Achilles Vs Agamemnon
“Spite -- the urge to punish, hurt, humiliate or harass another, even when one gains no obvious benefit and may well pay a cost.” (Angier, 2014, p. 1, para. 3) In the epic poem The Iliad by Homer there are numerous allegories that revolve around the actions and consequences that men take in hopes to gain honour and glory. Two primary characters that do this are Achilles the greatest warrior of the ancient world, and Agamemnon the king of Mycenae. In The Iliad Achilles and Agamemnon are both fuelled by spite and blinded by stubbornness which causes them to suffer the consequences of their own actions. The quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon is sparked in Book 1 of The Iliad, Homer illustrates the detrimental impact their actions have on them
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and the ones they love most. This is demonstrated throughout the plot by making an example of how poorly these two prominent male figures resolve their own dilemmas. (Gill, p. 1) Agamemnon was a powerful and courageous leader who was successful in expanding his empire. However he was also flawed by his arrogance and overly proud nature, these flaws outweighed his strengths and contributed to his demise. The Iliad begins in Book 1 after the Mycenaeans had held siege outside the city of Troy for nine years. The Mycenaeans won battles against surrounding Trojan townships and sacked the area, all the men had been awarded prizes (World History in Context, p. 1). Agamemnon claimed a maiden named Chryseis who was the daughter of Chryses (priest of the god Apollo). When Chryses came to Agamemnon with ransom to release his daughter as his prisoner Agamemnon dismissed him, “Don’t let me ever catch you, old man, by these ships again, / ... The god’s staff and ribbons won’t save you next time. / ... The girl is mine, / ... And coming to my bed,” (Homer, p. 2, para. 7). Instead of respecting Chryses as a priest and father Agamemnon chooses to demean and cause further pain to Chryses by telling him his daughter is his concubine and sole purpose to serve his personal needs. This is the onset of what causes the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles, because the Mycenaeans were plagued by Apollo. When it is revealed that the only way to overcome the plague is to return Chryseis to her father. Agamemnon is hesitant, however after some thought decides to do so one condition; that he can replace Chryseis with Briseis (Achilles’s concubine). “I’m coming to your hut and taking Briseis, / ... so that you will see just how much / Stronger I am than you,” (Homer, p. 6, para. 3). This infuriates Achilles, Agamemnon goes on to add insult to injury by stating that Achilles and the Myrmidons (elite soldiers that trained and fought with Achilles) are of no significance to the victory of Mycenae over Troy. Agamemnon is negligent with his decision making as a leader and it is at this point of the epic poem when the hubris in Agamemnon's character is most prevalent (World History in Context, p. 2) The ten year siege against Troy was sparked by jealousy and possible adultery.
Although there are different variations of the story, the main idea is that Helen the wife of Menelaus (brother of Agamemnon) was taken by Paris (prince of Troy) as his bride. Achilles was one of the warriors who was opposed to the Trojan War. Warriors are known to be experienced soldiers who follow orders and fight on behalf of a nation, usually for a cause that is beneficial to the populace so to obtain peace or gain interest for the entire nation/empire. Achilles was not a traditional warrior, he was educated, well-spoken, brave, had excellent military skill, and possessed honour and pride for himself. With all his strengths his actions were still indicative of his stubbornness and spitefulness (World History in Context, p. 2). He did not shy away from vocalizing his beliefs, in Book 1 of The Iliad Achilles is the first person to express that Chryseis should be returned to her father, while not being fearful of Agamemnon’s reaction, “...you give the girl back to the god. The army / Will repay you three and four times over - when and if Zeus allows us to rip Troy down to its foundations” (Homer, p.5 , para. 2). This excerpt shows the immense amount of bravery and confidence Achilles possess to be able to so easily stand up against the warlord Agamemnon. However Agamemnon is not in agreement with him and refuses to go without a concubine of his own. Although Achilles is angered by the demand of Agamemnon that Briseis should be replaced with Chryseis he does not fight to keep her, instead he vows him or his Myrmidons were not to take part in the Trojan War onward. Throughout The Iliad Achilles is described on many instances as a godlike and has close ties to the gods and goddesses. When Agamemnon demands Briseis be taken from Achilles’s hut he is deeply angered and reaches for his sword. The only reason he does not let his anger take over him is because Athena (goddess of logic and
reason) appeared before only him in the midst of his anger and advised him not to draw his sword against Agamemnon. “…You’re going to get / Three times as many magnificent gifts / Because of his arrogance. Just listen to us and be patient.” (Homer, p. 7, para. 4). Achilles decides to listen to Athena because it is for his own best interest, it can be argued that if it were not beneficial to him Achilles may have gone forward with his attack on Agamemnon. He then does something out of spite, he prayed to his mother Thetis (Sea nymph/goddess of water) to ask Zeus (supreme ruler of the gods) that the Trojans gain momentum on the Mycenaean’s, “Give the Trojans the upper hand until the Greeks / Grant my son the honour he deserves.” (Homer, p. 16, para. 4). Once the Trojans start winning battles Achilles refuses to allow himself of the Myrmidons to take part in the battle even as there was a rise to their casualties. Achilles’s male companion Patroclus is upset with his decision and ventures out to battle with Achilles’s armour and the Myrmidons follow thinking it to be Achilles. Patroclus is killed by Hector (Trojan Prince). This causes Achilles grave suffering, however this is the doing of Achilles as a result of his stubborn and spiteful behaviour (World History in Context, p. 2-3).
