6.2 The wrath of Achilles and its consequences

Achilles' Anger and Withdrawal

Achilles' wrath is the engine of the entire Iliad. His anger at Agamemnon drives him out of the war, and the consequences ripple outward: Greek soldiers die, his closest companion is killed, and Achilles himself spirals into a fury that nearly strips him of his humanity. Understanding this arc is central to understanding what Homer means by heroism and its costs.

Agamemnon's Insult and Achilles' Reaction

The conflict begins with a plague. Agamemnon has taken Chryseis, daughter of a priest of Apollo, as his war prize. When Apollo sends a plague on the Greek camp, Agamemnon is forced to give her back. To compensate, he seizes Briseis, Achilles' own prize.

This isn't just about a woman. In the honor culture of the Iliad, a warrior's time (honor, often represented by material prizes) is his public worth. By taking Briseis, Agamemnon effectively tells the entire army that Achilles' status means nothing. Achilles responds with total withdrawal: he refuses to fight and retreats to his tent with his Myrmidons.

He then asks his mother Thetis, a sea goddess, to petition Zeus directly. His request is striking: he wants Zeus to let the Trojans win so the Greeks will realize how badly they need him. This is not just sulking. Achilles is willing to let his own side suffer to restore his honor.

Impact of Achilles' Absence on the Greek Army

Without their best fighter, the Greeks are badly exposed:

• Hector and the Trojans push the Greeks back to their ships, threatening to burn the fleet and strand the army in Troy.
• Several major Greek heroes are wounded in the fighting, including Diomedes, Odysseus, and Agamemnon himself.
• The Greeks build fortifications around their ships, but morale collapses without Achilles on the field.

Zeus keeps his promise to Thetis throughout this stretch, allowing the Trojans to gain the upper hand. The message Homer sends is clear: one warrior's wounded pride can endanger an entire army.

Divine Intervention and Attempts at Reconciliation

The gods don't sit idle. Hera, Athena, and Poseidon all intervene at various points to prevent the Greeks from being completely destroyed, sometimes working against Zeus's plan.

Meanwhile, Agamemnon tries diplomacy. In Book 9, he sends an embassy to Achilles (Phoenix, Ajax, and Odysseus) offering lavish gifts and the return of Briseis. Achilles refuses. His reasoning goes beyond the original insult: he questions the entire system of honor that ties a warrior's worth to prizes distributed by a flawed king. This is one of the most debated passages in the poem, because Achilles seems to reject the very heroic code he lives by.

With no reconciliation in sight, Patroclus convinces Achilles to let him lead the Myrmidons into battle wearing Achilles' own armor. The goal is to frighten the Trojans into retreating without Achilles having to break his oath. Achilles agrees but warns Patroclus not to push too far toward Troy.

Patroclus and Hector

The Death of Patroclus

Patroclus charges into battle and succeeds at first, driving the Trojans back from the ships and killing many warriors, including Zeus's son Sarpedon. But he ignores Achilles' warning and presses on toward the walls of Troy.

Apollo intervenes directly, striking Patroclus and knocking the armor from his body. The Trojan Euphorbus wounds him, and then Hector delivers the killing blow with a spear. Hector strips Achilles' armor from the corpse, and a brutal fight erupts over Patroclus's body. The Greeks eventually recover it, but the armor is lost.

Two things matter here. First, Patroclus's death is not a fair fight: it takes a god and two men to bring him down, which underscores his valor. Second, Hector now wears Achilles' armor, setting up a symbolic confrontation where Achilles will face a version of himself.

Achilles' Grief and Rage

When Achilles learns of Patroclus's death, his grief is overwhelming. He rolls in the dirt, tears his hair, and cries out so loudly that Thetis hears him beneath the sea. His guilt is immense: he knows his withdrawal made Patroclus's death possible.

Thetis visits and commissions Hephaestus, the divine smith, to forge new armor for Achilles. The famous Shield of Achilles (Book 18) depicts scenes of peace and war, harvest and celebration, offering a vision of the full human world that war destroys.

Now driven by rage rather than honor, Achilles reconciles with Agamemnon and returns to battle. The reconciliation is perfunctory; Achilles barely cares about Briseis or gifts anymore. His only purpose is vengeance. He cuts through the Trojan forces with terrifying violence, even fighting the river god Scamander, and drives the Trojans back behind their walls.

The Slaying of Hector and Desecration of His Body

Achilles confronts Hector outside the walls of Troy. Hector initially flees, and Achilles chases him three times around the city before Athena tricks Hector into standing and fighting by disguising herself as his brother Deiphobus.

Hector fights bravely but is outmatched. Achilles knows exactly where the armor (his old armor) is vulnerable and drives a spear through Hector's throat. With his dying words, Hector begs Achilles to return his body to his family. Achilles refuses.

What follows is one of the poem's most disturbing sequences:

• Achilles ties Hector's corpse to his chariot and drags it around the walls of Troy in full view of Hector's parents, wife, and people.
• For twelve days, Achilles continues to abuse the body, dragging it around Patroclus's funeral mound each morning.
• Apollo preserves the corpse from decay and damage, signaling divine disapproval of Achilles' behavior.

This desecration violates deep Greek cultural norms. Proper burial was considered essential for the dead to find rest, and denying it was an offense against both human decency and the gods.

Consequences and Resolution

The Cycle of Vengeance

Achilles' trajectory illustrates how vengeance feeds on itself. His original anger at Agamemnon leads to withdrawal, which leads to Patroclus's death, which leads to a rage far more destructive than the first. Each stage escalates the violence and the cost.

Homer doesn't present this as heroic triumph. The gods themselves are outraged. Apollo speaks out against Achilles' cruelty, and Zeus orders that Hector's body must be returned. Achilles' wrath has carried him past the boundaries of acceptable behavior, even by the brutal standards of the Iliad.

The poem forces a question: what good is martial excellence if it leads to this? Achilles is the greatest warrior alive, yet his rage reduces him to something less than the enemy he killed.

Reconciliation and the Return of Hector's Body

The Iliad ends not with a battle but with an act of compassion. Priam, Hector's aged father and king of Troy, is guided by Hermes into the Greek camp at night. He enters Achilles' tent alone, kneels, and kisses the hands that killed his son.

Priam asks Achilles to think of his own father, Peleus, who will never see his son return from Troy. This appeal breaks through Achilles' rage. The two men weep together: Achilles for Peleus and Patroclus, Priam for Hector. For a moment, enemy and enemy share the same grief.

Achilles agrees to return the body and grants a twelve-day truce for Hector's funeral. The poem closes with the Trojans mourning Hector: Andromache (his wife), Hecuba (his mother), and Helen all deliver laments. The final line describes the burial of "Hector, breaker of horses."