Kinship Anthropology - Essay Example

This paper shall seek to establish the similarities and differences in the characteristics of Achilles and Agamemnon, who were two great men that were skilled in the art of war and relate their characteristics to the roles they played in dictating the outcome of the Trojan War. It is the strong characteristics possessed by Achilles and Agamemnon that made the battle of Troy historic and legendary (Homer). Achilles and Agamemnon were two great Achaean fighters that had several weaknesses as warriors.

Achilles and Agamemnon were known for their hot temper (Homer 414). Though one could argue that Achilles is more temperamental than Agamemnon, but the fact remains that these two men had elements of fury and wrath in them. It should be noted that Achilles’ show of anger resulted in his withdrawal from battle and this ultimately led to the overpowering of the Achaean forces by the Trojan forces (Homer 327). One of Achilles’ demonstrations of anger was when Agamemnon ordered him to relinquish his war prize, Briseis; and as a result he forcefully withdrew from the war and this gave the Trojans the boldness to attack the Greek army (Homer 437-438).

Thus, Achilles’ anger also played a part in the Trojan War. Another similarity that exists between Achilles and Agamemnon is in their pride and arrogance. . Agamemnon’s arrogance is seen when he expects to get the highest share of the spoils of war, even in situations that he did not take active part in the battle. Being the king, Agamemnon always wanted to take up the leadership role and this was the reason that he wanted to be at the forefront when it was time to make decisions on the Trojan War, when it was actually Menelaus that was affected by the snatching of his wife, Helen by Prince Paris of Troy (Homer 78).

Agamemnon took delight in reminding the Achaeans of his kingly status. In terms of strength, Achilles was stronger than Agamemnon in all ramifications. Achilles was the greatest warrior of Greek army during the battle of Troy, while Agamemnon was the King of Mycenae and the commander of the Greek forces during the battle of Troy. While Achilles had a close relationship with the gods as the gods loved him for his strength and bravery in battle, Agamemnon did not really have any significant relationship with the gods.

While Achilles could not control his anger and fury, Agamemnon intentionally made people to feel the effect of his wrath. While Achilles did not take the Trojan War too serious, Agamemnon was too serious about the war as he did everything possible to ensure the victory of the Achaean army. There was even a time that Achilles abandoned his fellow Greek warriors and even prayed that the Trojan forces should overrun them. Agamemnon is also different from Achilles in his ability to make intelligent and refined judgments about a situation.

Agamemnon is not usually too quick to act, but takes his time before embarking on an action; while Achilles lets his own anger and fury to determine his actions. Achilles usually