Book 9 is where Homer asks the FUNDAMENTAL question: what does it mean to be a hero? The Greeks are losing badly. Hector is unstoppable. Agamemnon—who caused all this by insulting Achilles—now offers everything back, plus massive compensation. Three speakers make their case. And Achilles says NO.
This shouldn't happen. In heroic society, you accept compensation for dishonour. That's how the system WORKS. But Achilles rejects the entire value system, and in doing so, he becomes something both more and less than a traditional hero.
'I hate like the gates of Hades the man who says one thing and hides another in his heart.'
— Achilles to Odysseus, Rieu, lines 312-313
Book 9's Central Question
If honour (timē) can be measured in gifts, is it real honour? Achilles says NO—which means the entire heroic code is hollow. This is revolutionary, dangerous thinking. No wonder the embassy fails.
What Makes Book 9 Unique
Three major speeches attempting persuasion: Odysseus (logical), Phoenix (emotional), Ajax (blunt)
Achilles speaks more than anywhere else: He's no longer the silent, angry warrior—he's articulate and philosophical
The heroic code is questioned openly: Achilles challenges whether kleos (glory) is worth dying for
Agamemnon admits he was wrong: But his apology comes through intermediaries, which matters
The embassy FAILS: This shouldn't happen in epic—compensation should work
The Stakes
By Book 9, the Greeks are DESPERATE. Hector has driven them back to their ships. They're building a defensive wall—which shows they're losing. Without Achilles, they will lose this war. That's not hyperbole. That's fact.
Connections to Earlier Books
Book 1: Agamemnon dishonoured Achilles publicly, took Briseis
Book 8: Zeus forbids the gods from helping the Greeks—Hector dominates
Now: Greeks driven back to ships, building walls out of FEAR
The embassy is Agamemnon's attempt to fix what he broke. But some things, once broken, can't be fixed with gifts.
Book 9 Structure
Book 9 follows a clear dramatic structure: crisis → council → journey → three speeches → refusal → report back. Homer builds tension slowly, and then lets it collapse as Achilles refuses.
SCENE 1
Greek Assembly: The Crisis
Lines 1-78
Agamemnon panics and suggests fleeing. Diomedes calls him a coward. Nestor proposes sending an embassy to Achilles.
SCENE 2
Agamemnon's Offer
Lines 79-161
Agamemnon lists his compensation: Briseis returned, seven tripods, twenty cauldrons, twelve horses, seven women, cities, marriage to his daughter.
SCENE 3
Journey to Achilles
Lines 162-224
Odysseus, Phoenix, and Ajax walk along the shore. They find Achilles singing and playing the lyre, peaceful and removed from war.
SCENE 4
The Three Speeches
Lines 225-657
Odysseus appeals to duty and compensation. Phoenix tells stories and appeals to love. Ajax appeals to friendship and shame. All fail.
SCENE 5
Return and Report
Lines 658-713
The embassy returns. Odysseus reports Achilles' refusal. Diomedes says they should fight without him. The Greeks go to bed in despair.
The Dramatic Arc
Notice how Homer builds hope (maybe Achilles will return!) and then crushes it. The book ends not with resolution but with the Greeks facing their greatest crisis—and Achilles still refusing to help.
The Greek Assembly: Desperation
Book 9 opens with the Greeks in PANIC. They've just been defeated badly. Hector is camped close to their ships. The mood is despair.
The Greeks, indeed, were so badly shaken that they spent a sleepless night with Panic, the sinister comrade of numbing Fear. And their grief cut deep.
— Rieu, lines 1-3
Homer personifies Panic and Fear—they're not just emotions, they're forces stalking the Greek camp. "Grief cut deep" is physical language for psychological trauma.
Agamemnon's Proposal: Run Away
'Zeus son of Cronus has trapped me in a cruel delusion. First he promised me that I should sack well-walled Troy before I sailed back home. Now he plans a vicious deceit and tells me to return to Argos in disgrace after losing so many men. Let us escape with our ships to our own native land. We shall never take Troy with its broad streets.'
