Achilles’ Wrath in the Iliad: Canto I Analysis
The Iliad: Canto I – A Deep Dive into Achilles’ Wrath
The poem begins with the invocation of a God: “Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus.” Greek poets believed poetry did not come straight from men, but that the gods sang in their souls. Thus, they started by asking for inspiration, a god to sing within them. The opening lines indicate that this is an important issue: the anger of Achilles and the adverse consequences of that anger on the Achaeans. This indicates that the poet of the first song looks at things from the Achaean side. The author does not specify who Achilles or Agamemnon were, for he assumes that his audience is familiar with these names. The song has a great unity and is distributed on two levels: Earth and Olympus. It consists of a series of short scenes.
Part I: Agamemnon’s Offense to Crises
The Achaeans sacked Crisa, a city near Troy. In the booty is a slave named Criseyde, daughter of Crises, a priest of Apollo. The priest (who represents God, therefore deserving respect) begs the Achaeans to return his daughter, offering a ransom. Agamemnon, losing respect for the gods and regardless of the pain of the father and daughter, answers violently and selfishly, taking her anyway.
Part II: Apollo’s Intervention and the Plague
Crises is removed by the threats of Agamemnon in silence. On the road by the sea, he prays to his god Apollo to intervene against the Achaeans in revenge. He reminds Apollo that he has decorated his temple and sacrificed animals to his advantage, giving reasons for help.
Part III: The Quarrel Between Achilles and Agamemnon
After the plague caused by Apollo on the Achaeans lasted ten days, Achilles calls a meeting of chiefs. This leads to fortune-tellers trying to find out the reason for this plague. Agamemnon offers Achilles a soothsayer to interpret the anger. Calchas, the soothsayer, deduces that it was Agamemnon’s fault and asks Achilles to protect him so that no Achaean would kill him, mainly because Agamemnon might get angry. Agamemnon is furious when he hears Calchas’ allegations, as he already had a resentment from an earlier prediction. Agamemnon’s words reveal passion and desire for Criseyde, probably the reason he failed to return her to Crises. They also reveal that Agamemnon was rewarded for his courage as a warrior, and taking Criseyde away was an affront to his virtue. Friction occurs between Achilles and Agamemnon that arises in addition to the current problem, past resentments. They begin to argue. It is revealed that Agamemnon is zealous in his hierarchy, arrogant, and quick to anger. Achilles is first described as terrible, arrogant, and evil, but then, through the narrative, he becomes purified.
Part IV: Minerva’s Intervention
Agamemnon, furious, threatens Achilles to go and take his slave, Briseis, for two reasons: first, for having to return his own, and second, for the insolence of having wanted to compare himself to him. Achilles thinks of killing Agamemnon, much to his grief. Then, Pallas Athena (Minerva), a goddess, intervenes. Due to his respect for both Achilles and Agamemnon, she decides to give him his slave to avoid greater evils, which shows his good character and anger management in the face of divine order.
Part V: The Oath Not to Fight
Although Achilles fails to kill him, he still hurts Agamemnon with strong accusations. Then, Nestor, an old hero, speaks, trying to appease them, telling them that their fight does not lead to anything. He also stresses that both heroes have done wrong and suggests that Agamemnon should not keep Briseis. Yet, Agamemnon continues to offend Achilles, who becomes angered and says he will not obey him anymore and takes her slave.