Achilles

The greatest Greek warrior of the Trojan War — Homer's Iliad follows his withdrawal from battle after Agamemnon dishonors him and his return after Patroclus's death — embodying the Greek heroic ideal of timē (honor) and kleos (glory) and the tragic knowledge that glory and early death go together.

Represents the fundamental tension of the heroic ideal — Achilles knows he must choose between long obscure life and short glorious death, and chooses glory — making him the archetype of all who sacrifice everything for greatness and the question of whether that sacrifice is wisdom or folly.