Week 2 Reading Diary - Homer's iliad

Achilles promised to Calchas the prophet that he will protect him from anything because Calchas knew that Agamemnon is the reason why Greek Soldiers were dying from Apollo's arrows. Achilles said, "no man shall harm you while I live, no, not Agamemnon himself." 

Agamemnon is the most ignorant person in the story. From his phrase, "and take your people with you. I have other chiefs as good as you, and ready to honour me, as you are not. But mark this: the girl Briseïs, who was given to you as your share of the spoil, I will take, if I have to come and fetch her myself. For you must learn that I am master here." He is taking Achilles' girl because he had to give up his girl. He also refused to give his shares although everything was caused by his ignorance. 

The phrase said by Achilles showed that he wanted to revenge the ignorant king. He told his mother this. "Now go to Olympus, to the palace of Zeus. You helped him once in the old time, when the other gods would have put him in chains, fetching the great giant with the hundred hands to sit by his side, so that no one dared to touch him. Remind him of these things, and ask him to help the Trojans, and to make the Greeks flee before them, so that Agamemnon may learn how foolish he has been." 

Hector's wife, Andromache, expressed the fear of Achilles which proves that he is the greatest warrior of Greek, "My father is dead; for the great Achilles killed him when he took our city. He killed him, but he did him great honour, for he would not take his arms for a spoil, but burnt them with him; yes, and the nymphs of the mountains planted poplars by his grave. I had seven brothers, and they also are dead, for the great Achilles killed them in one day." 

Agamemnon, just an ignorance and selfish king, 'sent' men to Achilles, not himself, to give him 'some' of his stuffs to make Achilles fight for him. I loved how Achilles rejected and scolded him for what he had done. - "Let him choose for his son-in-law some chief of the Greeks who is better than I am." Achilles was making fun of Agamemnon's word that he said to Achilles before 'greater than Achilles' 

Achilles decided to fight because his friend was killed by Hector, but he would not have fight for Agamemnon. I focused on what a selfish king Agamemnon was and how great the warrior that Achilles was because he decided to fight against Troy because of his friend's death although he hated Agamemnon.

(Achilles by Domenica Prinzivalli)

From,  Homer's Iliad by Alfred J. Church.