Professor Edith Hall

We do hear about a couple of omens, but it's pretty much in the now and we don't get any real predictions of the future, except just once we're told that the plains of Troy would be completely flattened and obliterated as if nothing had ever been there, which is pretty horrific.

We hear what the gods and the rivers are going to do after the war to obliterate Troy, but you're very much in the moment. You're in this terrible psychological warfare going on between these, all of them, arrogant, aggressive narcissists, basically, on the Greek side anyway. That's something we could talk about, is how much more pleasant the Trojans are.

We hear what the gods and the rivers are going to do after the war to obliterate Troy, but you're very much in the moment. You're in this terrible psychological warfare going on between these, all of them, arrogant, aggressive narcissists, basically, on the Greek side anyway. That's something we could talk about, is how much more pleasant the Trojans are.

We hear what the gods and the rivers are going to do after the war to obliterate Troy, but you're very much in the moment. You're in this terrible psychological warfare going on between these, all of them, arrogant, aggressive narcissists, basically, on the Greek side anyway. That's something we could talk about, is how much more pleasant the Trojans are.

Yes, because his fleets are becalmed by Artemis. For reasons, I mean, none of this is in the Iliad and it's explained differently. So in order to get the winds to sail for Troy, he had to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia. That sets up, you know, the audience of the Iliad knows that when Agamemnon gets home, he's for it. His wife's going to kill him, but none of that is in the poem.

Yes, because his fleets are becalmed by Artemis. For reasons, I mean, none of this is in the Iliad and it's explained differently. So in order to get the winds to sail for Troy, he had to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia. That sets up, you know, the audience of the Iliad knows that when Agamemnon gets home, he's for it. His wife's going to kill him, but none of that is in the poem.

Yes, because his fleets are becalmed by Artemis. For reasons, I mean, none of this is in the Iliad and it's explained differently. So in order to get the winds to sail for Troy, he had to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia. That sets up, you know, the audience of the Iliad knows that when Agamemnon gets home, he's for it. His wife's going to kill him, but none of that is in the poem.

Well, he does. And the scenes of his, when he goes berserk, literally berserk, he's a berserker on the battlefield and loses it in the bloodlust, are very, very exciting. But those are actually delayed all the way through until we get to the last four, five books. He's kept in his tent, nursing his grievance for almost all of the poem. And in fact, we're on his side.

Well, he does. And the scenes of his, when he goes berserk, literally berserk, he's a berserker on the battlefield and loses it in the bloodlust, are very, very exciting. But those are actually delayed all the way through until we get to the last four, five books. He's kept in his tent, nursing his grievance for almost all of the poem. And in fact, we're on his side.

Well, he does. And the scenes of his, when he goes berserk, literally berserk, he's a berserker on the battlefield and loses it in the bloodlust, are very, very exciting. But those are actually delayed all the way through until we get to the last four, five books. He's kept in his tent, nursing his grievance for almost all of the poem. And in fact, we're on his side.

One of the reasons this poem is so good is it throws us straight into a crisis. in the Achaean camp, they're called Achaeans, not Greeks, in the Achaean camp, because there's all dying of plague because their ridiculous king, Agamemnon, has decided it's okay to kidnap the daughter of the local priest of Apollo because he fancies her. And Apollo's not having this. So he's killing them all off.

One of the reasons this poem is so good is it throws us straight into a crisis. in the Achaean camp, they're called Achaeans, not Greeks, in the Achaean camp, because there's all dying of plague because their ridiculous king, Agamemnon, has decided it's okay to kidnap the daughter of the local priest of Apollo because he fancies her. And Apollo's not having this. So he's killing them all off.

One of the reasons this poem is so good is it throws us straight into a crisis. in the Achaean camp, they're called Achaeans, not Greeks, in the Achaean camp, because there's all dying of plague because their ridiculous king, Agamemnon, has decided it's okay to kidnap the daughter of the local priest of Apollo because he fancies her. And Apollo's not having this. So he's killing them all off.

And there's a crisis, what we're going to do. And there's a meeting. And Achilles has been terribly insulted by Agamemnon. Agamemnon agrees grudgingly to give this young woman back to her father, Chrysaia. But he says, hmm, what's the next prettiest girl in camp? Oh, I know. It's the one that Achilles has got, Briseis. I'll have her, right? I'm kingier than you. There's actually this adjective.

And there's a crisis, what we're going to do. And there's a meeting. And Achilles has been terribly insulted by Agamemnon. Agamemnon agrees grudgingly to give this young woman back to her father, Chrysaia. But he says, hmm, what's the next prettiest girl in camp? Oh, I know. It's the one that Achilles has got, Briseis. I'll have her, right? I'm kingier than you. There's actually this adjective.

And there's a crisis, what we're going to do. And there's a meeting. And Achilles has been terribly insulted by Agamemnon. Agamemnon agrees grudgingly to give this young woman back to her father, Chrysaia. But he says, hmm, what's the next prettiest girl in camp? Oh, I know. It's the one that Achilles has got, Briseis. I'll have her, right? I'm kingier than you. There's actually this adjective.

We have a word for being kingy. And there's a superlative, basileutatos. I am the kingiest here.

We have a word for being kingy. And there's a superlative, basileutatos. I am the kingiest here.

We have a word for being kingy. And there's a superlative, basileutatos. I am the kingiest here.

I'm the kingiest. Well, it's an adjective. I'm the most kingly. I'm the kingiest. I'm going to have Briseis. Achilles, quite understandably, says, you what? And what you have is a row which sets up this really political theme because Agamemnon is by heredity the most powerful king, only because he's the son of the son of the son. By far the best warrior is Achilles.