Humanities and the Iliad: Was it a Fight Worth Fighting For?

One of my favorite hobbies is reading because it allows me to learn about the world around me and contemplate the rationality of the characters’ decisions in the stories. I find that reading books is a wonderful way to gain perspective by looking at how actions affect other people. The Iliad is a tale composed by Homer that has inspired me to think more deeply about current events.

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The Iliad is an epic poem about war, but one of the main conflicts is between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. This conflict stems from what each perceives as acts of injustice. Because Achilles plays a role in Agamemnon losing his war prize, Agamemnon takes away Achilles’s war prize Briseis in retribution. In anger, Achilles leaves Agamemnon’s army and prays to his mother that Zeus would aid their Trojan enemies despite the fact that both men are fighting on the same side.

While each of the men have personal cause to seek revenge on the other, they are unable to keep the fight between themselves. They end up drawing more people and more blood into their fight. First, Agamemnon by unfairly taking Briseis to save face after he is forced to give up his war prize. But more importantly, Achilles by calling on his mother and Zeus to fulfill his wish of destruction upon the Achaean army.

Achilles to his mother Thetis:

"But anger seized Agamemnon. He jumped to his feet 

and treated me. Now he has carried out what he said.

The men are sailing his girl to Chryse, with gifts 

for the god, and two heralds from Agamemnon just took

my girl, Briseis, the prize that the army gave me.

Hear me now, mother; help me in this, if you can.

Go to Olympus and plead with Zeus for my sake;

clasp his knees and remind him of all the times

when by word or action you brought delight to his heart.

Beg him to help the Trojans, to pic the Achaeans

close to their ships, on the seashore. Let them be slaughtered

and learn how fine it is to have such a kind.

And may Agamemnon come to regret his madness

in refusing to honor the best of all the Achaeans."

- Homer, Iliad 1. 392- 405

Later Thetis asks Zeus for help in seeking revenge:

"Do what I ask you; honor my son, Achilles,

who is doomed to an early death. But King Agamemnon

has dishonored him now and robbed him of what is his.

So you, Lord, show him the honor that he deserves.

Grant victory to the Trojans, until the Achaeans

honor my son, and pay him due compensation."

-Homer, Iliad 1. 493-498 

To fulfill his promise of helping Thetis's son Achilles, Zeus sends Agamemnon a dream with bad military advice to led Agamemnon astray in the war:

"...sweet sleep fled from Lord Zeus;

he lay and thought about how he could honor Achilles

by slaughtering the Achaeans beside their ships.

And, in the end, [Zeus] decided that the best way 

was to send a malicious dream to King Agamemnon."

-Homer, Iliad 2.2-6

Achilles acted on his anger and went so far as the hurt the people who had fought alongside him. He was eager to seek revenge upon King Agamemnon, but he never once thought about the consequences of his actions for the Achaean army.

Was this really the way to seek justice?

Achilles should not have led his conflict with Agamemnon interfere with the war. Achilles basically became a traitor to his people by asking the gods to make the Achaeans suffer so that they would realize how much they needed Achilles. Even though Achilles expected more from King Agamemnon and wanted better treatment, he was wrong to produce greater strife by pulling a Benedict Arnold.

I wonder how many wars were fueled by people's thirst for vengeance and power over another. 

It is true however, that it the modern world we have more institutions in place to guard against immediate  acts for revenge. With the prevalence of social media, any politician who acted so rashly on his or her emotions would become subject to immediate judgement and lead to an outcry for their resignation or impeachment. 

Nevertheless, people in positions of power do still launch battles with people over petty disagreements. It is natural for people to hold grudges. That's just human nature. But grudges should be forgotten for the greater good of the people. For example, in Congress, it is difficult for people to work together and get things done.

Congress.

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It is well-known among scholars that representatives in Congress participate in logrolling; there is this social understanding that if one politician agrees to pass your project, that you would give them your support for their project.

But what if there was one person who had originally agreed to pass a bill, but now disagreed?  What if this representative had only just read the specifics and realized that this bill would actually create problems for his constituents and cost him voters?

Since the bill did not pass, now it is likely that the person who wanted the bill to pass has a grudge against the one opposing representative. Thus, the next time that the politician who broken the "social rule" wants support to pass his bill, he might not find it since the other representative would be seeking his revenge.

It is detrimental for legislators to hold a grudges.

How are they supposed to make agreements?

Seeking out retribution against people who do not participate in logrolling actually creates more government inefficiencies. Elected politicians, leaders, and rulers should learn to work together. They have a responsibility to their people to make the best and fairest decisions. From reading the Iliad, people can learn the importance of recognizing hot-tempered people in positions of power, such as Achilles and Agamemnon, who let their emotions and pride dictate their actions. Politicians should be above letting small disagreements getting the way of the big picture.

Works Cited

Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Stephen Mitchell. New York: Free, 2011. Print.