— Agamemnon to the assembly, Rieu, lines 17-24
Agamemnon's Blame-Shifting
"Zeus has trapped me" = not MY fault, the gods tricked me
"he plans a vicious deceit" = Zeus is malicious
"Let us escape" = RUN AWAY (after 9 years!)
"We shall never take Troy" = total defeatism from the supreme commander
This is TERRIBLE leadership. Agamemnon is publicly admitting defeat and blaming the gods rather than taking responsibility. The silence after this speech must be deafening.
Diomedes's Response: You're a Coward
'Son of Atreus, I must challenge you for your folly, as is my right in assembly. Do not be angry with me. You were the first to call me a coward before the Greeks and say I was feeble and unwarlike. Now Zeus the son of Cronus has given you some qualities and denied you others. He gave you the sceptre and with it supreme power. But he did not give you an unflinching heart, which is the greatest power of all.'
— Diomedes to Agamemnon, Rieu, lines 32-39
💡 Diomedes Calls Back to Book 4
Remember when Agamemnon insulted Diomedes, comparing him unfavourably to his father? Diomedes remembers. "You were the first to call me a coward" = you dished it out, now take it. This is a junior warrior publicly humiliating the supreme commander.
'Go, if your heart is set on it. The way is clear; your ships are there, by the sea, the great fleet that sailed with you from Mycenae. But the rest of us long-haired Greeks will stay here till we have sacked Troy. And if they too choose to escape in their ships to their own native land, Sthenelus and I will fight on till Troy is ours. We came here with god on our side.'
— Diomedes continues, Rieu, lines 43-49
Diomedes essentially tells Agamemnon: "Leave if you want. The rest of us REAL warriors will stay." The assembly erupts in approval. Agamemnon has been destroyed.
Nestor's Solution: The Embassy
Nestor, the wise old counsellor, steps in. He praises Diomedes but says youth makes him blunt. Then he turns to Agamemnon with the real solution.
'My lord Agamemnon, most glorious son of Atreus, I will start and finish with you, since you are king over many nations and Zeus has put the sceptre and the laws into your hands. You should not only speak but also listen and carry out another's suggestions if his heart prompts him to speak for the common good. Now, I will tell you what seems to me the best plan.'
— Nestor to Agamemnon, Rieu, lines 96-100
Nestor is diplomatic but firm. "You should listen" = you're not listening enough. "Carry out another's suggestions" = stop being stubborn. Then comes the key point:
'You did a terrible thing when you took the girl Briseis from the tent of brave Achilles. I did my best to stop you. But you gave in to your proud heart and insulted a great man whom the immortal gods themselves honour.'
— Nestor continues, Rieu, lines 106-109
Nestor's Accusation
Nestor—the most respected elder—tells Agamemnon to his FACE that he caused this disaster. "You gave in to your proud heart" = your pride did this. No one else could say this without consequence. But Nestor has the moral authority, and Agamemnon accepts it.
Agamemnon's Compensation Offer
Before the embassy leaves, Agamemnon lists everything he'll give Achilles. This is EXTRAORDINARY compensation—far beyond what custom requires.
The Gift List
Seven tripods, ten talents of gold, twenty cauldrons, twelve prize-winning horses, seven women skilled in crafts (including Briseis, untouched), the pick of Trojan women after Troy falls, one of Agamemnon's own daughters in marriage (with NO bride-price required), and seven cities to rule.
This is INSANE wealth. Agamemnon is offering to make Achilles one of the richest men in Greece, marry him into the royal family, and give him his own kingdom. There's literally nothing more he could offer.
But Notice What's Missing
Agamemnon never says "I'm sorry." He says "I acted insanely" (atē = divine delusion), which shifts blame to the gods. He's offering compensation without genuine apology. This matters.
Finding Achilles
The embassy—Odysseus, Phoenix, and Ajax—walks along the shore. They pray to Poseidon that their mission succeeds. And then they find Achilles.
