Homer's Iliad
11 December 2023
If only strife could die from the lives of gods and men and anger that drives the sanest man to flare in outrage - bitter gall, sweeter than dripping streams of honey, that swarms in people's chests and blinds like smoke - just like the anger Agamemnon king of men has rousted within me now...
The Iliad is a tragic poem about how emotions are capable of clouding our judgement, and how that can lead to disastrous consequences. The poem is set during the Trojan war, towards the end (but not the last event of the war), when Troy is about to fall. The poem centers around the rage of Achilles, and the consequences of his rage. Achilles spent a majority of the poem sulking in his tent, refusing to fight. King Agamemnon had just taken away his war prize, a girl named Briseis, and Achilles was furious because he felt that his pride was hurt. As a result, he refused to go out of his tent and fight for the Greeks, resulted in them nearly losing the war. The turning point of the war was when Achilles' friend, Patroclus, was killed by Hector, the prince of Troy. Feeling immense guilt, and even more rage, Achilles went on a rampage, killing many Trojans, including Hector. Not only that, he even dragged Hector's body around just for fun. Everyone was shocked at Achilles' brutality - Priam and Hecuba, the king and queen of Troy, were devastated at the sight of the mutilated body of their son. Even the gods pitied Hector, and decided to intervene by arranging for a ransom to be paid for Hector's body. Achilles eventually relented, after a long emotional conversation with Priam, and the poem ended with the return of Hector's body to Troy.
We know from the poem that Achilles was given many opportunities to change his mind and return to the battlefield, but refused to do so. Patroclus would have probably lived if Achilles had just gone out to fight. But he didn't. He was too stubborn. Why? Because he was angry. Angry that his pride was hurt. He was somewhat self aware too - he knew that he was the most powerful warrior in the Greek army, and that his absence would be detrimental to the Greek war effort. But he didn't care. He was too angry! "Okay then, Agamemnon. Go ahead and take my girl. I hope you have a good time trying to win the war without your greatest warrior." At one point Agamemnon even offered to return Briseis to Achilles, but Achilles didn't care. He continues to sulk in his tent.
Poor Achilles, to have lost his friend and many of his comrades because of his own poor judgement. But who couldn't relate to Achilles? Who hasn't done something stupid because of a spiteful bout of anger? When emotions run high, so high that they cloud the mind's ability to think rationally? Yes, Achilles was stupid, but he was also human. With Achilles, it is a bit more nuanced because he is the greatest fighter on the Greek side. He can turn the tides of battle. And he knows that he can. That's why he sulks. That's why he refuses to fight. He wants to teach Agamemnon a lesson for hurting his pride. Agamemnon has been shown a lot of honour and respect by the other Greek warriors. They've plundered many cities and villages, and Agamemnon was always the first to take the best spoils. And yet, Agamemnon has the audacity to take away, unjustly, Achilles' war prize. Yes, there was a moment in the poem when Agamemnon offered to return Briseis to Achilles. But he wasn't sincere. He was just trying to save face. He even emphasised that he was the greater king, an elder-born, the greater man, and that Achilles should respect him. Well, if you want your best warrior to fight for you, maybe you should put down your own ego and let your best man have the spotlight for once, especially when it's during a very critical moment in the war. As a king, the "lord of men", Agamemnon should have known better.