Crucial Decisions and the Gods

Chapters 10–12

Agamemnon makes so many decisions that are crucial to the way things play out in the poem. Some were good and some were….well…..not the greatest. Im here to give you definitive ranking of some of Agamemnon’s decisions. Ready! Here we go!

  1. When he took Chryseis. — This was just dumb. all around dumb. he caused a plague and then got mad when he got called out for doing wrong. For this, he gets 1 (or a zero if that’s possible).
  2. When Agamemnon insults Achilles by taking Brisies away. — He was not using his brain in that decision and the consequences of that were detrimental so for that he gets a smooth 1
  3. When he stopped Menelaus from fighting Hector. — This was a good decision because Menelaus probably would’ve died and the war would’ve been over. For this, I’ll give him an 8.
  4. When Agamemnon told Menelaus to not save Adrestus. — This decision shows how ruthless Agamemnon is in battle and how indiscriminate he his about who he kills. So for this, I will give him a 5
  5. When he sent Ajax, Phoenix, and Odysseus to Achilles to convince him to return to battle. — These 3 people were probably the best people to plead with Achilles. So for this, he gets a 10
  6. When he tries to give Achilles gifts. — This seems like a good move, but in reality he is trying to play Achilles and keep him subservient, which again, is huge no no when you’re dealing with the GREATEST WARRIOR OF ALL TIME! For this, he gets a 3.
  7. When he sent Odysseus and Diomedes to spy on the Trojans. — This was good leadership decision because you have to know what the enemy is doing. I can’t fault him on the actions of Diomedes and Odysseus because they’re their own people, but I bet Agamemnon wouldn’t care anyway. Anyway, for this decision, I’ll give him a 8.
  8. When he chose to fight in the front lines of the battle. — This wasn’t the greatest decision because if he died, the Greeks would pretty much lose the war and go home.
  9. When he showed fear and wanted to go home. — As a leader, he should not show fear because he affects the moral of the team. For this, He gets a 1.
  10. When Agamemnon stays up and confides his fear in Nestor. — This is when a leader is supposed to break down. He is allowed to confide and trust in a select few without showing it to the rest of the army. For this, I give him an 9.

So now I have to compare Diomedes and Agamemnon in battle. I feel that Diomedes and Agamemnon are similar because they are both indiscriminate in their killings. They are strong and experienced fighters who are totally engrossed in battle. They are fearless and both heroic in battle. I don’t think Agamemnon is less heroic in any way.

Chapter 13!!

The Gods have been very involved in the war so far and for beings who are supposed to be above human frivolities, they are really petty in their actions.

Here’s a list of gods who have intervened so far.

Athena: She has intervened multiple times on the side of the Danaans because she hates the Trojans (namely Paris, but Gods love to be indiscriminate) for not choosing her as the fairest Goddess.

Hera: Her story is much like Athena’s in that she hates the Trojans and she would rather let Zeus ravage 3 of her most favorite cities than see the Trojans win the war.

Next is Aphrodite, she is on the side of the Trojans because Paris told her she was the fairest goddess and as a result she gives him Helen and that starts the Trojan War. So it would be kind of messed to be a catalyst of a war and not help.

Ares: Ares just loves war, so he is in his element. He fights with the Trojans because Aphrodite persuades him to. He is eventually taken out because Athena injures him.

Apollo comes in to protect Aeneas from Diomedes and then has to check Diomedes because he kept on trying to kill Aeneas even though he was being protected by a God.

Zeus is sort of like a puppet master. He doesn’t want any of the other gods to intervene because he wants to control the outcome himself. He comes to the aid of both sides because of the promise he makes to Thetis to help Achilles and he also sends a sign to the Danaans to tell them that he is with them. On the other hand, he also helps Hector in battle, which is something that Hector puts a lot faith in, which will ultimately be his downfall. Zeus enjoys the fact that he is the God of all and he relishes in his power.