They found him delighting his heart with a clear-toned lyre, a beautiful thing, skillfully made, with a silver bridge. He had taken it when he sacked the city of Eëtion. With this he was entertaining himself, singing of the glorious deeds of men. Patroclus sat in silence facing him, waiting for Achilles to finish his song.
— Rieu, lines 186-191
💡 Achilles the Singer
This is PROFOUND. Achilles is singing "the glorious deeds of men"—he's singing about the kleos (glory) he's currently REJECTING by staying out of battle. He's contemplating heroism from a distance, like a bard at a feast. He's removed himself from the warrior world and entered the world of art and reflection.
Achilles welcomes them warmly—"my dearest friends"—and prepares a feast. Homer spends time on this hospitality, which creates dramatic tension: will friendship succeed where compensation failed?
Odysseus's Speech: Logic and Duty
Odysseus speaks first. His strategy is LOGICAL: describe the crisis, relay Agamemnon's offer, appeal to Achilles's sense of duty and honour.
'Hector is threatening to set fire to our ships and kill the Greeks beside them. And now he is so wildly confident, so carried away by his prowess, that there is no holding him. He prays for the early dawn, swearing to lop the horns from the sterns, burn the ships with consuming fire, and slaughter the Greeks, helpless in the smoke, beside them.'
— Odysseus to Achilles, Rieu, lines 240-245
Odysseus paints a vivid picture of disaster. Then he relays Agamemnon's offer, listing every gift in detail. He's methodical, persuasive, diplomatic.
'If you cannot find it in your heart to forgive the son of Atreus and all his gifts, at least take pity on the rest of us Greeks in the army, who will honour you like a god. You could win enormous glory from them. This is your chance to kill Hector.'
— Odysseus continues, Rieu, lines 300-303
Odysseus's Appeals
Crisis: Greeks will die without you
Compensation: Massive wealth offered
Honour: Greeks will worship you
Glory: Kill Hector, win fame
What He Avoids
Doesn't mention Agamemnon's lack of apology
Doesn't acknowledge justice of Achilles's anger
Treats it as transactional: gifts for service
Assumes the heroic code still applies
Achilles's Devastating Response
'Royal son of Laertes, Odysseus of the nimble wits, I must speak out and tell you bluntly how I feel and what I mean to do. Otherwise you will sit here coaxing me, one after the other. I hate like the gates of Hades the man who says one thing and hides another in his heart. So I will tell you exactly what I have decided.'
— Achilles to Odysseus, Rieu, lines 308-314
Achilles's opening is BRUTAL. "I hate like the gates of Hades" = strongest possible language. He's accusing Odysseus of manipulation, of hiding true feelings behind diplomacy. And then he questions the entire heroic system:
'The same honour waits for the coward and the brave. Death does not distinguish between the man who does nothing and the man who does much. I have won no advantage for myself from all the hardships I have endured and the risks I have taken. Like a bird that gives her unfledged chicks every morsel she can find, though she herself fares badly, so I have lain awake through many sleepless nights and spent long days in battle, risking my life against warriors fighting for their wives.'
— Achilles continues, Rieu, lines 318-325
Achilles's Revolutionary Claims
The heroic code is BROKEN: cowards and heroes get the same honour
War doesn't reward merit: "I have won no advantage"
He's been exploited: like a bird starving while feeding others
His suffering was for NOTHING: "risking my life" for Agamemnon's war
The Core Problem
Achilles is saying: if honour can be taken away by an insult and restored by gifts, then honour is MEANINGLESS. It's just a game played by kings to manipulate warriors into dying for them. This is an existential crisis for the heroic worldview.
Achilles Rejects the Gifts
'Not if his gifts were as plentiful as the sands on the seashore or the dust of the earth could Agamemnon persuade me, not till he has paid me back for the full bitter anguish he has caused me. I will not marry a daughter of Agamemnon son of Atreus. Not if she rivalled golden Aphrodite in beauty and Athene in her handiwork would I marry her. Let him choose some other Greek, someone more royal than I am and with more power.'
