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The Iliad Book nine deals primarily with Achilles as his former comrades try to persuade him to rejoin the war. Odysseus and Phoenix try and appeal to Achilles’ emotions as they urge him to come back into battle. By taking a closer look at the arguments presented by Odysseus and Phoenix, one can better understand not only Achilles’ character, but also why, in the end he still refused to rejoin the battle. Odysseus begins by boosting Achilles’ ego by stating that without his strength the Achaeans will lose. He then tries psychologically manipulating Achilles by appealing to the most sensitive emotion of human nature: guilt. Odysseus points out to Achilles that he will blame himself later on for not rejoining the army and that this is his “last chance to save his countrymen”(pg. 58 line 254). He further offers Achilles all the material possessions that were important to the Greeks at the time such as gold bars, horses, unfired tripods, and most importantly women, including Briseis. By offering Achilles all of these prized and sought after possessions, Odysseus was trying to restore some of the honor and glory that Achilles felt he lost during his confrontation with Agamemnon.
Approximate Word count = 701
Approximate Pages = 2.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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