“I say no wealth is worth my life!..

Mother tells me, the immortal goddess Thetis with her glistening feet,

That two fates bear me on the day of death.

If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy,

My journey home is gone, but my glory never dies.

If I voyage back to the fatherland I love,

My pride, my glory dies…

True, but the life that’s left me will be long,

The stroke of death will not come on me quickly.” –The Iliad: Book 9, translation by Robert Fagles

 

     In book one of the Iliad, Achilles, highly esteemed by the gods, was enraged by the fact that Agamemnon stripped him of his rightful prize, Briseis. Here we realize that women are constant recipients of the consequences of War. This causes controversy between the two men that the gods get involved. Achilles had no choice but to be left empty handed. He then prays to his mother Thetis for exaltation. During this time we come to know that he is destined to live a shorter life if he continues with the Achaeans, but he will have eternal glory. By Agamemnon disgracing him, the Achaean war against the Trojans had become a failure. The war was in favor of the Trojans led by Hector. The gods then became so involved that it became their war as well. It seems as if their constant involvement encourages the war to settle their own conflictions.

    The Achaeans only hope was to bring back Achilles into the battle field. Agamemnon then offers Achilles numerous gifts, including Briseis. However when the embassy offers him his gifts, he refuses immediately. What Agamemnon was offering were riches but it had no value to Achilles. Agamemnon was offering him what could be fought or found. He wanted much more and that was honor. His life was worth more than wealth. Achilles had so much pride that he no longer wanted to be under Agamemnon’s control. He would rather go back to his homeland to live a longer life even if that meant his glory would perish. This comes to show that the Greek warriors have so much pride that they won’t do anything to hurt their reputation.

    However, Achilles was torn between helping his fellow warriors and keeping his pride. He weighs the consequences of his fate and he decides to leave to his homeland even if that meant the destruction of the Achaeans. Many of the Greeks relied on their fate.The theme conveyed here is that honor was everything for a Greek warrior during the Homeric period. When Achilles was stripped from his prize, his honor was being insulted.