Agamemnon Character Analysis in The Song of Achilles

Agamemnon is the king of Mycenae, commander-in-chief of the Greek army, and brother to Menelaus (whose wife, Helen, was stolen by the Trojan prince Paris). Although Menelaus is the one who was wronged, Agamemnon spearheads the war effort; Peleus tells Achilles that, regardless of Helen, Agamemnon likely would have attacked the wealthy Troy. Agamemnon is proud, stubborn, and often cruel: after the goddess Artemis demands a sacrifice, Agamemnon willingly sacrifices his daughter, Iphigenia, which causes Achilles to dislike and distrust him. Achilles and Agamemnon quarrel throughout the war—Agamemnon believes that Achilles is seeking glory for himself, and Achilles refuses to defer to Agamemnon’s authority. This conflict comes to a head after Agamemnon claims a Trojan priest’s daughter as his war spoil and refuses ransom from the girl’s father; the father then asks the gods to unleash a plague on the Greek army. Achilles insists that Agamemnon return the girl, but Agamemnon refuses, demanding that Achilles swear fealty to him instead. When Achilles won’t do so, Agamemnon steals Briseis from Achilles’s camp, intending to assault her, which would ensure his own death at Achilles’s hands. Patroclus warns him about the consequences of his actions to save Briseis, though his dislike for Agamemnon never wavers. Agamemnon’s hot-headedness often gets in the way of his judgment, and his prideful decisions sow distrust among the Greek army and cause thousands of deaths: Achilles refuses to fight for the Greeks until Agamemnon apologizes, but Agamemnon never does so. At the end of the novel, however, even Agamemnon is horrified by Pyrrhus’s monstrous deeds, suggesting that his cruelty has limits that Pyrrhus’s does not.

Agamemnon Quotes in The Song of Achilles

The The Song of Achilles quotes below are all either spoken by Agamemnon or refer to Agamemnon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

He leaned forward in his chair. “May I give you some advice? If you are truly his friend, you will help him leave this soft heart behind. He's going to Troy to kill men, not rescue them.” His dark eyes held me like swift-running current. “He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.”

The words drove breath from me, left me stuttering. “He is not—”

“But he is. The best the gods have ever made. And it is time he knew it, and you did too. If you hear nothing else I say, hear that. I do not say it in malice.”

Related Characters: Odysseus (speaker), Patroclus (speaker), Achilles, Agamemnon, Iphigenia

Related Symbols: Achilles’s Spear

Page Number and Citation: 207

Explanation and Analysis:

It turned out that she did know a little Greek. A few words that her father had picked up and taught her when he heard the army was coming. Mercy was one. Yes and please and what do you want? A father, teaching his daughter how to be a slave.

During the days, the camp was nearly empty but for us. We would sit on the beach and halt through sentences with each other. I grew to understand her expressions first, the thoughtful quiet of her eyes, the flickering smiles she would hide behind her hand. We could not talk of much, in those early days, but I did not mind. There was a peace in sitting beside her, the waves rolling companionably over our feet. Almost, it reminded me of my mother, but Briseis' eyes were bright with observation as hers had never been.

Related Characters: Patroclus (speaker), Briseis, Patroclus’s Mother, Achilles, Agamemnon

Page Number and Citation: 230

Explanation and Analysis:

“She must have been willing, though. Menelaus' palace is like a fortress. If she had struggled or cried out, someone would have heard. She knew he must come after her, for his honor if nothing else. And that Agamemnon would seize this opportunity and invoke the oath.”

“So you think she did it on purpose? To cause the war?” This shocked me.

“Maybe. She used to be known as the most beautiful woman in our kingdoms. Now they say she's the most beautiful woman in the world." He put on his best singer's falsetto. "A thousand ships have sailed for her.”

[…]

“Maybe she really fell in love with Paris.”

“Maybe she was bored. After ten years shut up in Sparta, I'd want to leave too.”

“Maybe Aphrodite made her.”

“Maybe they'll bring her back with them.”

We considered this.

“I think Agamemnon would attack anyway.”

“I think so too. They never even mention her anymore.”

