Ryan Cerrone
Mr. Carlton
Honors English – 10-8
18 December 2012
Achilles and Superman Comparison
One of the most common formats in literature is the monomyth, a format that
follows a specific pattern,and are typically adventures. The two heroes that are going to
be compared are Achilles and Superman. Achilles is a hero in Greek mythology, and his
story is fairly old. Superman is a modern hero, and his story is fairly modern. These
myths are very similar even though they are very far apart in their creation. Both heroes
have one major weakness, they are almost immortal and they both have had their times of
weakness that got them killed or almost got them killed. They also follow Joseph
Campbell’s monomyth structure, a seventeen step format that almost all hero stories like
this one follow.
Achilles is almost immortal. His only weakness is his heel and he is almost
impenetrable. Superman is quite similar in this aspect. He is almost immortal and he has
only one major weakness. His weakness is Kryptonite. These heroes are almost immortal
but for different reasons. Achilles is like this because he was dipped in the River Styx
while he was very young. The only reason that he isn’t completely immortal is because
the spot where his mother held him wasn’t touched by the water in the river. Superman is
almost immortal because he came from the planet Krypton. When he was born, his father
said that when he arrived on earth, he would be almost impenetrable because of his dense
molecular structure.
As previously stated, Superman and Achilles both have one weakness:
Superman’s is Kryptonite and Achilles’ is his heel. Superman’s is weak in the presence
of Kryptonite because it is highly radioactive. His Kryptonian physiology makes him
almost immune to all other threats except radiation. Kryptonite is highly radioactive, so it
is debilitating to Superman. Superman also can’t see through lead, so this can also can go
under the category as a weakness. He wouldn’t have gone through his ordeal if he could
see through lead, so this weakness also played a part in the story. Achilles weakness is in
his heel, the only place on his body in which he can be harmed.
Both of these heroes have had points where their weaknesses have affected them.
For superman, he almost died when it happened. He was in Lex Luthor’s lair when
Luthor opened up a box with Kryptonite tied to a chain. Superman didn’t see the
Kryptonite because he can’t see through lead, so this secondary weakness plays a part in
this event. He puts the chain on Superman’s neck and throws him in the water. Superman
is so weak that he almost drowns. He lives through this and he defeats Lex Luthor. As for
Achilles, the turnout is a little different. He gets shot in the heel with an arrow by Paris.
The arrow was aimed so well that it hit him in just the right spot. He then died. That is
one of the key differences in their stories. Superman lives through his ordeal and Achilles
doesn’t.
As previously stated, both of these heroes are quite similar even though they are
so far apart in their creation. Their tales were very influential during their times. The tale
of Achilles was part of the Trojan War, one of the most influential tales in Ancient
Greece. It is present in a lot of other literature. As for Superman, there have been
numerous comic books and movies made about him. There is even a new, remade movie
coming out about him in the summer of 2013. These two heroes are some of the most
well known and influential.