Why did Achilles and Agamemnon quarrel? Achilles' wrath

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Myths about Achilles

Achilles, or Achilles - in the heroic tales of the ancient Greeks, the bravest of
heroes who undertook a campaign against Troy under the leadership of Agamemnon.

Michel Martin Drolling the Elder (1789-1851) - "The wrath of Achilles"
- 1810 Paris-École Nationale Supérieur des Beaux-Arts

Achilles' fate was to die in Troy, so his mother didn't want him to take part in the beginning.
in the war. But Agamemnon, who was the commander-in-chief of all the troops, did everything possible to
so that Achilles with his mermidons went to Troy. During the nine years of the siege of Troy, Achilles ravaged and
conquered many cities that were in the neighborhood. Many trophies and many women were taken away
to the camp of the Greeks. Achilles gave many worthy women to Agamemnon. For himself, he kept the slave Diomedes.
But in the first place for the hero was the beautiful Briseis, the daughter of Briseus, whom he wanted to marry,
when I would return to Phthia. Briseis, as well as Chryseis, were taken prisoner after the capture of Thebes
(the city of the same name in Misia). The beautiful daughter of the priest of Apollo Chris, Chryseis was just as beautiful,
like Briseis and had the same noble origin. The Greeks promised to give it to Agamemnon.

Charles-Antoine Coypel (1694-1752)-"The wrath of Achilles"- 1737

On the island of Chris there was a temple of Apollo, where the priest Chris served. There he learned that his daughter had been taken
in captivity. Chris put on his holy clothes, arrived at the camp of the Greeks and begged them to return him for a rich ransom.
daughter of Chryseis. But Agamemnon did not want to lose Chryseis, he insulted the old priest and drove him out, and in
the result aroused the wrath of Apollo.
Arrows of the silver-armed Apollo rained down in a hail into the camp of the Greeks, bringing death with them. terrible pestilence
hit first the animals, and then the warriors. Then a quarrel began between Achilles and Agamemnon.
Achilles tried to convince Agamemnon to release Chryseis in order to drive away the deadly pestilence.
The commander-in-chief of the Greeks was forced to give the slave to his father, but for this he stole Briseis from Achilles,
because he believed that he should have been compensated for the damage.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) - "The wrath of Achilles"
-fresco-1757 Vicenza-Villa Valmarana

Achilles said many angry words to Agamemnon after a complete injustice. The great son is gone
Peleus and his brave Myrmidons to their tents. On the other hand, the Trojans, seeing discord among
the armies of the Greeks began to win in subsequent battles.

Based on Homer's Iliad

For nine years the Greeks had besieged Troy. The tenth year of the great struggle has come. At the beginning of this year, the priest of the archer of Apollo Chris arrived in the camp of the Greeks. He begged all the Greeks, and above all their leaders, to return his daughter Chryseis to him for a rich ransom. After listening to Chris, everyone agreed to accept a rich ransom for Chryseis and give her to her father. But the mighty king Agamemnon became angry and said to Chris:

Old man, go away and never dare to show yourself here, near our ships, otherwise the fact that you are a priest of the god Apollo will not save you. I will not return the Chryseides to you. No, she will languish in captivity all her life. Beware of angering me if you want to return home unharmed.

In fear, Chris left the camp of the Greeks and went saddened to the seashore. There, raising his hands to the sky, he so prayed to the great son of Latona, the god Apollo:

Oh, silver-eyed god, listen to me, your faithful servant! Take revenge on the Greeks with your arrows for my grief and resentment.

Apollo heard the complaint of his priest Chris. He quickly rushed from the bright Olympus with a bow and a quiver behind his shoulders. Golden arrows thundered menacingly in the quiver. Apollo rushed to the camp of the Greeks, blazing with anger; Darker than the night was his face. Rushing to the camp of the Achaeans, he took an arrow from his quiver and sent it into the camp. The string of Apollo's bow rang menacingly. For the first arrow, Apollo sent a second, a third, - arrows rained down in a hail into the camp of the Greeks, bringing death with them. A terrible plague struck the Greeks. Many Greeks perished. Funeral pyres were burning everywhere. It seemed that the hour of death had come for the Greeks.

The pestilence had already raged for nine days. On the tenth day, on the advice given by the Hero, the great hero Achilles convened for a national meeting of all the Greeks to decide how to be him, how to propitiate the gods. When all the soldiers gathered, Achilles was the first to address Agamemnon with a speech:

We will have to sail back to our homeland, son of Atreus, - said Achilles, - you see that soldiers are dying both in battles and from pestilence. But perhaps we will first ask the fortune-tellers: they will tell us how we angered the silver-armed Apollo, for which he sent a disastrous plague on our army.

As soon as Achilles said this, the soothsayer Calchas rose up, having already revealed to the Greeks the will of the gods many times. He said that he was ready to reveal what the far-striking god was angry about, but he would reveal this only if Achilles protected him from the wrath of King Agamemnon. Achilles promised his protection to Calchas and swore this to Apollo. Then Calchas only said:

The great son of Latona is angry because King Agamemnon dishonored his priest Chris, drove him out of the camp, not accepting a rich ransom from him for his daughter. We can propitiate God only by returning the black-eyed Chryseis to her father and sacrificing a hundred calves to God.

Hearing what Calchas said, he flared with terrible anger at him and Achilles Agamemnon, but seeing that he still had to return Chryseis to his father, he finally agreed, but demanded only for himself a reward for her return. Achilles reproached Agamemnon for selfishness. This angered Agamemnon even more. He began to threaten that with his power he would take for himself a reward for Chryseis from what Achilles, or Ajax, or Odysseus had inherited.

Shameless, treacherous greed! Achilles cried out, “you threaten us that you will take away our awards from us, although none of us has ever had an equal share in awards with you. But we did not come to fight for our cause; we came here to help Menelaus and you. You want to take away from me a part of the booty that I got for the great deeds that I accomplished. So it is better for me to return back to my native Phthia, I do not want to increase your booty and treasures.

Well, run to Phthia! - Agamemnon shouted back to Achilles, - I hate you more than all the kings! You are the only one who stirs up controversy. I am not afraid of your anger. That's what I'll tell you! I will return Chryseis to my father, since this is the desire of the god Apollo, but for this I will take away the captive Briseis from you. You will know how much more power I have! Let everyone be afraid to consider himself equal in power to me!

