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Character analysis · king of the Achaeans, commander of the Greek forces

Agamemnon

in The Iliad by Homer

Agamemnon, son of Atreus and king of Mycenae, commands the Achaean forces besieging Troy. His authority comes from a sceptre of divine lineage, passed down from Zeus through Hermes, Pelops, and Atreus, and he is described as having a godlike presence: "a head and face like Jove the lord of thunder, a waist like Mars, and a chest like that of Neptune." However, his leadership is often undermined by his own poor decisions. The epic begins with his quarrel with Achilles—a conflict he acknowledges initiating—which leads to the withdrawal of the Achaeans' greatest warrior. Throughout the poem, Agamemnon swings between bold confidence and deep despair: he openly weeps before his men in Book IX, calls for retreat multiple times, and lies awake at night, tormented by anxiety in Book X. Zeus manipulates him by sending a deceitful dream promising Troy's fall, and Agamemnon naively acts on it. In battle, he proves to be a formidable warrior—killing enemies in Books V and VI and donning impressive armor in Book XI—but his strategic and moral authority is frequently challenged by subordinates like Diomed, who accuses him of cowardice, and by Neptune, who blames him for the Achaeans' misfortunes. His story is that of a powerful yet flawed commander whose pride and poor advice lead to heavy costs for his army.

About this character

Role
king of the Achaeans, commander of the Greek forces
Form
Novel
Author
Homer
First published
c. 750 BCE

The person01–03

01·Who they are

Who is Agamemnon?

Agamemnon is often referred to as the "king of men," the foremost commander of the Achaean forces. He wields a scepter that connects him to a lineage of gods—tracing back to Zeus through Hermes, Pelops, and Atreus—which legitimizes his authority. He has a commanding presence, with his appearance compared to the gods in Book II. His wealth is evident: his camp is filled with bronze and captives, and every day, Achaean ships bring in wine from Thrace for his feasts. However, his claim to leadership is more about his noble birth and divine favor than the battlefield skills that truly earn respect in the heroic world.

02·Arc & motivation

What is Agamemnon's arc and motivation?

Agamemnon's primary motivation is to capture Troy and restore his brother's honor, driven by a promise he believes Zeus made to him. His journey oscillates between confidence and setbacks. He tests his troops with a deceptive speech suggesting retreat in Book II, which nearly causes chaos. He expresses sorrow to his men and again hints at sailing home in Book IX. At one point in Book X, he lies awake, consumed by fear. While he can be fierce and effective on the battlefield, his strategic leadership is often undermined by his conflict with Achilles—something he acknowledges instigating—and his susceptibility to divine influences.

03·Key moments

What are Agamemnon's key moments?

  • Book II: Agamemnon receives a misleading dream from Zeus, gathers the elders, and then intentionally tells the army to sail home as a "test"—a strategy that backfires spectacularly, nearly ending the war before Ulysses steps in with Agamemnon's own staff.
  • Book VI: Agamemnon disregards Menelaus's wish to show mercy toward a Trojan prisoner, insisting that "not even the child unborn and in its mother's womb" be spared—demonstrating extreme ruthlessness.
  • Book IX: Agamemnon "shed tears as it were a running stream" and again calls for retreat, prompting Diomed's public rebuke that Zeus granted him honor but not courage.
  • Book X: Unable to sleep and tormented by the sight of Trojan fires, Agamemnon tears his hair and ventures alone in the night to Nestor, revealing his inner turmoil and need for wiser counsel.
  • Book XI: He dons impressive armor, including the breastplate, Gorgon-faced shield, and horse-hair helmet, fighting effectively until he is wounded and forced to leave the battlefield, after which the Achaean forces struggle.

The cast04–05

04·Relationships

What are Agamemnon's most important relationships?

Agamemnon's relationship with Achilles is central to the poem: his pride in their conflict triggers divine forces that lead to the deaths of many Achaeans. His bond with Nestor is more functional—he completely trusts the old man's advice, and the misleading dream takes the form of Nestor. With Menelaus, he is protective yet overbearing, dismissing his brother's compassion in Book VI. Ulysses helps maintain order in Book II, moving among the troops with Agamemnon's staff to prevent them from abandoning their cause, yet it is Ulysses' skill that truly achieves this. Diomed challenges his authority as a younger, braver figure who refuses to be silenced.

05·Connected characters

How is Agamemnon connected to the other characters?

Achilles

The quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles—sparked by Agamemnon's seizure of Achilles' prize—is the engine of the entire epic; Agamemnon himself admits he was the first to offend, and the resulting withdrawal of Achilles brings ruin on the Achaeans.

