Are greek characters like Odysseus and Achilles fictional or were they real?

Question

wat about aristotle

Answer 1

what a coincidence because today in school that was the subject we discussed. Anyway aristotle was a famous philosopher who questioned people about life. Odysseus and Achilles are real according to the greeks but to us they are not. Hope I helped ♥

Answer 2

Odysseus and Achilles are characters from the Iliad. The Iliad is mainly a work of fiction but it is possible that it includes oral traditions based on some historical fact. Its possible that some people with these names existed and that they were kings of their lands but most of the rest is fiction. Most Greek epic and tragic poetry and drama are fiction. Comedy however, (Aristophanes) includes many historical characters although it makes fun of them and the situations are fictional (like todays satire, more or less). Characters in Platonic dialogues are also real persons most of the times (their opinions however, may have been altered by Plato). In history writing (Herodotus, Thuchededes) they are all real.
Aristotle was real, no doubt. Almost all Greek writers are accepted as real historical figures.

Answer 3

Aristotle was certainly a real historical figure. The ancient Greeks believed that Odysseus, Achilles, Priam, Hector etc were very real.
Now, there's debate in ancient history circles about the historicity of characters in the Iliad/Odyssey. Basically there's two theories:

1- Totally fictional creations, designed to highlight human traits, both positive and negative in the narrative

2- They are based on possibly real people (a King of Ithaca, and a Bronze-Age warlord) and Homer's stories are an oral "memory". Their exploits and abilities were exaggerated as part of story telling; and possibly had narratives of their own. These were rolled into the Iliad/Odyssey as part of the oral tradition.

Personally, I lean toward the latter, but this doesn't mean that two people with these names fought in a "Trojan War" or "Trojan Wars".

Answer 4

Aristotle is one of the best known Greek philosophers/writers. He was definitely real. Odysseus and Achilles, as they appear in the Greek legends, are fictional.

Answer 5

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher.
Achilles and Odysseus were fictional...It would have been pretty cool if they were to be real.

Answer 6

Achilles is fictional, ruling an imaginary people the Myrmidons.
We usually find the big hero-figure is fictional: Siegfried for example, and there is some Malay hero who is supposed to have driven the Spaniards out of Brunei, though Spanish records show they ran out of food and had to pull out.
I reckon it's the same for Odysseus.

Answer 7

Most likely real but we will never know

for the longest time it was believed the entire Trojan war was fiction, till Troy was found

Of course the legend is greatly enhanced from the reality, but again, I believe they are based on actual people

Answer 8

They were fictional, I now Aristotle was real though.

Answer 9

mythotical, but I am sure there are people there who have those names though