“Except in speeches to the men.”

Related Characters: Achilles (speaker), Patroclus (speaker), Helen, Paris, Menelaus, Agamemnon, Priam

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 234-235

Explanation and Analysis:

“Her safety for my honor. Are you happy with your trade?”

“There is no honor in betraying your friends.”

“It is strange,” he says, “that you would speak against betrayal.”

There is more pain in those words, almost, than I can bear. I force myself to think of Briseis. “It was the only way.”

“You chose her,” he says. “Over me.”

"Over your pride."

[…]

“My life is my reputation,” he says. His breath sounds ragged. “It is all I have. I will not live much longer. Memory is all I can hope for.” He swallows, thickly. “You know this. And would you let Agamemnon destroy it? Would you help him take it from me?”

“I would not,” I say. “But I would have the memory be worthy of the man. I would have you be yourself, not some tyrant remembered for his cruelty.”

Related Characters: Achilles (speaker), Patroclus (speaker), Briseis, Agamemnon

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 295-296

Explanation and Analysis:

It is strange how well she fits there. How easily I touch my lips to her hair, soft and smelling of lavender. She sighs a little, nestles closer. Almost, I can imagine that this is my life, held in the sweet circle of her arms. I would marry her, and we would have a child.

Perhaps if I had never known Achilles.

[…]

She draws down the blanket, releasing me into the air. She cups my face in her hands. “Be careful tomorrow,” she says. “Best of men. Best of the Myrmidons.”

Related Characters: Briseis (speaker), Patroclus (speaker), Achilles, Agamemnon, Thetis

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 314

Explanation and Analysis:

The thought of Troy's fall pierces me with vicious pleasure. They deserve to lose their city. It is their fault, all of it. We have lost ten years, and so many men, and Achilles will die, because of them. No more.

[…]

I will crack their uncrackable city, and capture Helen, the precious gold yolk within. I imagine dragging her out under my arm, dumping her before Menelaus. Done. No more men will have to die for her vanity.

[… ]

I am delirious, fevered with my dream of Helen captive in my arms. The stones are like dark waters that flow ceaselessly over something I have dropped, that I want back. I forget about the god, why I have fallen, why my feet stick in the same crevices I have already climbed. Perhaps this is all I do, I think, demented—climb walls and fall from them.

Related Characters: Patroclus (speaker), Achilles, Helen, Apollo, Agamemnon, Paris, Hector

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 332-333

Explanation and Analysis:

Agamemnon Character Timeline in The Song of Achilles

The timeline below shows where the character Agamemnon appears in The Song of Achilles. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...and bragging about their heroics. A king named Menelaus presents himself, alongside his hulking brother, Agamemnon. Patroclus wishes he were older, though he thinks Peleus’s young son would make a fine... (full context)

Love, Violence, and Redemption Theme Icon

...there. As the two return to the cave, they speculate about the news. Mycenae is Agamemnon’s kingdom and has the greatest army in Greece. (full context)

...the Trojan prince Paris stole Helen from her room while she was asleep. Menelaus’s brother Agamemnon now asks for an army of Greeks to go to fight Troy—and states that Troy... (full context)

Peleus continues his announcement: Helen’s suitors once vowed to defend her, and Agamemnon and Menelaus now command them to fulfill their duty. Peleus reads the list of names,... (full context)

...sounds baseless, but Peleus disagrees. Menelaus is upset about Helen, but the message came from Agamemnon. Agamemnon has watched Troy become wealthy and wants to strike now. Because of this, there... (full context)

...and Peleus agrees not to say anything. However, he warns Achilles that kings sent on Agamemnon’s behalf are coming to convince him and that he should listen to their pitch. Achilles... (full context)

...he smiles, easy and practiced, Patroclus almost recognizes him. He introduces himself as one of Agamemnon’s captains and says he’s here to recruit men like Patroclus; the war will be easily... (full context)

Achilles asks about Agamemnon, and Odysseus says that Agamemnon’s grandfather, Tantalus, was Zeus’s son. They’ve heard the story: Tantalus... (full context)