Terrible anger seized Achilles when he heard this threat from Agamemnon. The son of Thetis grabbed his sword; he had already drawn it halfway from its scabbard and was ready to throw himself at Agamemnon. Suddenly Achilles felt a light touch on his hair. He turned around and recoiled in horror. Before him, invisible to others, stood the great daughter of the Thunderer Pallas Athena. Hera sent Athena. The wife of Zeus did not want the death of either one or the other of the heroes, both of them - Achilles and Agamemnon - were equally dear to her. Achilles asked the goddess Athena with trepidation:

0, daughter of the Thunderer Zeus, why did you descend from the high Olympus? Have you really come here to see how Agamemnon rages? Oh, soon he will ruin himself with his pride!

No, mighty Achilles, - the bright-eyed Pallas answered, - I didn’t come for that. I have come to tame your wrath, if only you obey the will of the Olympian gods. Do not draw your sword, be content with only words, they scourge Agamemnon. Believe me! Soon here, in the same place, they will pay you for your offense with gifts that will be many times richer. Humble yourself and submit to the will of the immortal gods. Achilles submitted to the will of the gods: he sheathed his sword, and Athena again ascended to the bright Olympus in the host of the gods.

Achilles also said many angry words to Agamemnon, calling him a devourer of the people, a drunkard, a coward, a dog. Achilles threw his scepter on the ground and swore to them that the time would come when his help against the Trojans would be needed, but Agamemnon would pray for her in vain, since he offended him so hard. In vain did the wise king of Pylos, Elder Nestor, try to reconcile the warring. Agamemnon did not listen to Nestor, and Achilles did not reconcile. Wrathful, the great son of Peleus left with his friend Patroclus and the brave Myrmidons to their tents. Anger at Agamemnon, who had offended him, raged furiously in his chest. Meanwhile, King Agamemnon ordered to lower a high-speed ship to the sea, carry sacrifices to the god Apollo on it, and take the beautiful daughter of the priest Chris. This ship was to sail under the command of the cunning Odysseus to Thebes, the city of Estion, and the Greeks in the camp, at the command of Agamemnon, were to make rich sacrifices to Apollo in order to propitiate him.

The ship sent by Agamemnon quickly rushed along the waves of the boundless sea. Finally, the ship entered the harbor of Thebes. The Greeks lowered their sails and moored to the pier. Odysseus descended from the ship at the head of a detachment of warriors to the shore, took the beautiful Chryseis to his father and addressed him with such a greeting:

Oh servant of Apollo! I came here at the behest of Agamemnon to return your daughter to you. We also brought a hundred bulls to propitiate with these sacrifices the great god Apollo, who sent a grave disaster to the Greeks.

Elder Khris rejoiced at the return of his daughter and tenderly embraced her. Immediately began the sacrifice to Apollo. Chris prayed to the archer-god:

O silver-eyed god! Listen to me! And before you listened to my prayers. Hear me now too! Avert the great calamity from the Greeks, stop the disastrous pestilence!

The god Apollo heard the prayer of Chris and stopped the pestilence in the camp of the Greeks. When the sacrifices to Apollo were made by Chris, a sumptuous feast was arranged. The Greeks feasted merrily in Thebes. The young men carried the wine, filling the feasting bowls with it to the top. The majestic sounds of the hymn in honor of Apollo were loudly heard, which were sung by Greek youths. Until sunset, the feast continued, and in the morning, refreshed by sleep, Odysseus and his squad set off on their way back to the vast camp. Apollo sent them a fair wind. Like a seagull, the ship rushed through the waves of the sea. The ship quickly reached the camp. The swimmers dragged him ashore and dispersed to their tents.

While Odysseus sailed to Thebes, Agamemnon fulfilled what he threatened Achilles with. He summoned the heralds Talthybius and Eurybates and sent them for Briseis. The messengers of Agamemnon went reluctantly to the tent of Achilles. They found him sitting in deep thought at the tent. The ambassadors approached the mighty hero, but in embarrassment they could not utter a word. Then the son of Peleus said to them:

Hello, heralds. I know that you are not guilty of anything, only Agamemnon is guilty. You have come for Briseis. My friend, Patroclus, give them Briseis. But let me
they themselves are witnesses that the hour will come when I will be needed to save the Greeks from destruction. Then Agamemnon, who has lost his mind, will not be able to save the Greeks!

Shedding bitter tears, Achilles left his friends, went to the deserted shore, stretched out his hands to the sea and loudly called his mother goddess Thetis:

My mother, if you have already given birth to me doomed to a short life, why then does the Thunderer Zeus deprive me of glory! No, he did not give me glory! King Agamemnon dishonored me by taking away my reward for my deeds. My mother, hear me!

The goddess Thetis heard the call of Achilles. She left the deep sea and the marvelous palace of the god Nereus. Quickly, like a light cloud, she emerged from the foaming sea waves. Thetis came ashore and, sitting down near her dearly beloved son, hugged him.

Why are you weeping so bitterly, my son? she asked. - Tell me your grief.

Achilles told his mother how severely Agamemnon had offended him. He began to ask his mother to ascend to the bright Olympus and there pray to Zeus to punish Agamemnon. Let Zeus help the Trojans, let them drive the Greeks to the very ships. Let Agamemnon understand how foolishly he acted when he offended the bravest of the Greeks. Achilles assured his mother that Zeus would not refuse her request. After all, she only has to remind Zeus how she once helped him when the gods of Olympus planned to overthrow Zeus by fettering him. Then Thetis called the hundred-armed giant Briareus to help Zeus; seeing him, all the gods were embarrassed and did not dare to raise their hands against Zeus. Let Thetis remind the great Zeus the Thunderer about this, and he will not refuse her her request. So Achilles prayed to his mother Thetis.

Oh, my beloved son, - exclaimed, weeping bitterly, Thetis, - why did I give birth to you for so many disasters! Yes, your life will be short, your end is near. And now you are both short-lived and the most unhappy of all! Oh no, don't grieve like that! I will rise to the bright Olympus, there I will pray to the Thunderer Zeus to help me. But you remain in your tent and take no more part in the battles. Now Zeus has left Olympus, he, with all the immortals, went to a feast to the Ethiopians. But when Zeus returns in twelve days, then I will fall at his feet and, I hope, I will beg him!