Menelaus

Menelaus is Agamemnon's brother, and Agamemnon coordinates closely with him during the night vigil of Book X; he also overrules Menelaus's impulse to spare a Trojan prisoner, insisting on total destruction of the enemy.

Nestor

Agamemnon honours Nestor above all his councillors and consistently defers to his advice; the lying dream even takes Nestor's likeness to gain Agamemnon's trust.

Diomed

Diomed openly rebukes Agamemnon in council for cowardice and for having previously called him a poor soldier, exposing the limits of Agamemnon's authority over his own chiefs.

Odysseus

Odysseus acts as Agamemnon's enforcer in Book II, taking his staff to rally the troops after Agamemnon's test-speech nearly causes a mass desertion.

Zeus

Zeus manipulates Agamemnon with a lying dream, promising him Troy while actually planning further suffering for the Achaeans; Agamemnon repeatedly interprets Zeus's actions as personal betrayal.

Hector

Hector is Agamemnon's chief antagonist on the battlefield; Agamemnon prays explicitly for his sword to pierce Hector's heart, and in Book X acknowledges that Hector has wrought unprecedented ruin on the Achaeans.

Study06–07

06·Questions

Questions readers ask about Agamemnon

Why does Agamemnon tell his army to sail home in Book II if he wants to take Troy?

He lets the elders know ahead of time that he intends to test the army's resolve by proposing a retreat, hoping the chiefs will intervene. The plan backfires spectacularly: the soldiers charge toward the ships, and only Ulysses's quick thinking—using Agamemnon's own staff—stops a mass desertion.

What is the lying dream, and how does it affect Agamemnon?

Zeus sends a deceptive dream, appearing as Nestor, Agamemnon's trusted advisor, and informs him that Troy will fall that day. Agamemnon awakens, convinced by the promise, and readies his army, offering sacrifices to Zeus, but the son of Saturn does not grant his request.

How does Agamemnon behave when the Achaeans are losing?

He frequently falls into despair and proposes they sail back home. He weeps openly in front of his men, much like a flowing stream, and calls for a retreat. He struggles to sleep, pulls at his hair in distress before Zeus, and wanders the camp alone at night seeking Nestor's counsel.

What does Diomed accuse Agamemnon of in Book IX?

Diomed publicly reprimands him for calling him a coward in front of all the Danaans. He points out that while Zeus may have given Agamemnon the honor of being their chief ruler, he didn’t grant him any courage.

What is the significance of Agamemnon's sceptre?

The sceptre boasts a divine lineage: crafted by Vulcan, handed to Zeus, and then passed down through Hermes, Pelops, and Atreus to Agamemnon. It's referred to as "imperishable" and signifies him as the man to whom Zeus "has given the sceptre of sovereignty" over all the Argives.

How does Agamemnon treat Menelaus's decision to spare a Trojan prisoner?

In Book VI, he firmly rejects Menelaus's position, insisting that every Trojan must be killed—"not even the child unborn and in its mother's womb"—and takes it upon himself to execute the prisoner Adrestus once Menelaus agrees.

What role does Agamemnon play on the battlefield?

He is a skilled and active warrior: in Book V, he defeats Odius of the Halizoni, and in Book VI, he takes down Elatus. In Book XI, he dons impressive armor and leads the Achaeans to a strong position before getting wounded and having to withdraw, which causes the Achaeans' situation to quickly worsen.

How does Neptune characterise Agamemnon's responsibility for the Achaean crisis in Book XIII?

Neptune, rallying the Achaeans, declares that King Agamemnon, son of Atreus, is to blame for their disaster due to his insult toward the son of Peleus. Nevertheless, he stresses that this should not be a reason to cease fighting.

07·Essay angles

Use this in your essay

Tool · Essay angles

  • Agamemnon as a case study of the divide between institutional authority and personal merit: how does the poem differentiate the power of his scepter from the strength of his character?

  • The recurring theme of Agamemnon urging retreat—Books II, IX—and what this indicates about heroic leadership and its limitations.

  • Agamemnon's ruthlessness in Book VI (the killing of Adrestus) contrasted with his tears and despair in Book IX: how does Homer create a complex, contradictory image of leadership?

  • The deceptive dream in Book II as a lens for examining Agamemnon's gullibility and the interaction between divine intention and human action.

  • Neptune's claim in Book XIII that Agamemnon's insult to Achilles is "the cause of our disaster": to what degree does the poem support or complicate this assessment?

The Iliad

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