Information
Type:: Epic poem Writer:: Homer, tr. Caroline Alexander Tags:: Homer, Greek, classical literature, epic poem Subject:: Human conflict Started Reading on:: August 1st, 2023 Completed on:: August 2nd, 2023
What It’s About
Book 1 of The Illiad sets up the scene and some characters of the Trojan War. It begins with a simple question: which gods caused the conflict between Atreus’ son - Agamemnon - and Achilles.
The story describes the aftermath of a series of raids wherein a priest named Chryses approaches Agamemnon and requests the return of his daughter, who had been captured during a recent raid. However, the son of Atreus was less than pleased by this and banished Chryses, who in turn left and prayed to Apollo that “the Danaas pay for my tears with your arrows” (p.2, 40).
For nine days thereafter Apollo rained arrows on Agamemnon’s men. On the tenth day, Achilles summoned the leaders of the Greek army in an attempt to understand why they were being punished. Standing up, a priest named Calchas spoke to Achilles and explained that Apollo had been angered by Agamemnon’s refusal to give up his prize, Chriseis, Chryses’ daughter.
From here on follows the developing animosity between Agamemnon and Achilles. It begins with Agamemnon agreeing to give away the girl for the safety of his men, under the condition that he himself is rewarded otherwise:
Agamemnon: “But make ready another prize, so that I alone of the Achaenas am not unrecompensed” (p4-5, 130).
To this, Achilles retorts that all plunder had already been distributed between the Greeks; yet nonetheless, should Agamemnon relinquish the girl, the Achaenas would pay him three-fold, should they be able to capture the city of Troy.
Yet Agamemnon is not too pleased by the idea, for he finds it unjust that he alone must give up his prize, while even Achilles keeps his. Thus he suggests that either the Achaeans offer a prize of equal value or, otherwise, that the prize of one of the other heros, either Achilles, Ajax, Odysseus, etc. Their anger, while warranted, would be up for consideration at a later time.
In like fashion, Achilles is prompt to anger. He exclaims how the Achaeans all followed Agamemnon; how Achilles himself went into battle with the Trojans despite the Trojans being “blameless - never yet have they driven off my cattle, or my horses…” (p.6, 155) and despite this they followed the son of Atreus with the explicit purpose of earning him and his brother, Menelaos, a reward from Troy. And now, says Achilles, Agamemnon dares ask Achilles or some other to give up their own reward even though Agamemnon is a far less involved participant in the battles themselves.
Further incensed, Agamennon claims that as Apollo “robs me of Chryseis… so I will take Briseis” from Achilles so that he may “discern how much I am your better and so another man will be loath to speak as my equal” (p.7, 180 - 189).
At this point, both men are prepared to draw swords and fight. At the last minute, however, Athena appears to Achilles and asks that Achilles stay his hand, for the goddess Hera cares for both men and would be displeased to see them kill each other. She promises Achilles “three times as many shining gifts” (p.8, 213 cf. 120) for his patience. Thus, rather than draw his sword, Achilles chose to admonish Agamenon and retreats from the brewing fight.
That night, Agamemnon sent Odysseus along with Chriseis and an offering of one hecatomb to appease Apollo. At the same time, Agamemnon orders some of his men to go into Achilles’ tent and kidnap Briseis.
Rather than take revenge, Achilles goes out to the water and begins crying until his mother, Thetis, appears. She promises him that she will intercede with Zeus