Thetis left her sad son, and he went to the tents of his brave Myrmidons. From that day on, Achilles did not participate either in meetings of leaders or in battles. Sad he sat in his tent, although he longed for military glory.

Eleven days have passed. On the twelfth day, in the early morning, along with a gray mist, the goddess Thetis ascended from the abyss of the sea to the bright Olympus. There she fell at the feet of Zeus, hugged his knees and with a prayer stretched out her hands to him, touching his beard.

Oh, our father! - pleaded Thetis, - I beg you, help me avenge my son! Fulfill my request if I have ever done you a favor. Send victory to the Trojans until the Greeks beg my son to help them, until they give him great honors.

For a long time the cloudmaker Zeus Thetis did not answer. But Thetis implored him relentlessly. Finally, with a deep sigh, the Thunderer said:

Know Thetis! With your request, you provoke the wrath of Hera, she will be angry with me. Already, she constantly reproaches me for helping the Trojans in battles. But you have now left the high Olympus so that Hera does not see you. I promise to fulfill your request. Here is a sign for you that I will keep my promise.

Having said this, Zeus frowned menacingly, the hair on his head rose, and the whole of Olympus shuddered. Thetis calmed down. She quickly rushed from the high Olympus and plunged into the abyss of the sea.

Zeus went to the feast, where the gods gathered. They all stood up to meet Zeus, not one dared to greet him while sitting. When the king of gods and people sat on his golden throne, Hera turned to him. She saw that Thetis came to Zeus.

Tell me, treacherous one, Hera said to Zeus, with which of the immortals did you have a secret council? You always hide your thoughts and thoughts from me,

Hera, - Zeus answered her, - do not expect that you will ever know everything that I think about. What you can know, you will know before all the gods, but do not try to find out all my secrets and do not ask about them.

Oh, cloud chaser, - answered Hera, - you know that I never tried to find out your secrets. You always decide everything without me. But I am afraid that today Thetis persuaded you to avenge her son Achilles and destroy many Greeks. I know that you promised to fulfill her request.

Zeus looked menacingly at Hera, he was angry with his wife for always following everything he does. Zeus angrily ordered her to sit silently and obey him, if she does not want him to punish her. Hera was afraid of the wrath of Zeus. Silently she sat on her golden throne. The gods were also frightened by this quarrel between Zeus and Hera. Then the lame-footed god Hephaestus arose; he reproached the gods for starting quarrels over mortals.

After all, if we quarrel over mortals, then the feasts of the gods will always be deprived of fun, - the god Hephaestus said and prayed to his mother Hera to submit to the power of Zeus, since he is formidable in anger and can overthrow all the Olympian gods from the thrones.

Hephaestus reminded Hera how Zeus himself had thrown himself to earth because he hastened to help his mother when Zeus, throwing lightning, was angry with her. He took the goblet Hephaestus and, filling it with nectar, brought it to Hera. Hera smiled. Hephaestus, limping, began to draw nectar from the bowl with a goblet and distribute it to the gods. All the gods laughed, seeing how the lame Hephaestus hobbled around the banquet hall. Again, fun reigned at the feast of the gods, and they feasted serenely until sunset to the sounds of the golden cithara of Apollo and the singing of the muses. When the feast ended, the gods dispersed to their chambers, and the whole of Olympus fell into a peaceful sleep.

- Old man, go away and never dare to show yourself here, near our ships, otherwise the fact that you are a priest of the god Apollo will not save you. I will not return the Chryseides to you. No, she will languish in captivity all her life. Beware of angering me if you want to return home unharmed.

In fear, Chris left the camp of the Greeks and went saddened to the seashore. There, raising his hands to the sky, he so prayed to the great son of Latona, the god Apollo:

“Oh, silver-armed god, listen to me, your faithful servant! Take revenge on the Greeks with your arrows for my grief and resentment.

“We will have to sail back to our homeland, son of Atreus,” said Achilles, “you see that soldiers are dying both in battles and from pestilence. But perhaps we will first ask the fortune-tellers: they will tell us how we angered the silver-armed Apollo, for which he sent a disastrous plague on our army.

- The great son of Latona is angry because King Agamemnon dishonored his priest Chris, drove him out of the camp, not accepting a rich ransom from him for his daughter. We can propitiate God only by returning the black-eyed Chryseis to her father and sacrificing a hundred calves to God.

- Shameless, treacherous greed! Achilles cried out, “you threaten us that you will take away our awards from us, although none of us has ever had an equal share in awards with you. But we did not come to fight for our cause; we came here to help Menelaus and you. You want to take away from me a part of the booty that I got for the great deeds that I accomplished. So it is better for me to return back to my native Phthia, I do not want to increase your booty and treasures.

- Well, run to Phthia! Agamemnon shouted in response to Achilles, “I hate you more than all kings!” You are the only one who stirs up controversy. I am not afraid of your anger. That's what I'll tell you! I will return Chryseis to my father, since this is the desire of the god Apollo, but for this I will take away the captive Briseis from you. You will know how much more power I have! Let everyone be afraid to consider himself equal in power to me!

- Oh, daughter of the Thunderer Zeus, why did you descend from the high Olympus? Have you really come here to see how Agamemnon rages? Oh, soon he will ruin himself with his pride!

- No, mighty Achilles, - answered the bright-eyed Pallas, - I did not come for that. I have come to tame your wrath, if only you obey the will of the Olympian gods. Do not draw your sword, be content with only words, they scourge Agamemnon. Believe me! Soon here, in the same place, they will pay you for your offense with gifts that will be many times richer. Humble yourself and submit to the will of the immortal gods.

Achilles submitted to the will of the gods: he sheathed his sword, and Athena again ascended to the bright Olympus in the host of the gods.

Meanwhile, King Agamemnon ordered to lower a high-speed ship to the sea, carry sacrifices to the god Apollo on it, and take the beautiful daughter of the priest Chris. This ship was to sail under the command of the cunning Odysseus to Thebes, the city of Estion, and the Greeks in the camp, at the command of Agamemnon, were to make rich sacrifices to Apollo in order to propitiate him.

