Achilles and Penthesilea
A Moment of Surrender Amid the Chaos of the Trojan War
Amid the violence and bloodshed of the Trojan War, an unlikely love was discovered between two of the conflict's greatest warriors. Only, it was a moment too late.
Penthesilea was a queen of the Amazons. As the daughter of Ares, she was strong, courageous, and had a natural inclination to fight the good fight. As handy as she was with her weaponry, though, she was not so skilled that she was able to avoid the occasional accident. When she was once hunting with her sister, Hippolyta, another queen of the Amazons, she accidentally killed her with an arrow. So distraught was Penthesilea, she decided that she must purify herself of this act.
At the time the Trojan War, the legendary conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans, was in its tenth and last year. As penance and in order to cleanse her soul of her accidental crime, Penthesilea traveled to join the Trojans in their fight against the Greeks. She proved to be quite the asset to the underdog Trojans.
Penthesilea was a strong and skilled warrior. She defeated many men in hand-to-hand combat, and her reputation grew amongst both sides. Her heroic exploits caught the eye of Achilles in particular, who itched to face her on the battlefield.
Penthesilea was graced not only with plenty of courage, physical strength, and prowess, but she was also quite beautiful. Her beauty engrossed Chalon of Cyparissus, a fellow soldier, and he fell in love with her. When he heard of Achiles’ intentions to face the Amazon queen, he tried to intercede to prevent her any harm. But, Achilles killed Chalon, and he was one step closer to the fight.
Achilles, the handsome, strong, and seemingly untouchable son of the nymph Thetis, met his foe in battle, and his reputation as a fierce soldier was not undone. He defeated Penthesilea, and killed her. But even the all-powerful Achilles was not immune to matters of the heart. As Penthesilea lay dying before him, he was struck by her great beauty, and at the very moment of her death, their eyes met, and he fell deeply in love with her.
Achilles instantly regretted his actions and wept in grief and remorse. As he mourned the loss of his unrequited love, he was teased by Thersites, a fellow Greek soldier. Out of anger and sadness, Achilles swiftly killed him. Achilles, showing an instant of surrender in the moment of Penthesilea’s death, proved that he had more than one vulnerability. It seems that love was his second Achilles' Heel.
Sources Consulted:
Bullfinch's Mythology. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
Penthesilea. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