— Achilles to Odysseus, Rieu, lines 385-392
Even infinite gifts wouldn't persuade him. Even marriage to a goddess-like princess means nothing. And then comes the most shocking statement in the Iliad:
'My mother Thetis the silver-footed goddess tells me I have two possible destinies. If I stay here and fight at Troy, I shall not return home but I shall win undying glory. But if I go home to my own native land, I shall lose that great glory, but I shall live long and be spared an early death.'
— Achilles continues, Rieu, lines 410-416
'And I advise the rest of you to sail back home. You will never see the end of steep Troy now.'
— Achilles concludes, Rieu, lines 417-418
The Choice of Achilles
STAY: die young, win eternal glory (kleos)
GO HOME: live long, lose glory
Traditional hero chooses glory automatically
Achilles is choosing LIFE over GLORY
This breaks the entire heroic code
Odysseus's logical, diplomatic speech has FAILED. Achilles isn't playing by the rules anymore.
Phoenix's Emotional Appeal
Phoenix is Achilles's old tutor—the man who raised him. If Odysseus represents logic, Phoenix represents LOVE and personal connection. His speech is the longest and most emotionally manipulative.
'Achilles, dear child, do not nurse such anger in your heart. Even the gods themselves can be moved, for all their greatness, honour and might. Men win them over with sacrifices and soothing vows, with libations and the smoke of burnt offerings, when they have sinned and gone astray.'
— Phoenix to Achilles, Rieu, lines 496-499
Phoenix starts with "dear child"—immediately appealing to their relationship. Then he argues: even GODS forgive when properly approached. Surely Achilles, a mortal, should show flexibility?
The Story of Meleager
Phoenix tells an extended story about Meleager, another hero who withdrew from battle in anger. It's a cautionary tale meant to show Achilles what happens when you refuse to help your people.
Meleager's Story (Summary)
Meleager defended his city of Calydon until his mother cursed him for killing her brothers. He withdrew in anger, refusing all gifts and pleas. Only when his city was about to fall did his WIFE convince him to fight. He saved the city but received NO gifts because he waited too long. Moral: accept compensation BEFORE it's too late.
💡 Phoenix's Manipulation
This story is CALCULATED. Phoenix is saying: "You're like Meleager. If you wait until the Greeks are actually losing everything, you'll fight anyway, but you'll get NOTHING. Take the gifts NOW while they're offered." It's emotional blackmail disguised as wise storytelling.
'So you, Achilles, must not let your heart take that direction. Do not let some power turn you that way. It would be a terrible thing if you stood by while the ships were burning. Come while there are gifts to be had. The Greeks will honour you like a god. But if you join the battle later without taking the gifts, you will not be honoured in the same way, even if you do save the day.'
— Phoenix concludes, Rieu, lines 600-605
Achilles's Response to Phoenix
Achilles is GENTLER with Phoenix than he was with Odysseus. He loves this old man. But he still refuses.
'My dear old friend, Phoenix, father to me, I have no need of that kind of honour. I think I have been honoured by the will of Zeus, and that honour will be mine as long as breath remains in my body and my limbs still move.'
— Achilles to Phoenix, Rieu, lines 607-610
A Different Kind of Honour
Achilles claims his honour comes from ZEUS, not from human gifts or recognition. He's asserting a divine source of worth independent of social systems. This is radical—heroes don't get to define their own honour.
'And here is something else for you to think about. Do not confuse my feelings with your tears and groans, doing a favour to the warlike son of Atreus. You should not love him, or I might come to hate you, though I love you now. You ought to join me in tormenting the man who torments me.'
— Achilles continues, Rieu, lines 612-616
This is almost a threat: "Choose sides, Phoenix. Are you with ME or with Agamemnon?" Achilles is asking his father-figure to share his hatred. Phoenix's emotional appeal has failed.
