Embassies of Two Kings
Agamemnon and Priam both send embassy to Achilles in order to convince him to return their desire by entering the war with the Greeks for Agamemnon and to return the body of Hector for Priam. Both Kings’ embassies were convincing, but only Priam succeeds to persuade Achilles to return Hector back. Agamemnon’s embassy to convince Achilles to return to the war alongside of the Greeks Army failed even when his fellow Greek and countrymen’s morale is slowly decreasing due to his leave and a plague that had struck their camp.
Agamemnon failed to convince Achilles because in the beginning of Iliad, nine years after the beginning of the war, they had won a battle against the Trojans and had ransacked a Trojan town where the battle took place. In the book, Agamemnon, the chief commander of the Greek army had taken a woman Chryseis as a price of victory over the battle. On the other hand, Achillies, a fierce important warrior of the Greeks took Briseis as his price. What they later found out was that Chryseis, daughter of Chryses; a priest who serves the god Apollo. Chryses pleaded to Agamemnon to return his daughter back to her, but Agamemnon refuse to give back his prize, therefore leading Chryses to pray to Apollo to punish the Greek army with a plague. Agamemnon will have to send his prize Chryseis back to her father in order to lift the plague only if he could take Achillies’ prize Briseis. This move that Agamemnon took left rage in Achilles and threatens to leave the battle with his soldiers, the Myrmidons. Agamemnon also was infuriated and threatens back that he would go take Briseis himself at Achilles tent. Both of them were threatening each other trying to make one lose pride and to protect one’s pride. Almost ending up killing Agamemnon, the goddess Athena was able to persuade Achilles to not draw his sword. Agamemnon ended up taking