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Reveal the cause of the plague
- When Agamemnon refuses, Chryses prays to Apollo for help. Apollo sends a plague upon the Greek camp, causing the death of many soldiers. After ten days of suffering, Achilles calls an assembly of the Achaean army and asks for a soothsayer to reveal the cause of the plague.
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Apollo sends a plague upon the Greek camp, causing the death of many soldiers. After ten days of suffering, Achilles calls an assembly of the Achaean army and asks for a soothsayer to reveal the cause of the plague. Calchas, a powerful seer, stands up and offers his services.
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Usurping Agamemnon's authority, Achilles calls an assembly of the army, and he suggests that a soothsayer be called upon to determine the cause of Apollo's anger. Kalchas, an Achaian soothsayer, volunteers to explain the cause of the pestilence, but only if he is guaranteed personal protection.
Why does Achilles refuse to fight for the bulk of the poem? Why does Zeus support the Trojans? Why does Hera defend the Achaeans? Why does Achilles finally rejoin the battle?
Summary. Analysis. The battle continues between the Achaeans and the Trojans. The Achaeans, including Great Ajax and Diomedes, kill several Trojans. Menelaus almost spares the Trojan Adrestus ’ life in exchange for ransom, but Agamemnon convinces Menelaus to kill him. The Achaeans push forward.
He reminds them of the prophecy that the soothsayer Calchas gave when the Achaeans were first mustering their soldiers back in Greece: a water snake had slithered to shore and devoured a nest of nine sparrows, and Calchas interpreted the sign to mean that nine years would pass before the Achaeans would finally take Troy.
Instead, Achilles insults Agamemnon and declares that he will no longer fight for him. The elder captain Nestor tries to mediate the dispute, asking Agamemnon and Achilles to back down, but neither listens to him. Achilles storms off to his camp and Agamemnon organizes the sacrifice to Apollo.
Hector currently wears Achilles’ armor, a gesture that implies that Hector now claims to be Achilles’ equal in battle. The new god-made armor will become a symbol of Achilles’ complete superiority over all other mortal soldiers.
