Agamemnon, son of Atreus, is the commander in chief of the Greek forces, and also the leader of the contingent from Argos and Mycenae in the Trojan war. The war is documented by Homer in the Iliad and showcases the character of the leaders within both the Trojan ranks and the Greek ranks. As the commander in chief of the Greeks, Agamemnon’s actions are constantly under the scrutiny of other people’s opinions as he makes decisions that impact the lives of the soldiers that fight against the Trojans in fierce battle for Helen. Agamemnon initially gained his power through inheritance from his father but continuously reinforces it and builds on the reputation to maintain control of his people. While Agamemnon attempts to maintain his power within …show more content…
Thucydides notes that “Atreus made himself king of Mycenae and other lands Eurystheus had ruled” (Thucydides 1.9). Atreus was a feared king by the Mycenaeans, but they also let him as their ruler because “he was an able man and… served the interests of the majority” (Thucydides 1.9). Agamemnon is one of two sons of Atreus, Menelaus is the other son. However, in the war, Menelaus was a commander in chief and the leader of the Lacedaemonian contingent with sixty ship, while Agamemnon was also commander in chief but the leader of the contingent from Argos and Mycenae, which had a hundred ships (Iliad, page 160). This makes Agamemnon a prominent leader among the Greek troops. It is evident that Agamemnon did not have to struggle to gain power within society as he inherited it from his father, and then he became a military leader as he “was able to get a fleet together as he had more power than anyone else at that time… and he had a stronger navy than anyone else” (Thucydides 1.9). Agamemnon did not earn his leadership role through winning battles or climbing through the social ranks. He inherited his father’s reputation and continued to upkeep the power within his family name, which is referenced every time he is addressed as ‘son of …show more content…
Thucydides believes that since he had the strongest navy, Agamemnon “assembled his forces more on the basis of fear than good will” (Thucydides 1.9). By assembling troops based on fear, Agamemnon re-establishes and reinforces himself as the leader of the Greek forces and justifies his position to make examples of warriors like Achilles who try to undermine his authority. However, Agamemnon does not hold his righteous attitude throughout the entirety of the Iliad as he begs for Achilles to return to battle and incites him with gold to fill his ships, twenty Trojan women, and his own daughter’s hand in marriage (Iliad 9.280). Agamemnon’s plea to Achilles reveals a weaker side of Agamemnon, and not the warlord who fuels his power with fear as Thucydides suggests. Agamemnon does not even go to beg to Achilles himself as he sends Odysseus, Phoenix, and Ajax on his behalf to coax Achilles back into battle. Achilles insults Agamemnon by noting that he sent representatives since “he doesn’t dare show his dogface [on Achilles’ ships]” (Iliad
hroughout the Iliad Achilles shows how the ego of a Kardashian is being portrayed and the emotional maturity of an eight-year-old because of the certain adult qualities he lacks, for example: he does not work well with others, he lacks the concept of forgiveness, he is selfish, thinks highly of his self without regard to others, being rude and unkind, aggressiveness when talking to others, and having too much pride and not thinking about the consequences of his actions and how it can affect not only him but others as well. Achilles does not like to work with others he prefers to be the one in charge of everybody and he likes for everyone to do as he says. In the Iliad Agamemnon says, "This man wants to be ahead of everyone else he wants to rule everyone and give orders to everyone" (1.302-303). Achilles and Agamemnon are having an argument amongst one another because no one wants to give Achilles the honor he feels that he deserves for being the best fighter in the war and for all the blood sweat and tears he shed while defeating the Trojans "he is a mighty bulwark in this evil war" as Nestor says.
As respective leaders of their societies, Zeus and Agamemnon are often put in positions of making critical decisions that affect more than the likes of themselves. Zeus who although may act in self-interest some of time, generally makes decisions of justice and fairness that overall satisfy his fellow Olympians. (Book 20. 22-32; pg. 426-427) Zeus respects his fellow Olympians and holds a fair level of value to their feelings and opinions. When Zeus had known the fate of (his) son Sarpadon he very much struggled with the decision whether or not he should intervene to save(d) his son’s life, (you could put a period an then say On the other hand, after consulting …. its a lil long)...
Homer’s moral exemplars in the heroic tragedy, The Iliad, can be analyzed to further understand warrior ethics. Agamemnon, a powerful warrior king, was proud and arrogant. These qualities made him an excellent warrior and the Greeks respected him. However, Agamemnon demonstrated excess pride and arrogance, as well as stubbornness. The Greeks believed that people must face their destiny with pride and nobility.
The Iliad begins with the clash between Achilles and Agamemnon. Agamemnon has little, if any, respect for the gods. This is displayed by his irreverent behavior towards the priest, Chryses. Agamemnon refuses to release the princess even when the Achaean soldiers suggested "`Respect the priest, accept the shining ransom!' But it brought no joy to the heart of Agamemnon" (104). Achilles is, unlike Agamemnon, respectful of and revered by the gods. In order to expose the cause of Apollo's wrath against the Argive army, Achilles uses the prophet, Calchas. Achilles already knows why Apollo is angry, but decides the fact should be stated by someone other than himself. He knows that Agamemnon will become angry once the truth is revealed. I believe that in this instance he is trying to keep his rage in check by avoiding a direct confrontation with Agamemnon. Calchas also fears for his life because he also knows Agamemnon's fury is unyielding at times. However, with a great deal of encouragement from Achilles, Calchas "spoke out, bravely: `Beware-The god's enraged because Agamemnon spurned his priest'" (106). When the truth is exposed, Agamemnon be...