Ajax's Blunt Appeal to Friendship
Ajax is not a clever speaker. He's a warrior—straightforward, honest, frustrated. His speech is the SHORTEST of the three, and in some ways the most effective because it's genuine.
'Royal son of Laertes, Odysseus of the nimble wits, let us go. I do not think we shall achieve our purpose by continuing this mission. We must report back at once, unwelcome though the news will be, to the Greeks, who are no doubt sitting waiting for us now.'
— Ajax to Odysseus, Rieu, lines 624-627
Ajax is ready to give up. But then he tries one last appeal—not to duty or emotion, but to FRIENDSHIP and basic decency.
'Achilles has made his great heart savage within him. He is a cruel man, with no feeling for the love of his companions, who honoured him by the ships above all others. Pitiless!'
— Ajax continues, Rieu, lines 628-631
Ajax's Accusations
"savage" = you've become inhuman
"cruel man" = this isn't anger, it's CRUELTY
"no feeling for the love of his companions" = you've forgotten FRIENDSHIP
"Pitiless" = you're showing no compassion for people who love you
'A man will accept compensation from the killer of his brother or his own dead son. The killer stays on in his own country after paying a heavy price, and the other's heart and proud spirit are held in check when he has accepted the blood-price. But the gods have put an implacable and evil fury in your heart because of a single girl—and now we are offering you seven, the very best there are, and many other gifts besides. Show a generous spirit.'
— Ajax continues, Rieu, lines 632-639
💡 Ajax's Key Argument
Ajax makes the most devastating point: men accept compensation for MURDER. Someone kills your BROTHER or SON, and you take blood-price and let it go. That's how society WORKS. And you, Achilles, won't accept compensation for a GIRL? (Ajax doesn't say this contemptuously—he's pointing out the disproportion of Achilles's anger to the offence.)
'We are under your roof. We come as representatives of the Greek people and we would like to think we are closest to you in friendship of all the Greeks, however many there are.'
— Ajax concludes, Rieu, lines 640-642
Ajax appeals to GUEST-FRIENDSHIP (xenia) and personal bonds. "We are under your roof" = you OWE us hospitality and respect. "We are closest to you in friendship" = don't abandon your FRIENDS.
Achilles Softens (Slightly)
Ajax's simple, honest appeal has an effect. Achilles responds to him more warmly than to the others.
'Royal son of Telamon, Ajax, leader of the people, I feel that everything you say is very much after my own heart. But I swell with rage when I remember how the son of Atreus treated me like some worthless vagrant there in front of the Greeks.'
— Achilles to Ajax, Rieu, lines 644-647
"Very much after my own heart" = I AGREE with you, Ajax. But then: "But I swell with rage" = I can't control this anger. Achilles admits he's still consumed by what Agamemnon did.
The Core Wound
"Treated me like some worthless vagrant" = Agamemnon made me NOTHING in front of everyone. The public humiliation is what Achilles can't forgive. Gifts can't undo that shame.
'But go back now and deliver my message. I shall not think of bloody war again till the noble son of wise Priam, the brilliant Hector, reaches the Myrmidons' huts and ships in his assault on the Greeks, and sets our ships on fire. But there, by my own hut and my black ship, I think Hector will be stopped, for all his battle-lust.'
— Achilles concludes, Rieu, lines 650-655
Achilles's New Position
He WON'T fight for the Greeks generally
He WILL fight if Hector reaches HIS ships and HIS men
This is self-defence, not rejoining the war
It's a marginal softening, but not a yes
Ajax has achieved a tiny shift—Achilles will defend his own people if necessary. But the embassy has FAILED.
The Embassy Returns
The embassy walks back in silence. Odysseus reports to the assembled Greeks. His report is HONEST but crushing.
'My lord Agamemnon, most glorious son of Atreus, Achilles' anger is fiercer than ever. He has no respect for you or your gifts. He tells you to take counsel with the Greeks about how to save the ships and the army. He himself threatens to drag his own balanced ships down to the sea at dawn. And he advises the rest of us to sail back home as well, saying we shall never see the end of steep Troy.'
