Agamemnon's Deception

Agamemnon’s Deception William F. Wyatt Brown University Agamemnon1 in the Iliad argues that he has been deceived by Zeus on a number of occasions. In Book 19.85–89, he argues that he was deluded by Zeus and is thus not guilty of having insulted Achilles intentionally:2 pollavki dhv moi tou`ton ∆Acaioi; mu`qon e[eipon, kaiv tev me neikeiveskon: ejgw; d∆ oujk ai[tiov~ eijmi, ajlla; Zeu;~ kai; Moi`ra kai; hjerofoi`ti~ ∆Erinuv~, oi{ tev moi eijn ajgorh/` fresi;n e[mbalon a[grion a[thn, h[mati tw/` o{t∆ ∆Acillh`o~ gevra~ aujto;~ ajphuvrwn. “Often have the Achaeans spoken to me these words and reproached me; but it is not I who am at fault, but Zeus and Fate and Erinys, that walks in darkness, since in the place of assembly they cast on my mind fierce blindness on that day when by my own arrogant act I took from Achilles his prize.”3 His apology is accepted, whether or not believed. On two other occasions he invokes Zeus as the reason for his deception, the 1 Authors who have treated Agamemnon include Donlan, Rabel, Greenberg, and Taplin. The fullest treatment I know is that of Kalinka, who believes that the character of Agamemnon must be modeled on that of a real person . For him that person is a Mycenaean monarch; for me it is rather more likely to be a basileuv~ like one of those described by Hesiod in his Works and Days. 2 On which cf. Edwards 245–248. The passage forms the basis for the first chapter of Dodds’ celebrated The Greeks and the Irrational. Dodds’ conclusions have been attacked recently, but to me at least still seem convincing. Cf. Clay 72–75. 3 Translations are from my revision of Murray’s Loeb translation of the Iliad. 2 SYLLECTA CLASSICA first at 2.110–15, the second at 9.17–25, in nearly identical words:4 w\ fivloi (2.110) h{rwe~ Danaoiv, qeravponte~ “ Arho~, (9.17) ∆Argeivwn hJghvtore~ hjde; mevdonte~, Zeuv~ me mevga~ Kronivdh~ a[th/ ejnevdhse bareivh/, scevtlio~, o{~ tovte mevn moi uJpevsceto kai; katevneusen “Ilion ejkpevrsant∆ eujteivceon ajponevesqai, nu`n de; kakh;n ajpavthn bouleuvsato, kaiv me keleuvei duskleva “ Argo~ iJkevsqai, ejpei; polu;n w[lesa laovn. “My friends, Danaan warriors, attendants of Ares, leaders and counselors of the Argives, great Zeus, son of Cronos, has ensnared me in grievous blindness of heart, harsh god, since at one time he promised me, and bowed his head to it, that only after sacking well-walled Ilios would I return home; but now he has planned cruel deceit , and tells me to return inglorious to Argos, when I have lost many men.” In both cases he appears in despair—real or feigned—of taking Ilios, in Book 9 because of Achaean reverses that result from Achilles’ withdrawal from the fray. In this latter case we recall, though Agamemnon makes no mention of it, Zeus’s indication given him—by a dream—in 2. 28–31 ( = 11–15 = 65–69) that he could take Troy that day—note the nu`n in line 12 ( = 29 = 66). We feel, and Agamemnon may as well, that he was deceived by Zeus and the false dream. In Book 2, however, there is no question of previous deception. His despair is feigned, for he has just received the dream from Zeus promising him—he thinks—the taking of Troy then and there. The dream speaks to him in his sleep (2.23–33): eu{dei~, ∆Atrevo~ uiJe; dai?frono~ iJppodavmoio: ouj crh; pannuvcion eu{dein boulhfovron a[ndra, w/| laoiv t∆ ejpitetravfatai kai; tovssa mevmhle nu`n d∆ ejmevqen xuvne~ w\ka: Dio;~ dev toi a[ggelov~ eijmi, o{~ seu` a[neuqen ejw;n mevga khvdetai hjd∆ ejleaivrei. 4 On 2.110–115 cf. Kirk 129–131, and on 9.17–22 Hainsworth 61–63 and Griffin 77. WYATT: AGAMEMNON’S DECEPTION 3 qwrh`xaiv se kevleuse kavrh komovwnta~∆Acaiou;~ pansudivh/: nu`n ga;r ken e{loi~ povlin eujruavguian Trwvwn: ouj ga;r e[t∆ ajmfi;~ ∆Oluvmpia dwvmat∆ e[conte~ ajqavnatoi fravzontai: ejpevgnamyen ga;r a{panta~ ”Hrh lissomevnh, Trwvessi de; khvde∆ ejfh...