The Pride of Winning Women as War Prizes

The Iliad, written by Homer, is largely a poem involving the conflict between men and their prizes. While the argument is between Agamemnon and Achilles, in the background is a myriad of women who are objectified and deemed as prizes by these men for the purpose of defining power. While the text blatantly suggests that women are figured as prizes, seen as the objects of both domesticity and lust, the entire political scene of the Iliad is revealed along with the nature of man demonstrated through the dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles.

The notion of women figured as prizes is very degrading to the modern audience, but it is very clear from the narrative throughout The Iliad that women of all status were regarded as objects by men. When Agamemnon receives Chryseis as a reward for his well performance in battle, he believes that she is then rightfully his, a possession he is free to do with as he pleases. So, when Chryseis’ father begs for his daughter back, Agamemnon evidently becomes very angry as “ his heart was black with rage, and his eyes flashed fire.”  Agamemnon becomes possessive of her because she is a prize of war, which is symbolic of his great achievements. To have his heart “blacken with rage” and his eyes “flash fire” illustrates extreme, opposite polarities of jet-blackness from rage and fiery-brightness from anger, and suggests the severity he feels of having to return Chryseis, because to return her is to lose the prestige and power he was given. Such anger and resistance is not because of some love he has for her, but rather, it is because the prize of Chryseis is a status of great honor among Agamemnon’s men. Rather than caring about how Chryseis or her father may have felt, Agamemnon was more concerned about losing his possession and having his reputation be damaged. This shows that pride and honor were regarded as important principles because such traits involved public perception; to be the greatest meant winning a woman, and to have such prize revoked signified humiliation and dishonor.   

When forced to return his war prize to satisfy Apollo, Agamemnon takes Briseis from Achilles as a way of asserting his power over him. Agamemnon says, “still I will give her up if I must, for I would have the people live, not die; but you must find me a prize instead, or I alone among the Argives shall be without one. Are you to keep your own prize, while I sit tamely under my loss and give up the girl at your bidding? Let the Achaeans find me a prize in fair exchange to my liking, or I will come and take your own.” Agamemnon knew that by keeping Chryseis, he’d lose his reputation as a strong leader as Apollo killed more of his army. Therefore, unwilling to lose more of his men, or his honor and reputation, Agamemnon relents but with the exception of having some repayment, like Briseis, for the prize he gave up. The way in which Agamemnon threatens to take Achilles’ prize suggests that he views himself superior to Achilles, as there’s no way he would “sit tamely” while Achilles “keeps his own prize”. Also, to Agamemnon, he felt as though he was simply taking a property rather than someone’s wife. However, like Agamemnon, Achilles feels as though he won his prize fairly and that no one should be able to take it away from him. This shows that all men feel the same way; that to take away a prize one has been granted oversteps the codes of honor among men. With such notion, Agamemnon can be deemed hypocritical because he was upset about losing his prize, yet has no qualms about overstepping such boundaries and taking Achilles’ prize, Briseis. However, such behavior reinforces the idea that Agamemnon believes he to be the better man of the two, and to display his greater power, Agamemnon threatened to simply take another man’s wife as a substitute prize.

Within the collision between the two great men, it is noteworthy that Agamemnon did the very act that caused the war in itself: the taking of another’s possession; i.e. Menelaus’ wife, Helen, by a Trojan. Women are figured as prizes as they are used to induce conflict and reveal the power of men. Both Agamemnon and Achilles feel that their honor and power is compromised in their judgment and decisions involving the prizes, Chryseis and Briseis. Agamemnon believes that his honor and leadership was challenged when Achilles called the council and demanded him to return Chryseis to Chryses. At the same time, Achilles thinks that Agamemnon taking his own prize, Briseis, was an offense to his own honor and a public display of disrespect by the great, Achaean leader. With women at the core of the quarrels and regarded as a terrain of politics of prize giving and taking, each Greek leader thinks himself as the greatest of man and each believes he is owed due prizes because it symbolizes honor and respect. It is emblematic that women are devoid of substantial personalities and purpose because it showcases Homer’s intention of presenting women as ‘objects’ that are dehumanized and marginalized, yet integral to the system’s operation. With possession of women signifying honor and greatness, The Iliad reveals man’s pride, which presents itself in war and politics.