Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. To appease the wrath of Artemis, Agamemnon was forced to sacrifice his own daughter Iphigeneia. The Trojan Prince Paris had abducted his wife Helen, and so much of Greece, led by Agamemnon, was preparing to sail for Troy. Achilles joined the expedition against Troy in a bid to win personal glory, but then got a fit of the sulks because Agamemnon claimed dibs on a captured queen Achilles fancied. Click to see full answer. Achilles had enslaved Briseis after invading Lyrnessus and slaughtering her parents and brothers. Hera sends the goddess Athenato stop him. Corrections? Agamemnon is not a king Achilles wishes to bow down to. Achilles informs them that the Greek army, eager for war, has learned of the seer's advice and now demand that Iphigenia be sacrificed. Achilles puts his cousin on a funeral pyre and sets it alight. Atreus even went so far that the murdered children were on the menu of Thyestes for a while. There were many kings in the Achaean (Greek) ranks - Menelaus and Odysseus to name but two. Greek writers generally portray Agamemnon as courageous but also as arrogant and overly proud, flaws that sometimes cause him misfortune and … His chief fault was his overwhelming haughtiness; an over-exalted opinion of his position that led him to insult Chryses and Achilles, thereby bringing great disaster upon the Greeks. Fearing of defeat to the Trojans, Agamemnon summons Ajax , Odysseus, and Phoenix to persuade Achilles into rejoining the battle by means of offering gifts and the return of Briseis. Achilles obeys her, but he vows to Agamemnon that one day the Achaeans will come begging Achilles for help. His desire to avenge Patroclus spurs him to - spoiler alert - kill Hector at the climax of The Iliad. When Achilles strides toward Agamemnon to kill him. She promises that Achilles will be justly compensated for this great dishonor. To Achilles this is an outrageous affront to his honor and status as the most valiant fighter among the Greeks. Achilles' father was also a king. According to both parties, the women signified their individual successes in war. After Achilles temporarily deserted the Greeks, Hector stormed the Greek camp, wounded Odysseus and threatened to burn the Greek fleet—until Agamemnon rallied his troops and repelled the Trojans. Then the story arrives at Agamemnon, the son of Atreus. While it is true that Artemis demanded her death if the fleet was to sail to Troy, did Agamemnon really have to kill his daughter to win a war to recover a single woman? . Only Achilles can see Athena, who tells him not to kill the king. Only Achilles can see Athena, who tells him not to kill the king. Agamemon is the king of the powerful Mycenae, and thus over all the Greeks, during the Trojan War.He is the son of Atreus and Aerope.His twin brother is Menelaus, the king of Sparta.. After his father Atreus was killed by Aegisthus, his uncle Thyestes usurped the throne of Mycenae. How did Achilles react to Agamemnon's action? Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Odysseus also adds one final, important argument: if Achilles still hates Agamemnon, he should rejoin the fighting out of pity for his friends and fellow soldiers, who are being … (Nor the nicest, see below). Agamemnon, angry that his prize had been taken, demanded that Achilles surrender Briseis to him as a consolation. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The two leader’s characteristics unfold where it seems as though Agamemnon cares more about power and wants something that was supposed to be given to him whereas Achilles is way more likely to choose honour over anything because at the end of the Iliad Achilles did not take the death of his dear friend Patroclus and he was not happy when his friend passed away and found out who did it. Who is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Ares? The third reason, is because his mother tells him not to. He himself furnished 100 ships and was chosen commander in chief of the combined forces. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Who led the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece? Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Iphigenia and Clytemnestra plead with Agamemnon to spare his daughter's life. The pair treacherously carried out the murders of Agamemnon, his comrades, and Cassandra. After Atreus was murdered by his nephew Aegisthus (son of Thyestes), Agamemnon and Menelaus took refuge with Tyndareus, king of Sparta, whose daughters, Clytemnestra and Helen, they respectively married. A king vs. a hero, a bully vs. a thinker, a warrior vs. a lover. In his early life, there were plenty of things going wrong. Achilles and Agamemnon dislike each other because Achilles feels Agamemnon takes advantage of him (Agamemnon takes credit for Achilles gaining the Temple of Apollo) as well as thinking he is unfit to be a King. Agamemnon would threaten Achilles with force if Briseis was not given over to him, and whilst Achilles reluctantly agreed, he now compared Agamemnon to Paris, for the taking of Briseis was not so different to the taking of Helen, for which the whole Achaean army had come to Troy. Hera sends the goddess Athenato stop him. Agamemnon. Agamemnon: Family & Loyalty. 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