— Oh, the servant of Apollo! I came here at the behest of Agamemnon to return your daughter to you. We also brought a hundred bulls to propitiate with these sacrifices the great god Apollo, who sent a grave disaster to the Greeks.

Elder Khris rejoiced at the return of his daughter and tenderly embraced her. Immediately began the sacrifice to Apollo. Chris prayed to the archer-god:

“O silver-eyed god! Listen to me! And before you listened to my prayers. Hear me now too! Avert the great calamity from the Greeks, stop the disastrous pestilence!

The god Apollo heard the prayer of Chris and stopped the pestilence in the camp of the Greeks. When the sacrifices to Apollo were made by Chris, a sumptuous feast was arranged. The Greeks feasted merrily in Thebes. The young men carried the wine, filling the feasting bowls with it to the top. The majestic sounds of the hymn in honor of Apollo, which were sung by Greek youths, were loudly heard. Until sunset, the feast continued, and in the morning, refreshed by sleep, Odysseus and his squad set off on their way back to the vast camp. Apollo sent them a fair wind. Like a seagull, the ship rushed through the waves of the sea. The ship quickly reached the camp. The swimmers dragged him ashore and dispersed to their tents.

Hello, heralds. I know that you are not guilty of anything, only Agamemnon is guilty. You have come for Briseis. My friend, Patroclus, give them Briseis. But let them themselves be witnesses that the hour will come when I will be needed to save the Greeks from destruction. Then Agamemnon, who has lost his mind, will not be able to save the Greeks!

Shedding bitter tears, Achilles left his friends, went to the deserted shore, stretched out his hands to the sea and loudly called his mother goddess Thetis:

“My mother, if you have already given birth to me doomed to a short life, then why does the Thunderer Zeus deprive me of glory!” No, he did not give me glory! King Agamemnon dishonored me by taking away my reward for my deeds. My mother, hear me!

Why are you weeping so bitterly, my son? she asked. - Tell me your grief.

“Oh, my beloved son,” Thetis exclaimed, weeping bitterly, “why did I give birth to you for so many disasters! Yes, your life will be short, your end is near. And now you are both short-lived and the most unhappy of all! Oh no, don't grieve like that! I will rise to the bright Olympus, there I will pray to the Thunderer Zeus to help me. But you remain in your tent and take no more part in the battles. Now Zeus has left Olympus, he, with all the immortals, went to a feast to the Ethiopians. But when Zeus returns in twelve days, then I will fall at his feet and, I hope, I will beg him!

- Oh, our father! Thetis pleaded, “I beg you, help me avenge my son!” Fulfill my request if I have ever done you a favor. Send victory to the Trojans until the Greeks beg my son to help them, until they give him great honors.

For a long time the cloudmaker Zeus Thetis did not answer. But Thetis implored him relentlessly. Finally, with a deep sigh, the Thunderer said:

“Know, Thetis! With your request, you provoke the wrath of Hera, she will be angry with me. Already, she constantly reproaches me for helping the Trojans in battles. But you have now left the high Olympus so that Hera does not see you. I promise to fulfill your request. Here is a sign for you that I will keep my promise.

“Tell me, insidious,” Hera said to Zeus, “with which of the immortals did you have a secret council?” You always hide your thoughts and thoughts from me.

“Hera,” Zeus answered her, “don’t expect to ever know everything I think about. What you can know, you will know before all the gods, but do not try to find out all my secrets and do not ask about them.

“Oh, cloudbreaker,” Hera answered, “you know that I never tried to learn your secrets. You always decide everything without me. But I am afraid that today Thetis persuaded you to avenge her son Achilles and destroy many Greeks. I know that you promised to fulfill her request.

“After all, if we quarrel over mortals, then the feasts of the gods will always be deprived of fun,” the god Hephaestus said and prayed to his mother Hera to submit to the power of Zeus, since he is formidable in anger and can overthrow all the Olympian gods from the thrones.

It has already passed since the Achaeans started the war with the Trojans; the tenth year also came, in which, according to the prediction of Calchas, the Greeks were to take a hostile city, but, contrary to the prediction, there was no hope for a close end to the war. In addition to previous labors and hardships, the Achaeans had to endure new, grave misfortunes that year: many heroes fell in bloody battles, far from their native land, far from their spouses and children; the fighters had to endure much need, illness and grief, suffering from a fatal ulcer, from the enmity of the leaders and the weapons of fierce enemies.

On the day of the victory of Achilles over Thebes, along with other virgins, Chryseis, the daughter of the elderly priest of Apollon Chris, was taken prisoner. Achilles gave the captive as a gift to King Agamemnon.

In the tenth year of the Trojan War, the elder Chris came to the camp of the Achaeans and brought his rich ransom for his daughter Chryseis. Holding in his hands, on a golden priestly rod, a laurel crown - the crown of Apollo, the elder turned with a tearful prayer to all the Achaeans and, more than all others, to both Atrids. "Atrides, leaders of the peoples, and you, valiant men - Achaeans! So said the venerable old man. - May the gods of Olympus help you destroy the city of Priam and happily return to your country; you will free my daughter, accept a ransom for her: honor the son of Zeus , arrowhead Apollo!" All the Achaeans agreed to honor the priest of Apollo and accept a ransom for Chryseis, but it was not to the heart of Atrid Agamemnon; he cursed the elder, drove him away from the Achaean courts and struck him with a cruel, formidable word. “Get out, old man!” he cried. old age she will live in captivity in my house, in Argos. Get out of here and do not anger me if you want to be alive! "

The old man was horrified and left. In silence, he wandered home along the shore of the endlessly noisy sea, and when he was already far from the Achaean camp, he raised his hands and, sadly, prayed to Apollo Phoebus. "Hear me, silver-armed god! Remember how I decorated your temples, how I burned the fat thighs of goats and sheep on your altars; now fulfill my desire: for my tears and sorrow, punish the Danaans with your divine arrows!"

So the servant of Phoebus prayed, and God heeded his prayer. Angry, he descended from the top of Olympus, carrying a bow over his shoulders and a closed quiver with arrows everywhere; he walked in a rage, gloomy as night, and winged arrows rang menacingly in his quiver. Apollo sat down against the Achaean ships and shot them with a deadly arrow; the silver bow of God rang terribly. At first he slew animals, then he began to exterminate people: in the camp of the Achaean, funeral pyres burned ceaselessly. Nine days Apollo threw arrows at the Achaean army, on the tenth day Achilles called the Achaeans to a meeting; then Hera put into his heart, favorable to the Greeks: she grieved, seeing how their squads were devastated by a destructive ulcer.