Achilles is tense at the mention of Agamemnon’s leadership, noting that all the kings are generals. Odysseus argues that if left to their... (full context)

As they disembark, Agamemnon waits for them on the beach, standing next to Odysseus, Diomedes, and Menelaus. Agamemnon has... (full context)

...sail for Troy. The next few days are the same; the army is marooned and Agamemnon takes no action. Achilles speaks to Thetis, who says the gods are causing the lack... (full context)

Agamemnon asks that his daughter, Iphigenia, be brought to Aulis to help with the ritual—she’s a... (full context)

...few days later, an excited Iphigenia arrives. The marketplace has been set up for the wedding—Agamemnon, Odysseus, Diomedes, Calchas, and Achilles wait on a dais. Iphigenia is barely fourteen; when she... (full context)

Agamemnon calls the entire crowd back, and explains what happened: Artemis was displeased by the upcoming... (full context)

...Odysseus admits that he wouldn’t have agreed to it in that case—but maybe that’s why Agamemnon is a strong king. Patroclus is especially angry about the sham “marriage” to Achilles, but... (full context)

That night, Agamemnon calls the first war council meeting for the Greeks. All the kings sit by rank,... (full context)

...that Achilles will object and say that killing farmers isn’t honorable, but he just nods. Agamemnon then establishes the formation for the raids: he and Menelaus will be in the center,... (full context)

...divided among the men based on their position. First pick goes to the best soldier. Agamemnon positions himself as number one and Achilles as number two, which doesn’t bother Achilles—he believes... (full context)

...Maybe she loves Paris. Maybe she was bored. Maybe Aphrodite forced her. Patroclus thinks that Agamemnon will attack no matter the result of the embassy, and Achilles agrees. He notes that... (full context)

...her; Diomedes thinks this is a clever way for the Trojans to avoid their guilt. Agamemnon announces that this means war, and everyone will fight for honor. Patroclus realizes, suddenly, that... (full context)

Patroclus learns the Greeks’ fighting styles. Agamemnon hides behind his army and shouts orders, Diomedes fights like an animal, and Odysseus fakes... (full context)

...the men’s discomfort, as it’s been a wet season with many infections and biting flies. Agamemnon has some of the malcontents whipped, but this only produces more unrest. One day, hundreds... (full context)

...but to these men it has been lost time from their homes and lives. As Agamemnon looks on, angry, Achilles assures the men that Aristos Achaion doesn’t fight unwinnable wars. He... (full context)

...ends up on the dais to be claimed. Achilles is about to claim her, but Agamemnon does first, to the displeasure of the priest Calchas. Less than a month later, the... (full context)

...fallen man, and instead burn heaps of bodies. Most of the other kings, except for Agamemnon, begin to help with the burning. No kings die at all, and neither do any... (full context)

...calls for everyone to gather around. This is the first time that a general—and not Agamemnon—has called a meeting in all these years at Troy. Agamemnon is angry, but he can’t... (full context)

Achilles insists that Agamemnon send the girl back, but Agamemnon refuses. He says that they should have left Achilles... (full context)

Seeing an opportunity, Agamemnon draws attention to Achilles’s pride. He says that he’ll punish Achilles for it by taking... (full context)

Patroclus returns to the Phthian camp with Achilles, who rages about Agamemnon and the cowardly crowd. On Phoinix’s orders, Automedon comes to tell Achilles what the other... (full context)

...Achilles are all right. Ashamed, Patroclus tells her that Apollo caused the plague and that Agamemnon wants to punish Achilles, so they’re sending men to take her. She asks what will... (full context)

Patroclus watches Agamemnon’s messengers approach. He wishes they’d die and imagines Achilles snapping their necks. However, Achilles acts... (full context)

...expects Patroclus to sit idly and wait for him, since Patroclus has nothing to offer Agamemnon in exchange for Briseis’s freedom. Suddenly, Patroclus remembers Chiron saying that if a wolf hunts... (full context)

Patroclus sees Briseis immediately; she’s in the corner with her hands tied. Agamemnon is triumphant at Patroclus’s appearance, thinking that he’ll beg or ask for mercy on Achilles’s... (full context)

