Achilles in the Iliad

Achilles is classic literatures' greatest character ever engraved on paper.   Achilles, son of Peleus, the King of Myrmidons, and Thetis, a sea nymph, comes to Troy as part of a Greek force led by King Agamemnon.   Unlike most protagonists, Achilles does not develop significantly over the course of the epic.   A translator of The Iliad, Richard Lattimore, said that the story of The Iliad is not about Troy, but about Achilles. He also goes on to say though, that it is not just Achilles, but the Achaians and the Trojans also.   As the story unravels, Achilles wrath for Agamemnon intensifies, but only after the death of Patroclus does he redirect his rage towards Hector.   Achilles' bloodlust, wrath, and pride continue to consume him.   As a result, he mercilessly mauls his opponents and does not relent in this brutality until the last book when King Priam begs for the return of his son's desecrated corpse.   Achilles embodies the characteristics of the epic hero particularly in his apparent lack of character and control and lust for fame.
Proud and headstrong, Achilles takes offense easily and reacts with blistering indignation when perceived that his honor has been insulted.   In the beginning of Book One, after Agamemnon wrongly accuses Achilles of cheating him of his prize, Chryseis, Achilles retorts at Agamemnon reminding him of all the honors and loyalty he has earned while he shamelessly earns his pillage through his lust for greed.  

"O wrapped in shamelessness, with your mind forever on profit,
how shall any one of the Achaians readily obey you
either to go on a journey or to fight men strongly in battle?
I for my part did not come here for the sake of the Trojan
spearmen to fight against them, since to me they have done nothing….
but when the time comes to distribute the booty
yours is far the greater reward, and I with some small thing
yet dear to me go back to my ships when I am weary with fighting.
Now I am returning to Phthia, since it is much...