When the people gathered, Achilles gave advice - to bring a sagacious priest or a dream-reader: let them say what annoyed Phoebus, whether he was angry with the failure to make a vow or neglect of the victims, and with what gift his fatal anger could be tamed. Then Calchas, the prophetic old man, got up from his seat, and, turning to Achilles, said: “Do you want to know the reason for the wrath of Apollo? - "Trust me and hope for my protection," the seer, Achilles answered. "Reveal to us what you know. I swear by Phoebus, who sent you the gift of prophecy: while I am alive, none of the Achaeans will lay hands on you - even Agamemnon himself, the supreme leader Achaean rati". Then Calchas boldly said: “No, Apollo is not angry for not fulfilling his vows, but for insulting his priest: Agamemnon dishonored the immaculate old man, did not give him his daughter; and until God averts death from us, until we release Chryseis without ransom and we will not send to her father the sacred hecatomb for Apollo Phoebus. Only then can we bend God to the mercy. "

King Agamemnon rose up here: his heart boiled with anger, his eyes burned with anger. “The harbinger of misfortunes!” he exclaimed. Chris: I would like to keep her, but, for the sake of saving the people, I agree to give her freedom. Only in return for Chryseis, you will give me another reward. – “Do not be greedy, glorious Atrids,” Achilles objected to Agamemnon. “Where can we get a reward for you now? was given to him? Better fulfill the will of God and release the maiden quickly; and if Zeus helps us destroy Troy, we will pay you three or four times for Chryseis.

“Do not invent a lie, valiant Achilles,” exclaimed Agamemnon. “You will not fool me! You yourself do not give back your part, but you demand from me that I give it back. tent and with my own hands I will take your booty, otherwise I will reward myself from the part of Ajax or Odysseus; be angry then, as you like! Yes, more about that later; now to business! let the leaders sail to Chris with gifts - here, at least you, Pelid, the most terrible of the Achaean warriors. Looking menacingly at him, Pelid answered: “Which of the Achaeans will obey you, shameless greed, who will go to battle with you? with them, but because of your brother Menelaus. But you despise everything and threaten that you will steal from me the booty, the reward of my painful labors, given to me by the Achaeans! When defeating enemy cities, I never had to receive such a reward as you took yourself; victory in battle is won by my hand, and when it comes to a division - you will take all the best for yourself, and I, exhausted by the battle, without a murmur, used to go to the ships, being content with small ones. No, I’m no longer your helper: I’ll go back to your Phthia, get rich here without me, make your own treasures alone! “Well,” the arrogant king Agamemnon answered Pelid, “run away if you want. I don’t ask you to stay here for me: I have many worthy fighters even without you; I will always be honored from them, and even more than from them, - from Zeus the Providence. There is no person more hated for me than you: you would always argue, start strife and battles. Do not boast and do not take credit for your strength and courage: your strength is a gift to you from the gods. No, go to ship and sail home with your retinue; rule there over your Thessalians, and you will not have to rule over us. Your wrath is not terrible to me; I will also tell you this: I will send Chryseis to my father, but after that I will come to your tent myself I will take young Briseis, your captive, from you; I will do this so that you will understand how much higher I am in power than you, and so that no one will continue to compete with me and resist me.

The heart boiled with anger in the powerful chest of the young Pelid; he did not know what to decide on: whether to draw the sword and put Atrid in place, or to curb and suppress his anger. He was so worried and finally, almost involuntarily, grabbed the hilt of the sword and wanted to take it out of its scabbard, but at that time Pallas Athena, sent down from Olympus by Hera, approached him: Hera loved and kept both warring leaders. Unseen by any of the Achaeans, the goddess stood behind Pelid and took his blond curls with her hand. Amazed, he turned back and immediately recognized Athena and said to her: "Why did you, goddess, descend to us from Olympus? Or did you want to see the rampage of Atrids? My word is not false: he will destroy himself with his pride." Athena replied: "I came down from Olympus to tame your anger; as much as you want, sting the enemy with a word, but do not draw your sword. Obey me and believe: he will soon pay you for the offense with gifts that are three times the most valuable taken from you today."

Achilles' wrath. Painting by G. B. Tiepolo

The young hero obeyed the word of the goddess and lowered his sword into its scabbard; but on the other hand, no longer curbing his anger, he began to sting Atrids with evil words. "Shameless, most contemptible of cowards! Have you ever dared to engage in battle with the enemy, have you ever sat in an ambush with others? No, both are more terrible for you than death itself! That's your business - to rob booty from the one who dares to rebuke you. You reign over contemptible cowards - otherwise you would not dare to offend the fighters! But this is what I will tell you and I swear this by a great oath: the time will come when the Achaeans will fall in droves at the hands of the destroyer Hector, you you will not be able to give help to the perishing; then everyone will seek the heart of Pelid, and you yourself will bitterly repent that you dishonored the most valiant of the Achaeans. And having said this, he angrily threw his scepter on the ground and sat down. King Agamemnon wanted to answer Pelid with a no less angry and insulting speech, but then the honorable old man Nestor got up from his seat and stood between the two leaders: with a word full of wisdom, he tried to tame the anger in them and reconcile them among themselves - so that the strife of the first leaders would not destroy all rati. Only the efforts of the elder were not crowned with success, and his word was powerless. “Your words are fair and reasonable, old man,” Agamemnon told him. “But you see, he wants to be above everyone here, he wants to rule and rule over everyone. The gods, although they created him a brave warrior, did not give him the right to offend and dishonor.” “Truly,” Achilles interrupted him, “I would be the most insignificant of cowards if I began to obey your every word. against any of the Achaeans - take away your gift if you want; but you will not take anything else from my tent, and if you dare, I will immediately dip my spear in your black blood!