In Aeschylus’s, Agamemnon, there is a great possibility that the death of Agamemnon could have been prevented, had the Chorus simply listened to Cassandra’s prophecy. But the words spoken between the two parties seem to have loss it’s meaning when it fell upon the Chorus; yet, they were obviously hearing what she was saying. But while they were hearing what she had to say, they did not listen to her words. Ironically, in this story, it is the women who posses all the knowledge. But once they try to share it, the men, who later suffer the consequence, ignore them. People only listen to what they want to hear, and a woman’s word is not considered important enough to listen to.
Agamemnon survived the ten year long Trojan War, even as other great warriors such as Achilleus fell. Tales of the war are widespread and it is described by both its veterans and non-participants in glorified terms. Agamemnon is often singled out for leadership and accomplishments. Demodokos sings of the “famous actions/ of men on that venture” and “that lord of men, Agamemnon” while performing for Odysseus on Alkinoos.(VIII, 73-74, 77). Agamemnon stands out as one of “the leaders of the bronze- armored Achaians” who fought at Troy and is recognized as a major hero of the war (IV,496).
Scroll Two of the Iliad helps build upon the characters and themes presented in Scroll One. King Agamemnon, the leader of the attacking Achaeans, is presented as a prideful and headstrong man. Scroll One and Scroll Two both similarly describe Agamemnon’s pride and strong desire. He believes he is a great king, and that he deserves the most glory from the battle at Troy. Even so, these traits will hurt the Achaean army as Agamemnon stops at nothing to keep his pride and glory.
In Aeschylus’ Agamemnon there are many different opinions about what kind of king and commander Agamemnon was. Some argued that he was good, while others dispute that his motives were wrong. Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, gained a strong hatred for him, after he sacrificed his own daughter so he could go to war. Many believe that this was not necessary and could have been overcome. The chorus seems to agree with this to an extent, and feels that Agamemnon could have prayed and requested that he not sacrifice his daughter.
The Agamemnon picks up with Agamemnon and Menelaus, sons to Atreus, who joined together in the war of Troy after Paris, son of Priam, seduced Helen, wife to Menelaus. Angered by his ruthless man-sacrifices in the war, Artemis required that Agamemnon take the life of his daughter Iphigeneia in order to save the army and fleet o...
The Greek commander Agamemnon betrays Achilles by insulting him and taking his war prize, the girl Briseis. The Greek army as a whole, betrays him by acting inactively to Agamemnon’s insults and failing to defend him. As seen in Richard Blucher’s article book discussion, “In the Iliad, Achilles has his war prize, the captive woman Briseis, stolen from him by his Commander-in-Chief, King Agamemnon. Shay explains: We must understand the cultural context to see that this episode is more than a personal squabble between two soldiers over a woman [...] The prize of honor was voted by the troops for Achilles’ valor in combat. A modern equivalent might be a commander telling a soldier, ‘I’ll take that Congressional Medal of Honor of yours, because I don’t have one” (Blucher). These betrayals are so traumatic and insulting for Achilles that he withdrew entirely from the war. Also, in Book 21 of The Iliad, Achilles shows another belief that is identified with betrayal. In this book Achilles acts with reckless courage and takes on hundreds of enemy troops without showing any fear or resentment, even when the river god rises to drown him. As he acts so reckless he disregards his own life, and kills all who comes in his path. This is seen through Irwin Kutash’s review of Achilles in Vietnam, as he said, “Achilles is found to have been betrayed by his commander, Agamemnon, who usurps his prize of honor. The betrayal is described
Revenge in The Iliad it the main theme and drives men to do things that they would not normally do. The main example of this is Achilles wanting revenge on Agamemnon. The first book of the Iliad explains that Achilles wants revenge because Agamemnon is forced to return Chryseis, his war bride, to her father, and he decides to take Achilles war bride from him. According to “Some Thoughts about the Origins of ‘Greek Ethics’”, by Nicholas D. Smith, “Agamemnon’s unjust affront to Achilles leads to and extraordinarily deadly retaliation, the ultimate outcome of which is that multitudes of these men’s innocent allies are killed unnecessarily”(smith 10). This is out of character for Achilles, who would normally be the first man into battle, not sitting one out. By “rejecting even the most earnest and impressive entreaties Agamemnon offers, and increasingly making decisions which are rationally indefensible”, he shows how much his wanting of revenge has turned him into a madman (smith 10). His only desire is to get revenge for his loss. It takes the death of Patroclus, his dear friend, to bring him back to the war, which he has left.
Achilles is introduced into The Iliad getting into a debacle with the leader of the Greek army, Agamemnon, during the last year of the Trojan War. Achilles starts a quarrel with Agamemnon because he has demanded possession of Achilles’ woman, Briseis, in consolation for having to give up his woman, Chryseis, so that the gods will end their plague upon the Greek soldiers. Achilles does all he can to get his loved one back, but he knows that nothing will waver Agamemnon’s decision. This is when Achil...
Throughout the Iliad, a conflict develops through the process of each chapter which rests on the surface over a Maiden. The disagreement is caused due to one person or the other feeling far more powerful or superior than the other and is left to sense as if they should receive what is rightfully theirs even if it is not a fair exchange. This conflict is seen between two leaders who view each other with different status: Agamemnon the Argive leader of the expedition to Troy, who had inherited the role of king through his father, and Achilles the leader of Myrmidons. As the dispute develops, it is apparent that the discord between Agamemnon and Achilles is more than something about women; it seems to be their mindset distracting them from having a dispute between their views on power, honour, glory and pride amongst themselves.
The fact that the opening lines of the epic are about Achilles’ power and the people he has killed as a soldier on the Greek side show the huge importance given to him and his power. In his confrontation with Agamemnon regarding Chryseis, he tells Agamemnon that the Greek people want him to give Chryseis back to her father, the priest. This is an example of his great status among his people – he represents them, the one that lets Agamemnon hear their voice.