This series of illustrations, by the Italian artist Felice Giani (c. 1758–1823), was inspired by a chaotic feud that festered between the ancient mythical figures of Achilles and Agamemnon during the course of the Trojan War. In the prelude to these depicted scenes, the Greek forces reached the Trojan lands and captured two local women named Chryseis and Briseis. The first of the two was taken by Agamemnon, and Achilles claimed the second. In a divine twist, it turned out that Agamemnon’s captive, Chryseis, was the daughter of a priest of Apollo, and the god lashed out after the girl’s capture by ravaging the Greek army with a terrible plague. In order to end the plague, King Agamemnon needed only to return Chryseis to her father, yet the king loathed to lose his spoils of war. It is this instance of Agamemnon hesitating to release Chryseis that is represented in the illustration at the top of the page.
Despite the early stubbornness, Agamemnon’s resolve wavered as the plague continued to ravage his forces. The king ultimately chose to let the girl go, but he then decided to make up his losses by taking a replacement captive from one of the other leaders in his army—in particular, he wanted Briseis, who was with Achilles. The famous hero balked at the demand, but King Agamemnon, who was the leader of the Greek coalition, ultimately used his authority and status to force Achilles to give up Briseis. During the resulting argument between the king and the hero, egos flared and insults were thrown in both directions. Achilles became so angry that he seriously considered the option of killing the king. The poet, Homer, described this scene, writing, “These thoughts were racing through his mind, and he was just drawing his great sword from his sheath when Athene came down from the skies…Athene stood behind Achilles and seized him by his auburn hair. No one but Achilles was aware of her; the rest saw nothing” (The Iliad, book 1, approximately lines 190-200). It is this scene of Athena intervening in the argument between Agamemnon and Achilles that is depicted in the middle panel on the page.
Through the goddess’ restraining hand, Agamemnon survived the argument and succeeded in forcing Achilles to relinquish Briseis. The final illustrated panel on the page depicts Achilles letting the king’s men take the captive out of his quarters so that Briseis could be transferred into Agamemnon’s custody. Although Achilles capitulated to Agamemnon’s demands, the hero did not forgive the king. Achilles was infuriated by the incident to the extent that he refused to continue leading his troops into battle and even called upon his divine relatives to sabotage the Greek army’s good fortune. Yet, when the Greek forces began to struggle in the absence of their greatest fighters, certain members of Achilles’ warband felt the need to rejoin the battle, even if their leader would not join them. Most notably, Achilles’ best friend, Patroclus, decided to rejoin the fight, and, hoping to boost the morale of the Greeks and to demoralize the Trojans, Patroclus concocted a plan to put on Achilles’ armor and impersonate the hero on the battlefield. The fake Achilles ploy went well at first, but the ruse quickly crumbled when Troy’s greatest warrior, Hector, fought and killed Patroclus during the battle. Patroclus’ tragic death, however, rekindled the real Achilles’ will to fight.
Despite the hero’s determination to rejoin the war, the feud between Achilles and Agamemnon still needed to be resolved. Sensing it was time to patch up his relationship with the best warrior in his army, Agamemnon (with the help of Odysseus) pulled together a hoard of treasures that would serve as an apology gift to Achilles. The poet, Homer, wrote of Agamemnon’s generous peace offerings, stating “they fetched out from his quarters the seven tripods he had promised Achilles, the twenty cauldrons of gleaming copper and the twelve horses; and immediately after, the seven women skilled in arts and crafts, fair-cheeked Briseis making the eighth. Then Odysseus who had weighed out ten talents of gold, led the way back, followed by the other young Greeks carrying the gifts” (Homer, The Iliad, book 19, between lines 240-250). With Briseis back in his custody, and an understanding reached with Agamemnon, Achilles finally resumed his role as the champion of the Greek forces in the Trojan War.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Sources:
- The Iliad by Homer, translated by E. V. Rieu and edited/introduced by Peter Jones. New York: Penguin Classics, 2014.
- https://www.si.edu/object/agamemnon-refuses-liberate-chryseis-minerva-appears-achilles-abduction-briseis-galerie-diliad:chndm_1901-39-3327