The assembly dispersed. Pelid, together with Patroclus and other friends, went to his tents, Agamemnon to the seashore; here a ship was fitted out to refer to Chris; Odysseus was chosen as the ship's driver. In the camp of the Achaeans, sacrifices were burned on the altars; the people, at the command of the king, were cleansed by ablutions. Returning from the ships to his tent, Agamemnon sent two messengers to Achilles, his faithful slanderers Talthybius and Eurybates, ordered them to take his captive Briseida from Pelid. The messengers obeyed and went, although reluctantly, to the seashore, to the camp of the myrmidons. Achilles sat in front of his tent; embarrassed, they stood before him in respectful fear, and did not dare to say why they had come. Achilles himself understood everything and met them without anger. “Hello, heralds!” he began.

- Come to me; you are not guilty before me, Agamemnon is guilty; did he send you for Briseis? Friend Patroclus, give them the prisoner! You, messengers, be witnesses before the gods and before the people, and before your king: if there is a time for the Achaeans to need me, if they ask me for help, there will be no help from me!

Briseis and Achilles' mentor, Phoenix

Patroclus brought out the captive virgin Briseis and gave her to the messengers. Sad, Briseis followed them: with her heart she loved a beautiful, noble young man. Achilles, leaving his friends, went to the seashore; alone, he sat here and, looking at the dark-water abyss, stretched out his hands in tears to his mother Thetis. Quickly, like a light cloud, Thetis came out of the abyss, sat down near her dear son, who shed bitter tears, and, gently caressing him, said: "Why are you crying, my son, what sorrow has visited your heart? Do not hide, tell me." Achilles then told her everything that he had suffered from King Agamemnon, and asked her to ascend Olympus and persuade Zeus to grant victory to the Trojans and avert happiness from the Greeks - so that they would know how criminal their king was, who dishonored the bravest of the Achaeans. Thetis promised to fulfill her son's wish as soon as Zeus returned to Olympus. “Zeus, with all the host of gods, went yesterday to a sacrificial feast to the pious Ethiopians, to the distant shores of the ocean; on the twelfth day he will return to Olympus again. Then I will appear before him and fall at his feet; I believe that he will fulfill my prayer Until then, remain at the courts and do not enter into battle." Thus spoke she, and again hid herself in the abyss of the sea; Achilles, however, retired to his headquarters and sat in it, feeding in his heart sorrow for the maiden taken from him.

Meanwhile, Odysseus arrived at Chris. He returned to the priest Chryseides and took the hecatomb brought to the altar of Apollo. The old man joyfully embraced his daughter and raised his hands to Apollo, imploring him to avert the disastrous pestilence from the Achaeans. Apollo listened to him.

On the twelfth day, the host of the gods returned to Olympus. At the dawn of the day, Thetis surfaced from the sea and with an early fog climbed Olympus; here, on the very top of the mountain, Zeus sat, secluded at that time from other gods. Thetis sat down to him, hugged his knees and began to beg that he would seek the grace of her son, would send victory to the Trojan armies until the Achaeans and their king Agamemnon did not render due honor to the offended Achilles. For a long time the cloud-chamber Zeus sat silently; Thetis continued to hug his knees and, crouching down to them, begged: "Tell me your immutable word; you do not know fear: fulfill my prayer or reject it. If you reject it, I will know that I am the last among the goddesses." Father Kronion sighed deeply and answered her: “You bring me into trouble, forcing me to act against Hera’s desire: Hera will embitter me with swear words. She constantly quarrels with me and cries before the gods that I stand for the Trojans in this battle. Go now so that Hera does not see you, I will fulfill your prayer. So spoke Kronid and moved his black eyebrows, and strands of fragrant hair fell down from his immortal head. From the sign of that, the many-hilled, high-top Olympus shuddered.

Leaving Olympus, the goddess again descended into the abyss of the sea, while Zeus returned to his halls, where, for his meal, the whole host of gods gathered. To meet their father, all the gods rose from their seats and reverently greeted him; Zeus sat on his throne. Hera, who saw how her husband spoke with Thetis, turned to him with a caustic speech and began to reproach him - sure that he had already promised Thetis to bestow honor on her son and strike the Achaeans with death. But Zeus stopped her with a stern word and ordered her to sit silently, so that, having risen from the throne, he would not lay his powerful hands on her. Hera was afraid of the threat and fell silent, humbled her angry heart; all the other gods also fell silent, embarrassed by the quarrel of the lords of Olympus. Then Hephaestus got up and, going up to his mother with a goblet, urged her not to irritate her father, but to soften him with an affectionate word pleasing to him. “Be patient, mother,” Hephaestus said, “and bear it, no matter how sad your heart is; don’t let me see how he will punish you, filled with anger: I won’t help you then. You know how when I rushed to you on help, he grabbed my leg and threw me off the threshold of Olympus: all day I flew headlong and already at sunset, barely alive, I fell on Lemnos. Hera smiled in response to her son's good-natured advice and accepted the goblet from his hands. Joyful, he hastily began to bypass then all the other gods and offer them sweet nectar. And again the conversation of the blessed celestials revived, they raised an unspeakable laugh, looking at how the lame-footed Hephaestus fussed. With the same joy, the immortal gods feasted in the halls of Zeus until the very setting of the sun.

Based on the book by G. Stoll "Myths of Classical Antiquity"

Achilles (Achilles), the greatest Greek hero in the Trojan War

Achilles (Achilles) Greek - the son of Phthian king Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis, the greatest Achaean hero in the Trojan War.

None of the hundred thousand Achaeans who came under the high walls of Troy could equal him in strength, courage, dexterity, speed, as well as directness of character and courageous beauty. Achilles had everything that adorns a man in abundance, only one fate denied him - happiness.

Achilles was born from a marriage that was forced on his mother. Initially, Zeus himself courted her, but then he learned from the titan Prometheus that, according to the prophecy, the son of Thetis would surpass his father - and then, protecting his interests, Zeus married her off as a mortal, for Peleus. When her son was born, she dipped him into the waters of the Styx, an underground river in the realm of the dead, and his entire body (with the exception of the heel by which she held her son) was covered with an invisible shell. But, obviously, these are already legends of a later origin, since Homer did not know anything about this. He only told that Thetis rubbed Achilles with ambrosia and tempered him over fire so that he would become invulnerable and immortal. But one day Peleus caught her doing this. Seeing his son on fire, he was frightened, decided that Thetis wanted to kill Achilles, and rushed at her with a sword. The poor goddess had no time for explanations, she barely managed to hide in the depths of the sea and never returned to Peleus. Peleus found an educator for his abandoned son. First, it was the wise old man Phoenix, then the centaur Chiron, who fed him bear brains and fried lions. Such a diet and upbringing clearly benefited Achilles: as a ten-year-old boy, he killed a wild boar with his bare hands and caught up with a deer on the run. Soon he learned everything that was supposed to be a hero of that time: behave like a man, wield weapons, heal wounds, play the lyre and sing.