Shocked, Agamemnon says that his counselors—Odysseus and Diomedes—didn’t mention this. Patroclus replies that maybe they want Agamemnon... (full context)

While Patroclus was talking to Agamemnon, Achilles went to Thetis, and she came up with a plan: she’ll ask Zeus to... (full context)

...only sorry for what he did because he now has hit upon his new plan. Agamemnon has dressed Briseis in jewels, and has stipulated that Patroclus can come see her whenever... (full context)

...Greeks, and the Greeks grow desperate. Achilles knows it’s only a matter of time before Agamemnon caves, and Patroclus tries not to dwell on the smell of burned bodies. He knew... (full context)

...charge, burning the ships. But Achilles says that his honor is worth more and only Agamemnon’s public apology will fix it. Odysseus tells him that, shockingly, Briseis is unharmed; her honor,... (full context)

Patroclus goes to see Briseis, which is dangerous, because Agamemnon is so furious at Achilles. She hides him in her bed, and he tells her... (full context)

Briseis tells Patroclus that the men now blame Achilles for Greek deaths in battle, which Agamemnon has encouraged. She adds that if the Greek camp falls, she’ll claim Patroclus as her... (full context)

...his “truest self,” Patroclus thinks. Patroclus believes that Achilles is in over his head with Agamemnon and Odysseus’s games and political machinations; they’ve “baited” him and confused him. Patroclus wants to... (full context)

...Achilles imagines, is the moment he’s been waiting for. But he still won’t intervene unless Agamemnon begs, Hector attacks what belongs to Achilles, or Agamemnon dies. Patroclus worries the men will... (full context)

...by an arrow. Nestor, who is also injured, screams about the other wounded kings: Diomedes, Agamemnon, Odysseus. Machaon asks if Patroclus can speak to Achilles. Patroclus remembers the story about Meleager... (full context)

...He tells Achilles about Ajax and begs him not to let the Greeks die for Agamemnon’s madness. More ships burn and crumble outside. Patroclus insists that the Greeks are their people,... (full context)

...Achilles loves him, he’ll fight. Visibly torn, Achilles says that he can’t. If he does, Agamemnon will dishonor him and no one will respect him. Patroclus, suddenly inspired, says that he... (full context)

...refuses at first, but Patroclus says he won’t really fight—his appearance alone will be enough. Agamemnon may know it’s not Achilles, but the soldiers will adore him. Even Achilles’s “phantom” will... (full context)

Achilles receives visitor after visitor. Agamemnon comes to return Briseis, not realizing that she already came to see Patroclus’s body. Agamemnon... (full context)

...Covered in blood, Achilles drags Hector’s body back to the Greek camp, refusing the feast Agamemnon offers. Thetis encourages him to return Hector’s body to the Trojans, but Achilles won’t. (full context)

Agamemnon calls a meeting to talk about where to put Achilles’s tomb. Menelaus suggests a central... (full context)

...legacy by marking the grave with Patroclus’s name. The kings look at each other, and Agamemnon agrees to follow Pyrrhus’s wishes. From afar, Patroclus can’t do anything about this. They mark... (full context)

...for her. Briseis says she’s honored, but that’s not the reason; she’s a war-prize, and Agamemnon was trying to dishonor Achilles by stealing her. She wasn’t even his bed-slave. (full context)

...who finds Hector’s wife. He smashes her child against the wall, something that horrifies even Agamemnon. The Greeks pack up quickly, and though Patroclus haunts all of their dreams, begging them... (full context)

...to ask why she’s not with Pyrrhus, and she responds that Pyrrhus was murdered by Agamemnon’s son for raping his bride. Patroclus asks, scornfully, if Pyrrhus was really better than Achilles.... (full context)

The Song of Achilles

Agamemnon Character Analysis

Agamemnon Quotes in The Song of Achilles

Chapter 18 Quotes

Chapter 21 Quotes

Chapter 22 Quotes

Chapter 26 Quotes

Chapter 28 Quotes

Chapter 30 Quotes

Agamemnon Character Timeline in The Song of Achilles