Synthesized answer
The initial conflict over Briseis immediately establishes Agamemnon's motivation as driven by "lust of gain" and a desire to maintain his status by possessing prizes of war [2]. He insists on keeping his prize, Chryseis, and threatens to take Achilles' prize, Briseis, if a suitable replacement is not found [1, 2]. This reveals a societal value where the accumulation of "prizes" signifies honor and status among the Achaean chiefs [1].
Achilles, on the other hand, is motivated by a sense of honor and fairness, feeling deeply wronged that "one of my own rank should dare to rob me because he is more powerful than I am" [5]. He protests Agamemnon's actions, stating that he did not come to Troy for personal reasons but for the common good of the Achaeans [2]. His anger stems from the belief that he has been unjustly treated, with his prize, "the fruit of my spear on having sacked a city," being taken as if he were "some common vagrant" [5]. This highlights a tension between Agamemnon's assertion of power through material acquisition and Achilles' demand for respect and equitable treatment based on his contributions. The passages do not explicitly detail the broader societal values…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
saying that Apollo has plagued us because I would not take a ransom for this girl, the daughter of Chryses. I have set my heart on keeping her in my own house, for I love her better even than my own wife Clytemnestra, whose peer she is alike in form and feature, in understanding and accomplishments. Still I will give her up if I must, for I would have the people live, not die; but you must find me a prize instead, or I alone among the Argives shall be without one. This is not well; for you behold, all of you, that my prize is to go…
hree and fourfold.” Then Agamemnon said, “Achilles, valiant though you be, you shall not thus outwit me. You shall not overreach and you shall not persuade me. Are you to keep your own prize, while I sit tamely under my loss and give up the girl at your bidding? Let the Achaeans find me a prize in fair exchange to my liking, or I will come and take your own, or that of Ajax or of Ulysses; and he to whomsoever I may come shall rue my coming. But of this we will take thought hereafter; for the present, let us draw a ship into the…
the savour of their sacrifice rose curling up towards heaven. Thus did they busy themselves throughout the host. But Agamemnon did not forget the threat that he had made Achilles, and called his trusty messengers and squires Talthybius and Eurybates. “Go,” said he, “to the tent of Achilles, son of Peleus; take Briseis by the hand and bring her hither; if he will not give her I shall come with others and take her—which will press him harder.” He charged them straightly further and dismissed them, whereon they went their way sorrowfully…
n, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another. And which of the gods was it that set them on to quarrel? It was the son of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and sent a pestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son of Atreus had dishonoured Chryses his priest. Now Chryses had come to the ships of the Achaeans to free his daughter, and had brought with him a great ransom: moreover he bore in his hand the sceptre of Apollo wreathed with a suppliant’s wreath, and he besought the Achaeans, but most of all…
g for his own destruction. Achilles was deeply moved and answered, “What, noble Patroclus, are you saying? I know no prophesyings which I am heeding, nor has my mother told me anything from the mouth of Jove, but I am cut to the very heart that one of my own rank should dare to rob me because he is more powerful than I am. This, after all that I have gone through, is more than I can endure. The girl whom the sons of the Achaeans chose for me, whom I won as the fruit of my spear on having sacked a city—her has King Agamemnon taken from me…
More questions about this book
- Imagine explaining to someone unfamiliar with poetry why the choice of blank verse by William Cullen Bryant for the *Iliad* is so significant, especially considering the epic's original dactylic hexameter and the dramatic opening conflict.
- The swift divine intervention of Apollo causes a plague, directly shaping the human conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles. How does this early integration of the gods impact our understanding of human agency and responsibility within the epic's narrative structure?
- Compare and contrast the translation aims implied by William Cullen Bryant's conversion to blank verse with Merrill's goal of "capturing the feel of the original Greek." How might these differing philosophies result in distinct reading experiences for a modern audience?
- Considering the *Iliad* is an "epic poem" with mythological elements and divine intervention, how might you explain the categorization of "History" from the Google Books snippet to someone, articulating both the potential justifications and challenges of such a classification?