Book 9 of the Iliad: Achilles Rejects Agamemnon's Ambassadors
This paper analyzes Book 9 of Homer's Iliad, focusing on Achilles' refusal to accept Agamemnon's lavish peace offering despite appeals from three ambassadors: Ulysses, Phoenix, and Ajax. The paper examines each ambassador's rhetorical approach — Ulysses' practical appeal, Phoenix's emotional appeal rooted in their personal history, and Ajax's blunt moral rebuke — and traces Achilles' consistent counterarguments about honor, fairness, and Agamemnon's ongoing contempt. It also highlights the irony that the ambassadors' dismissive treatment of Achilles' grievances mirrors the very disrespect that triggered his wrath in the first place.
- Introduction: Achilles and the Embassy: Overview of the embassy and Achilles' refusal
- Agamemnon's Apology and Its Limits: Agamemnon admits fault but retains superiority
- Ulysses Presents the Offer: Ulysses describes crisis and lavish gifts
- Achilles Rejects Ulysses: Achilles cites cowardice and stolen honor
- Phoenix Appeals to Personal History: Phoenix invokes fatherly bond to persuade Achilles
- Ajax Makes His Plea: Ajax bluntly rebukes Achilles' stubbornness
- Conclusion: Contempt Unresolved: Ambassadors dismiss Achilles, repeating original slight
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper uses direct, well-chosen quotations from the primary text to support every analytical claim, grounding each argument in the source material rather than paraphrase alone.
- It maintains a clear organizational structure by treating each ambassador's appeal as a discrete analytical unit, making the comparison between them easy to follow.
- The concluding irony — that the ambassadors replicate the very disrespect that angered Achilles — provides a satisfying and insightful thematic payoff.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates close reading with integrated textual evidence. Rather than summarizing the plot, the writer selects specific passages and explains their significance to the argument about honor and disrespect. The contrast drawn between Agamemnon's stated apology and his private attitude (still believing himself superior) is a particularly strong example of reading against the surface of the text.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing quotation and thesis, then moves chronologically through the three embassy speeches. Each section presents the ambassador's argument, followed immediately by Achilles' rebuttal and its thematic implication. The conclusion steps back from the scene-by-scene analysis to draw a broader ironic observation about the ambassadors' collective failure to take Achilles seriously — unifying all three sections under one interpretive claim.
Introduction: Achilles and the Embassy
"My blood boils when I think it all over, and remember how the son of Atreus treated me with contumely as though I were some vile tramp." (Iliad, IX, 486–488). In Book 9 of the Iliad, Achilles rejects the offers made by three of Agamemnon's ambassadors who attempt to end his feud with Agamemnon and persuade him to rejoin the war against Troy. Achilles refuses because he feels that Agamemnon has dishonored him.
When Agamemnon discusses his apology with his ambassadors, they acknowledge Achilles' temperament and agree that the offer must be extravagant, since Achilles is known for his bad temper and stubbornness. It is that official offer that Ulysses brings to Achilles, coupled with a detailed description of the destruction threatening the Achaeans. Achilles rejects Ulysses' offer, suggesting that Agamemnon was cowardly in battle yet rewarded all the other warriors except Achilles himself.
Phoenix, who helped raise Achilles as a child, then makes his plea. He reminds Achilles of all he has done for him and argues that rejecting Agamemnon's offer would be dishonorable. Achilles responds that he has no need of such honor from men, and threatens their personal relationship if Phoenix continues to press Agamemnon's suit. Ajax is the final ambassador to speak. Rather than addressing Achilles directly at first, he speaks of Achilles to Ulysses, calling him cruel and suggesting he is being both selfish and foolish. Achilles seems unmoved by Ajax's words, reminding him that Agamemnon was the one who committed the wrong.
What is most remarkable about the offers and Achilles' adamant rejections is that the ambassadors do not take him seriously, treating him in the same dismissive manner that made him so angry at Agamemnon in the first place.
Agamemnon's Apology and Its Limits
When Agamemnon considers withdrawing from the battle with Troy, one of his advisors reminds him that he has lost one of his best warriors — Achilles — because he stole Achilles' woman. Agamemnon admits his mistake, stating, "I was wrong. I own it." (Iliad, IX, 486–488). That statement makes Agamemnon appear as a wise man capable of learning from his errors. However, it is somewhat misleading.
While Agamemnon regrets upsetting Achilles by taking his woman, he has not changed his fundamental attitude that he is superior to Achilles. He implies that Achilles is the one at fault because "it is only Hades who is utterly ruthless and unyielding" (Iliad, IX, 124). Furthermore, he states, "I am older and more royal than himself. Therefore, let him now obey me." (Iliad, IX, 126–127). Although he does not have his ambassadors convey that message directly to Achilles, it is clear from Achilles' reaction that he understands exactly how Agamemnon truly feels about him.
References
Homer. The Iliad. Retrieved September 11, 2009, from Internet Classics Library. http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.9.ix.html
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