warrior's existential conflict rather than just being personal (Homer on Life and Death, 1980). Beyond Hector, Achilles' anger is rooted in Greek legendary tales and is a struggle against mortality itself.

Personal Perspective

This work, in my opinion, is an eerie meditation on the nature of retaliation. Even by ancient Greek standards, Achilles' treatment of Hector's corpse is immoral, despite the fact that his grief is reasonable. The sharp contrast between Achilles' strong posture and Hector's lifeless body highlights how fleeting human existence is, particularly during times of conflict. This piece of art forces us to consider if a hero's legacy is worth sacrificing one's humanity for, and how far one should go in the sake of honor.

Conclusion

Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector is an etching that effectively captures the Iliad's examination of honor, fury, and mortality. Achilles proves that death is inevitable since, despite being the strongest warrior, he eventually meets the same end as all mortals. This work demonstrates the timeless influence of Greek mythology and its capacity to delve into the ethical quandaries of heroism through artistic study and classical sources.

Works Cited

The Cleveland Museum of Art. “Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector by Pietro Testa.” Cleveland Museum of Art, https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1981.95. Accessed 2025.

Griffin, Jasper. Homer on Life and Death. Oxford University Press, 1980.

Harvard Art Museums. “Achilles Dragging the Body of Hector.” Harvard Art Museums, https://harvardartmuseums.org/art/316189. Accessed 2025.

Homer. Iliad. Translated by Stanley Lombardo, Hackett Publishing, 1997.

 La Fond, Marie. Lecture on Homer’s Iliad, Classics 430, University of Washington​.

Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. Available from: Macmillan, (12th Edition). Oxford University Press Academic US, 2023.

 Rosenthal, Joel. “Ethics and War in Homer’s Iliad.” Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, 27 Mar. 2012, www.carnegiecouncil.org/media/article/ethics-and-war-in-homers-iliad.