"Achilles between the daughters of Lycomedes" by Gerard de Leresse(many paintings by different artists with Achilles-Achilles are collected on).

Thetis was told that her son would be faced with a choice: to live long, but without glory, or to live a short but glorious age. Although she wished him fame, but as a mother, she naturally preferred a long life. Upon learning that the Achaean kings were preparing for a war with Troy, she hid Achilles on the island of Skyros with King Lycomedes, where he had to live in women's clothing among the royal daughters. But Agamemnon, with the help of the soothsayer Calhant, found out his whereabouts and sent Odysseus and Diomedes after him. Disguised as merchants, both kings entered the palace and laid out their goods in front of the royal daughters. Among the expensive fabrics, jewelry and other products in which women have shown interest from time immemorial, as if by chance there was a sword. And when, according to a conventional sign, the companions of Odysseus and Diomedes issued a war cry and weapons rang, all the girls fled in fear - and only one hand reached for the sword. So Achilles betrayed himself and, without much persuasion, promised to join the Achaean army. Neither the daughter of Lycomedes Deidamia, who was expecting a son from him, nor the prospect of a long and happy reign in his homeland, kept him on Skyros. Instead of Phthia, he chose fame.

In the harbor of Aulis, where the Achaean army was concentrated, Achilles led five thousand men, the core of the detachment was the brave Myrmidons. His father Peleus, due to his advanced age, could not participate in the campaign, so he gave him his armor, a huge spear made of hard ash and a war chariot drawn by immortal horses. These were the wedding gifts Peleus received from the gods when he married Thetis, and Achilles was able to use them. For nine years he fought near Troy, took twenty-three cities in its vicinity, terrified the Trojans with his mere appearance. All the Achaeans, from the leaders to the last ordinary warrior, saw in him the most courageous, skillful and successful warrior - everything except the commander-in-chief, Agamemnon.

He was a mighty king and a good warrior, but to put up with the fact that his subordinate surpasses him in merit and popularity - for this Agamemnon lacked nobility. He hid his dislike for a long time, but one day he could not resist. And this led to a strife, which almost destroyed the entire Achaean army.

This happened in the tenth year of the war, when deep discontent and disappointment reigned in the Achaean camp. The warriors dreamed of returning home, and the generals lost hope of gaining glory and prey by taking Troy. Achilles went with his Myrmidons to the neighboring kingdom to supply the army with provisions and raise its morale with the help of rich booty. Among the prisoners brought was the daughter of Chris, the priest of Apollo, who, when dividing the booty, went to Agamemnon. Achilles had nothing against it, since she did not interest him; he fell in love with the beautiful Briseis, captured during one of the previous expeditions. However, soon Chris appeared in the camp of the Achaeans; he wished the soldiers a speedy victory and asked Agamemnon to return his daughter to him for a rich ransom. The Achaeans were satisfied with this proposal, but Agamemnon was against it: he, they say, likes the girl and he will not give her away for anything, and Chris, they say, let him go where he came from. Then the priest turned to his god Apollo with a plea to avenge him. Apollo heeded his prayer, descended from Mount Olympus and began to scatter pestilence over the Greek camp with arrows from his silver bow. The soldiers were dying, but Agamemnon did not try to appease the angry god - and then Achilles decided to intervene. He called a meeting of warriors to decide together what to do. This once again hurt Agamemnon's pride, and he decided to take revenge. When the soothsayer Calhant announced to the army that in order to reconcile with Apollo, his daughter should be returned to Chris (but now without any ransom, and even to apologize), Agamemnon cut him off and angrily attacked Achilles, who stood up for the soothsayer. After unheard-of insults, disgracing Achilles in front of the whole army, Agamemnon announced that in the interests of the army he refuses Chryseis, but he will take another one from one of the commanders - and chose Briseis, Achilles' beloved.

A scene from the 2004 film Troy. Achilles is played by actor Brad Pitt.

As a disciplined soldier, Achilles obeyed the decision of the commander, but also drew his own conclusions from this. He swore that he would not participate in the battles until Agamemnon asked his forgiveness and restored his trampled honor. Then he retired to the seashore, called his mother out of the deep waters and asked her to put in a good word for him before Zeus: let the Almighty help the Trojans to press the Achaean army, so that Agamemnon would understand that he could not do without Achilles, and came to him with an apology and a request about help.

Thetis conveyed to Zeus the request of her son, and he did not refuse her. He forbade the rest of the gods to interfere in the war, and he himself encouraged the leader of the Trojans, Hector, to take advantage of the absence of Achilles and push the Achaeans to the very sea. At the same time, he sent a deceptive dream to Agamemnon, tempting him to go on the offensive, despite the withdrawal of Achilles from the game. The Achaeans fought bravely, but were forced to retreat. The Trojans, in the evening after the battle, did not even return under the protection of the city walls, but settled down for the night right in front of the Achaean camp, in order to destroy it with the advent of day with one powerful blow. Seeing that things were bad, Agamemnon sent to tell Achilles that he was taking back his words, returning his beloved to him and, in addition to her, seven more virgins with rich gifts - if only Achilles would change his anger to mercy and take up arms again. This time, Achilles went too far in his anger: he rejected Agamemnon's offer and declared that he would not fight until Hector attacked his camp directly; however, things will not come to this, since he, Achilles, will soon return with his army to his native Phthia.

The catastrophe seemed inevitable: in the morning attack, the Trojans broke through the ranks of the Achaeans, broke through the wall protecting the camp, and Hector was about to set fire to the ships in order to deprive the Greeks of the opportunity to escape. At that moment, his best friend Patroclus came to Achilles and asked permission to put on the armor of Achilles and help his Achaean friends in trouble. Patroclus hoped that the Trojans would mistake him for Achilles and retreat in fear of him. At first, Achilles hesitated, but, seeing that Hector was already setting fire to one of the Greek ships, he immediately complied with the request of Patroclus; besides the armor, he gave him all his army. Patroclus rushed into battle, and his cunning succeeded: thinking that Achilles was in front of them, the Trojans were taken aback. Patroclus put out the fire, pushed the Trojans back to the city walls, but was then identified, as he did not dare to take the heavy spear of Achilles with him. Then the Trojans dared to fight him: the spearman Euphorbus, with the help of Apollo, mortally wounded Patroclus, and then Hector pierced him with a spear.