Ultimately the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon in The Iliad revolved around revenge, honour, jealousy, and most of all spite. The characters become self-involved in their own plot to seek revenge which causes them to forget about the potential consequences of their actions. The Iliad is one of times oldest tales, in which important lessons are told by the author(s) Homer about being fair and keeping oneself grounded. Both Agamemnon and Achilles are prime examples of repercussions when possessing an excessive amount of hubris.
and the ones they love most. This is demonstrated throughout the plot by making an example of how poorly these two prominent male figures resolve their own dilemmas. (Gill, p. 1) Agamemnon was a powerful and courageous leader who was successful in expanding his empire. However he was also flawed by his arrogance and overly proud nature, these flaws outweighed his strengths and contributed to his demise. The Iliad begins in Book 1 after the Mycenaeans had held siege outside the city of Troy for nine years. The Mycenaeans won battles against surrounding Trojan townships and sacked the area, all the men had been awarded prizes (World History in Context, p. 1). Agamemnon claimed a maiden named Chryseis who was the daughter of Chryses (priest of the god Apollo). When Chryses came to Agamemnon with ransom to release his daughter as his prisoner Agamemnon dismissed him, “Don’t let me ever catch you, old man, by these ships again, / ... The god’s staff and ribbons won’t save you next time. / ... The girl is mine, / ... And coming to my bed,” (Homer, p. 2, para. 7). Instead of respecting Chryses as a priest and father Agamemnon chooses to demean and cause further pain to Chryses by telling him his daughter is his concubine and sole purpose to serve his personal needs. This is the onset of what causes the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles, because the Mycenaeans were plagued by Apollo. When it is revealed that the only way to overcome the plague is to return Chryseis to her father. Agamemnon is hesitant, however after some thought decides to do so one condition; that he can replace Chryseis with Briseis (Achilles’s concubine). “I’m coming to your hut and taking Briseis, / ... so that you will see just how much / Stronger I am than you,” (Homer, p. 6, para. 3). This infuriates Achilles, Agamemnon goes on to add insult to injury by stating that Achilles and the Myrmidons (elite soldiers that trained and fought with Achilles) are of no significance to the victory of Mycenae over Troy. Agamemnon is negligent with his decision making as a leader and it is at this point of the epic poem when the hubris in Agamemnon's character is most prevalent (World History in Context, p. 2) The ten year siege against Troy was sparked by jealousy and possible adultery.
Although there are different variations of the story, the main idea is that Helen the wife of Menelaus (brother of Agamemnon) was taken by Paris (prince of Troy) as his bride. Achilles was one of the warriors who was opposed to the Trojan War. Warriors are known to be experienced soldiers who follow orders and fight on behalf of a nation, usually for a cause that is beneficial to the populace so to obtain peace or gain interest for the entire nation/empire. Achilles was not a traditional warrior, he was educated, well-spoken, brave, had excellent military skill, and possessed honour and pride for himself. With all his strengths his actions were still indicative of his stubbornness and spitefulness (World History in Context, p. 2). He did not shy away from vocalizing his beliefs, in Book 1 of The Iliad Achilles is the first person to express that Chryseis should be returned to her father, while not being fearful of Agamemnon’s reaction, “...you give the girl back to the god. The army / Will repay you three and four times over - when and if Zeus allows us to rip Troy down to its foundations” (Homer, p.5 , para. 2). This excerpt shows the immense amount of bravery and confidence Achilles possess to be able to so easily stand up against the warlord Agamemnon. However Agamemnon is not in agreement with him and refuses to go without a concubine of his own. Although Achilles is angered by the demand of Agamemnon that Briseis should be replaced with Chryseis he does not fight to keep her, instead he vows him or his Myrmidons were not to take part in the Trojan War onward. Throughout The Iliad Achilles is described on many instances as a godlike and has close ties to the gods and goddesses. When Agamemnon demands Briseis be taken from Achilles’s hut he is deeply angered and reaches for his sword. The only reason he does not let his anger take over him is because Athena (goddess of logic and
reason) appeared before only him in the midst of his anger and advised him not to draw his sword against Agamemnon. “…You’re going to get / Three times as many magnificent gifts / Because of his arrogance. Just listen to us and be patient.” (Homer, p. 7, para. 4). Achilles decides to listen to Athena because it is for his own best interest, it can be argued that if it were not beneficial to him Achilles may have gone forward with his attack on Agamemnon. He then does something out of spite, he prayed to his mother Thetis (Sea nymph/goddess of water) to ask Zeus (supreme ruler of the gods) that the Trojans gain momentum on the Mycenaean’s, “Give the Trojans the upper hand until the Greeks / Grant my son the honour he deserves.” (Homer, p. 16, para. 4). Once the Trojans start winning battles Achilles refuses to allow himself of the Myrmidons to take part in the battle even as there was a rise to their casualties. Achilles’s male companion Patroclus is upset with his decision and ventures out to battle with Achilles’s armour and the Myrmidons follow thinking it to be Achilles. Patroclus is killed by Hector (Trojan Prince). This causes Achilles grave suffering, however this is the doing of Achilles as a result of his stubborn and spiteful behaviour (World History in Context, p. 2-3).
Ultimately the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon in The Iliad revolved around revenge, honour, jealousy, and most of all spite. The characters become self-involved in their own plot to seek revenge which causes them to forget about the potential consequences of their actions. The Iliad is one of times oldest tales, in which important lessons are told by the author(s) Homer about being fair and keeping oneself grounded. Both Agamemnon and Achilles are prime examples of repercussions when possessing an excessive amount of hubris.