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What is the prophecy about Achilles? What does he decide to do about it?
Fighting the Trojan war is Achilles' destiny - if he does not fight, the godly part of him will wither away, and he will be an ordinary mortal, doomed to die in obscurity. (Students may imagine how Thetis' influence on Achilles would shape this particular fear of his) However, if he fights, he will die young but live forever in legend. Many of the powerful figures in Achilles' life know much more of the prophecy than he does. Odysseus deploys the prophecy in one way, Thetis in another. Note how the authority figures in Achilles’ life try to use the prophecy to manipulate his actions and decisions,...
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