Achilles as a Likeable Character

Because Achilles is so prideful, his decisions end up hurting other characters, even mortally so. His decision to permit Patroclus to go to battle in his own armor, for instance, results in Patroclus’s death. Despite his character flaw, Achilles is ultimately a likeable character. The reader is able to feel empathy for Achilles. Pride, after all, is not so uncommon a flaw as to be unfamiliar to the reader, and we have all made mistakes—even drastic ones—that we regret yet have difficulty admitting.