The Request of Odysseus to Achilles

1. The Request of Odysseus to Achilles 9.225-306 Alex Cueto, Eleanor Allen-Henderson, and Brian Ma

2. Summary • Odysseus makes request of Achilles • Some reasons he states for him to rejoin the battle are: • The destruction of the Greek army • The destruction of the Greek fleet • All Greeks soldiers will perish in Troy • Persuade Achilles with gifts/promises. • Mention of Hektor

3. Context (Before) • The events leading up to the request are: • Agamemnon takes Briseis from Achilles • Achilles becomes enraged and refuses to fight for the Greeks • Zeus favors the Trojans upon the request of Thetis • Agamemnon tells Odysseus and a select group of others to deliver gifts to Achilles

4. Context (After) • The events that followed the request of Odysseus are: • Achilles becomes even more enraged with Agamemnon • Achilles sends Patroklos into battle with his armor • Patroklos dies in battle • A regret-filled Achilles rejoins the battle

5. Audience/Speaker • Odysseus • Achilles

6. Purpose of the Request of Odysseus • Persuade Achilles to rejoin the battle after huge Greek casualties. • We know this is the purpose of the speech from quotes “There is doubt if we save our strong-bench vessels or if they will be destroyed, unless you put on your war strength.” 9.230-231 • This quote is a call on Achilles to join the battle using persuasion strategies.

7. Notable Vocabulary uttermost- adj. The most possible amount. quarrel-noun, verb. A disagreement and a break in a friendly relationship. recompense-verb. To repay something to someone. A reward. manslaughter-noun. The killing of someone by another person. In other words, a homicide. hereafter-adverb. Talking about something in the future. Happens at some future time. portents-noun. foreshadowing something that will happen in the near future.

8. Uses of Figurative Language “And Zeus, son of Kronos lightens upon their right hand, showing them portents of good, while Hektor in the huge pride of his strength rages irresistibly, reliant on Zeus, and gives way to no one neither god or man, but the strong fury has descended upon him.” 9.236-239 “He will give you the seven women of Lesbos, the work of whose hands are blameless, whom when you yourself captured strong founded Lesbos he chose, and who in their beauty surpass the races of women. ” 9.270-271

9. Repeated words or themes • There isn’t that much of repeated words, however the concept of “you” is used a lot. • Why do you think the speaker would do this? • Odysseus often stresses the struggle between Agamemnon and Achilles and compares it to the greater strife of the Achian Army

10. Examples of Greek Values • Main Greek values stressed in this passage is time. “He will give you these, and with them shall go the one he took from you, the daughter of Briseus. And to all this he will swear a great oath that he never entered her bed and never laid with her as is natural with human people, between man and women.” (Women used as a representation of time.)

11. Continued… • Odysseus also acknowledges the violation of Achilles time (caused by Agamemnon) • Oikos is also important as Odysseus tries to take advantage of Achilles loyalty to his oikos in convincing him to return to battle “