Achilles' heel
Videos
An Achilles' heel is a weakness despite overall strength, which can lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qual
Statue of Achilleas Thniskon (Dying Achilles) at the Corfu Achilleion.
Oil painting (c. 1625) by Peter Paul Rubens of the goddess Thetis dipping her son Achilles in the River Styx, which runs through Hades. In the background, the ferryman Charon rows the dead across the river in his boat.
Achilles
Videos
In Greek mythology, Achilles or Achilleus was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's Iliad, he was the son of the Nere
Achilles' heel
…refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common. Although the death of Achilles was predicted by Hector in Homer's Iliad, it does not actually occur in the Iliad, but was described in later Greek and Roman poetry and drama concerning…
Ancient Greek polychromatic pottery painting (dating c. 300 BC) of Achilles during the Trojan War
The Education of Achilles, by Eugène Delacroix, pastel on paper, c. 1862 (Getty Center, Los Angeles)
The Education of Achilles (c. 1772), by James Barry (Yale Center for British Art)