2/22 Iliad Reflection

If you were an ancient Greek, which of the following statements would you agree with?
A) Achilles’ rage is justified and I support his decision not to fight, even if it means the Greeks might lose lots of men, or even the war itself.

Or

B) Agamemnon is the commander, as such he is in the right, and I support his decision to ask for Achilles’ war prize Briseis – even if it means that Achilles will sit out the war.

If I were a Greek I would not agree with either of these quotes. Agamemnon and Achilles were two very egotistical men that both made very self-centered decisions that eventually compromised their own army’s lives. First of all I do not agree with Agamemnon’s stance because as illustrated in the book, his warriors do not agree with his decision to keep Chrysies instead of receiving the ransom and giving her back (pg 78 lines 25-36). In his position Agamemnon should have listened to the voice of his people but instead he made the decision that best fit him and not the health of his own people. On the other hand I also disagree with Achilles because his decision is also hard headed. He should be able to suck up his loses and realize the greater good of his people instead of trying to spite Agamemnon (page 83 lines 198-202). In those lines Achilles is so mad at Agamemnon that he threatens to return home and not help his people win the war, just because of an unimportant fight between the two men.