— Odysseus to the assembly, Rieu, lines 676-681
Notice what Odysseus emphasises: "no respect for you or your gifts", "he advises us to sail home", "we shall never see the end of Troy". He's telling Agamemnon: your apology failed, Achilles thinks you're all doomed.
The Greeks Despair
The Greeks were stunned into silence by his words, so harsh was the refusal. For a long time the distressed Greeks said nothing.
— Rieu, lines 693-694
"Stunned into silence" captures their shock. The embassy was their LAST hope. Now they have nothing.
Diomedes: We Fight Without Him
Finally, Diomedes breaks the silence with characteristic directness.
'My lord Agamemnon, most glorious son of Atreus, you should never have appealed to the excellent Achilles or offered him all those gifts. He is always arrogant, and you have made him more overweening still. So let us leave him to it, whether he goes or stays. He will fight again when the heart in his breast tells him to and a god rouses him. Now let us all do as I say. Go to bed now. You have enjoyed food and wine, which give men strength and courage. But when the fair rosy-fingered dawn appears, quickly marshal troops and chariots in front of the ships and take your place in the front line to encourage them and fight there yourself.'
— Diomedes to the assembly, Rieu, lines 697-708
Diomedes's Leadership
"you should never have appealed" = the embassy was a MISTAKE
"you have made him more overweening" = you've made it WORSE
"let us leave him to it" = stop begging, move on
"fight there yourself" = Agamemnon, YOU lead from the front
Diomedes is telling Agamemnon: forget Achilles, but YOU need to step up. It's a subtle rebuke wrapped in practical advice.
Book 9 Ends in Darkness
All the kings applauded, admiring the words of Diomedes breaker of horses. Then after pouring libations they each went to his own hut, where they lay down and took the gift of sleep.
— Rieu, lines 711-713
The book ends quietly. No resolution. No hope. Just exhausted men going to bed knowing tomorrow they face Hector without their greatest warrior. The embassy has failed. Achilles has rejected the heroic code. And the war continues.
Why Book 9 Matters
Book 9 shows us that some wounds can't be healed with compensation. Achilles has seen through the heroic code and found it empty. He's choosing life over glory, personal integrity over social duty. This is both NOBLE (he's thinking for himself) and TRAGIC (his refusal will lead to Patroclus's death). Homer doesn't tell us if Achilles is right or wrong—he lets us judge.
Key Points for Revision
Three different persuasive strategies: Odysseus (logic/duty), Phoenix (emotion/love), Ajax (friendship/shame)—all fail
Agamemnon offers everything except a genuine apology—he blames divine delusion (atē) rather than taking responsibility
Achilles questions the heroic code: If honour can be bought with gifts, is it real honour?
The choice of Achilles: Glory and early death vs long life without fame—he chooses LIFE (for now)
Public humiliation can't be undone: Agamemnon treated Achilles "like a worthless vagrant"—gifts can't erase that shame
Achilles with the lyre: Singing of heroes' deeds whilst rejecting heroism—he's becoming a POET not a warrior
Ajax's key point: Men accept compensation for MURDER—why won't Achilles accept it for an insult?
Slight softening: Achilles will defend HIS ships if Hector reaches them—but won't fight FOR the Greeks
Quotations to Remember
"I hate like the gates of Hades the man who says one thing and hides another in his heart."
— Achilles to Odysseus (Book 9)
"The same honour waits for the coward and the brave. Death does not distinguish between the man who does nothing and the man who does much."
— Achilles on the heroic code (Book 9)
"Not if his gifts were as plentiful as the sands on the seashore or the dust of the earth could Agamemnon persuade me."
— Achilles rejecting compensation (Book 9)
"If I stay here and fight at Troy, I shall not return home but I shall win undying glory. But if I go home to my own native land, I shall lose that great glory, but I shall live long."