Here we see two very different sources of power and authority. Achilles’s authority derives from his charisma and bravery in battles while Agamemnon’s authority is hereditary and derives from tradition.
“ ’I tell you this and I swear a might oath upon it by this scepter look, that never again will put forth crown and branches now its left its stump on the mountain ridge forever, nor will it sprout new green again, now the brazen ax has stripped its bark and leaves and now the sons of Achaea pass it back and forth as they hand their as they hand their judgments down’ …Down on the ground he dashed the scepter studded bright with golden nails (1, 272-288).”
When Achilles proposed to Agamemnon to return Chryseis to her father to subdue Apollo’s wrath, the king agreed but not before mentioning that he would have to take Briseis, Achille’s spoil of war, as compensation. In the quote above Achilles was angered by the king’s actions and thus he cursed at Agamemnon and swore an oath upon the the king’s scepter before discarding it to the ground. This small action, although it may look insignificant, has a lot of meaning behind it because it helps us characterize Achilles and Agamemnon a little more and learn about the source of their authority.
Professor Izenberg mentioned in the lecture, and a topic on which Dr. Jensen later elaborated in the seminar, Achilles and Agamemnon are both very influential and powerful figures in the Iliad that were respected by the Greeks and I agree with them and I also agree that they both derive their power from completely different sources and this quote does an exceptional job on demonstrating and helping us understand just how different the sources of their power were. On one hand we have Achilles who is a superb fighter and warrior and obtained all his power and respect through his feats and acts of bravery on the battlefield and on the other hand we have Agamemnon who obtained power through his heritage and bloodline.
Lets also not forget about the scepter which at the time was also a symbol of power, rank and prestige as can be seen in various instances in the book where the scepter was used to assert a characters’ importance and power. As Achilles mentioned in the quote, the scepter was passed down from Achaean to Achaean as time passed and surely at some point the scepter became synonymous with the kings’ power. I believe that by throwing the scepter to the ground Achilles is disregarding the power of the king and is going against his divine right to be the king that was given to him by the gods. Additionally, Achilles is also conveying the message that although Agamemnon uses the scepter to display his authority he on the other hand doesn’t need the scepter to give him authority and power because he derives his power from his bravery and all the incredible feats that he performs during the war.
Thus this brings me to my point that in the Iliad there are clearly many ways to gains authority and power whether it be through lineage, bravery or through the gods and there are occasions in which someone’s authority is more legitimate than others.
Image source: http://catherinemayoauthor.com/my-books/murder-at-mykenai/the-greek-bronze-age/
A UCI Student and his Blog 