Achilles at the Walls of Troy, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1801

The news of the death of a friend struck Achilles and plunged him into grief. Forgetting his grievances, he wanted to rush into battle to avenge Patroclus, but Hector had already got his armor. At the request of Thetis, the gunsmith of the gods Hephaestus himself made new ones for him in one night. Over the corpse of Patroclus, Achilles swore revenge on Hector. He reconciled with Agamemnon, who confessed his guilt before the whole army and returned Briseis to him, and in the very first battle after the death of Patroclus he killed Hector.

It was a merciless battle: Achilles was looking for Hector in the ranks of the Trojans and fought him three times, but each time Hector was saved by Apollo, the faithful defender of Troy. Enraged, Achilles put the entire Trojan army to flight, killed many Trojans and their allies, and the rest took refuge behind the walls of the city. When the great Scaean gate closed behind the last of the fugitives, only Hector remained before them. To save the honor of the army and his own, he challenged Achilles to a duel. In challenge, he suggested that the victor should give the body of the vanquished to his friends so that they could give him a proper burial. But Achilles only accepted the challenge, not agreeing to any conditions, and rushed at the enemy, like a lion at a defenseless victim. Despite all his courage, Hector was frightened and fled. Three times he ran around the high walls of Troy, saving his life, but finally stopped and, at the instigation of Athena, who wanted the Trojans to die, crossed weapons with Achilles. In a duel not for life, but for death, which plunged even the gods into amazement, Hector fell, pierced by the spear of Achilles.

Achilles with the body of Hector

The triumphant Achilles tied the body of Hector to his war chariot and traveled around the walls of Troy three times, and then dragged him to his camp to be torn to pieces by the Achaean dogs. However, the gods did not allow the body of the fallen hero to be defiled, and Zeus himself ordered Thetis to reason with Achilles. When, under cover of night, the decrepit Priam made his way to Achilles' camp to ransom the body of his son, Achilles, touched by the grief of the old man, voluntarily returned Hector's corpse to him. He even suspended hostilities for twelve days so that the Trojans could solemnly bury their leader. Thus, Achilles defeated not only his opponent, but also his own passions, thus proving that he is a true hero, moreover, that he is a man.

Priam asking Achilles for the body of Hector, Alexander Ivanov, 1821

Achilles was not destined to witness the fall of Troy: soon death awaited him himself. He still managed to defeat Penthesilea, who brought her female army to the aid of Troy, and then defeated the new leader of the Trojan army, King Memnon from distant Ethiopia, in a duel. But when, after this victory, he decided to break into the city through the Skeian Gate, he stood in his way. Achilles told him to get out of the way, threatening to run him through with his spear. Apollo complied, but only to retaliate immediately for this insult. Climbing the city wall, he ordered Paris to send an arrow to Achilles. Paris willingly obeyed, and the arrow, the flight of which was directed by Apollo, hit Achilles' heel, which was not protected by armor.

From the fall of Achilles, the earth trembled and the city wall cracked. However, he immediately got up and pulled the fatal arrow from his heel. At the same time, the hooks of the tip tore out a large piece of meat, tore the veins, and blood gushed from the wound like a river. Seeing that strength and life were leaving him with a stream of blood, he cursed Apollo and Troy with a terrible voice and gave up his spirit.

"Chiron, Thetis and the dead Achilles", Pompeo Batoni, 1770

Around the body of Achilles, a fierce slaughter boiled. Finally, the Achaeans snatched his body from the hands of the Trojans, brought it to their camp, and with honors set it on fire on a high funeral pyre, which was set on fire by the god Hephaestus himself. Then the ashes of Achilles were mixed with the ashes of Patroclus and a high mound of clay was poured over their common grave so that it would proclaim the glory of both heroes for centuries.

According to many researchers of ancient legends, Achilles is the most magnificent image of all created by Greek literature. And since these works of Homer are the heights of Greek literature, which to this day have not been surpassed in the epic poetry of any other people, Achilles can be safely attributed to one of the most magnificent images in all world literature. Therefore, it is clear that none of the picturesque or sculptural images of Achilles can withstand comparison with the literary image.

Apparently, the ancient artists were aware of this limitation of their abilities: they depicted Achilles with some timidity, and the sculptors completely bypassed him. But about four hundred images of Achilles have been preserved in the vase painting. The most famous "Achilles" on the Attic amphora ser. 5th c. BC e. (Rome, Vatican Museums), “Achilles plays with Ajax in the bone” (84 copies in total, including the Exekias vase, c. 530 - also in the Vatican Museums), “Achilles bandaging the wounded Patroclus” (Attic bowl c. 490 BC e., the only copy is in the State Museums in Berlin). The fights of Achilles with Hector, Memnon, Penthesilea and other subjects were also often depicted. The National Museum in Naples contains Pompeian frescoes “The centaur Chiron teaches Achilles to play the lyre”, “Odysseus recognizes Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes”, etc.

Of the major artists of the new time, one of the first to risk portraying Achilles was P. P. Rubens (“Achilles kills Hector”, c. 1610). Let's also mention D. Teniers the Younger ("Achilles and the daughters of Lycomedes"), F. Gerard ("Thetis brings armor to Achilles") and E. Delacroix ("Education of Achilles", National Gallery in Prague).

Of the playwrights of modern times, Corneille was the first to turn to the image of Achilles (Achilles, 1673), in the 20th century. - S. Wyspiansky ("Achilleis", 1903), Achilles Suarez ("Achilles the Avenger", 1922), M. Matkovich ("The Legacy of Achilles"). Handel brought Achilles to the stage in the opera Deidamia (1741), Cherubini in the ballet Achilles on Skyros (1804). Only two poets attempted to create the “missing link” between the Iliad and the Odyssey: Statius (1st century AD) and Goethe took on the epic poem Achilles, but neither of them completed the job.

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