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Eleven Arguments in Homer's Illiad In Homer's Illiad, Odysseus, Phoenix, and Aias use eleven arguments to persuade Achilles to return to the fighting. Through analysis of and reference to the text, I hope to demonstrate that their arguments can be broken into different styles, including reason-based, moral, and emotional, and that some were more or less effective than others. Persuasion is a very important element of the story, whether it is its function, meaning, successes, or failure. In a way, the Illiad is a composition about persuasion and its relationship with force. Here I will discuss the specific instance of this as it pertained to the arguments for Achilles to return to the fighting. Odysseus makes the first argument to Achilles, and they are based on reason.
Within his speech he follows a shortened form of the classical form of oratory. He compliments Achilles in an attempt to make him more receptive to the argument he is about to present, and speaks about the fine food that Achilles has always offered. Classical rhetoricians called opening remarks such as these the exordium. He Odysseus then moves into the arguments, presenting them from a patriotic style or reasoning.
He explains the serious military situation that the Achaians are facing in the part of the argument called the narration, and says Only you can save our Achaean armies from utter ruin, which he likely hopes will bolster Achilles' ego along with stirring his feeling of patriotic duty. After this explanation, Odysseus backs up his statements with the proof for the case he is making, called the confirmation. In this he uses a moral style of argument to try and persuade Achilles by saying that Peleus, Achilles' father, had told him to control his temper. He then moves to the material argument by telling him about the many rewards that Agamemnon was offering.
An affective aspect of Odysseus' argument at this point is that Agamemnon had said he was Achilles's ulterior. Odysseus finally comes to the conclusion of his arguments by coming back to the patriotic style of argument. He explains to Achilles that by saving the Achaians, he would be able to achieve personal glory and honor for saving the others, not only Agamemnon, and that he will be like a god. Achilles is not receptive to the argumentative tactics that Odysseus uses, and he responds very quickly. To this point in the story, Agamemnon has been very clearly in the wrong, and Achilles obviously does not want to hear anything that is being said on his behalf. He states, I must tell you very frankly what I think and what I intend to do, so you won't sit cooing at me all day- yes, more than Hades' gates I hate a man who tries to hide his plans with double-talk.
He knows that he will die soon following the reconciliation, and he both does not need the gifts he is being offered and knows that Agamemnon has taken away a gift on a whim before, on the occasion of his war prize, Briseis. The reason-based moral and patriotic styled arguments that Odysseus makes are not effective, because Achilles has put his injured pride above these considerations. His desire for revenge against Agamemnon has begun to overtake any feeling of loyalty to his friends or the chivalric code of honor that he claims to hold dear. Achilles has moved past logic and Odysseus' reason falls on deaf ears. Phoenix then tries to change Achilles' mind by presenting a moral argument. He reminds him of his younger days when Peleus had sent him along when he joined Agamemnon as a boy.
He states that he taught him to be a speaker of words and a doer of deeds. Then Phoenix moves into a story to illustrate the moral that he wishes to get across to Achilles, though the story provides a moral loophole for Achilles and is therefore ineffective. He tells the story of Meleager, a warrior who refused to fight because of his anger, and though was eventually stirred to fight, he was too late. Phoenix says, Such horrors stirred even Meleager, who leapt up, threw his gaming armor on, and saved his comrades in their hour of need- but never received the gifts they offered, despite what he did in rescuing them.
Now don't you make the same mistake, dear boy. Remember how much harder it will be to save our ships when they " re aflame. He is trying to point out that not only is it the right thing to do morally, but that he would receive benefits from his morally correct actions that Meleager did not. He says, take gifts and help us. You " ll have honor like a god. Phoenix is proposing that Achilles will receive honor for helping them, just as Odysseus had, but he is presenting that Achilles will receive them for being moral, instead of as a reasonable outcome.
This argument also has no effect on Achilles, and he quickly turns Phoenix down. He points out that he does not need any honors; Zeus has already given him all the honors that he wants or needs. This argument does not work because it is again addressing something that Achilles does not care for. Although he claims to hold his code of honor dear, in reality he no longer cares about morals when it comes to the plight of Agamemnon. Instead of giving into the moral plea, he turns the argument on Phoenix, asking him to instead stay with him and share the honors he has, and his command.
He tells Phoenix to send the other men back and stay the night here in a soft, comfortable bed. Achilles is completely serious, because he then signals Patroclus to prepare a bed for Phoenix, and hopes that this move will be a hint for the rest of the men to leave. Before the other men can begin to leave, however, Aias speaks up and takes his turn in attempting to change Achilles' mind. His style of argument is an emotional plea, and he directs his words to Odysseus, though what he says is really for Achilles to hear.
He exclaims to Odysseus that they had better leave because Achilles has become ferocious in his pride and is now unfeeling. He says that Achilles should relent and welcome men who come and wish to be companions, instead of holding a stubborn temper over one girl only when he is now being offered seven more, along with many other great gifts. He is protesting that Achilles' behavior is unreasonable; for him the values of the heroic world in which they live or aspire to allow no argument like this; they are all friends under one roof, and they have done the right thing, so Achilles should as well. This argument, although it also does not work, is more effective than the ones made by Odysseus and Phoenix. Achilles says straight away that he agrees with everything that Aias says, but that he is still infuriated. He can not move past his anger, and says that he was humiliated in front of their people by Agamemnon, and was treated in a way that was beneath him.
Because of this, he says he will not even consider a war until it is at his doorstep. At that point, he thinks, Hector will not be a threat. He states, I think his wildness will be tamed a bit! Achilles' reply to Aias is put forward in simple terms, but it conveys that he still is completely resolved and continues to be outraged.
To Aias' comment more or less that he should not treat his friends this way in his own house, Achilles said that he would help them, but not yet. He would not help them until the fight was already at his own door. Despite his provocative, emotional plea, Aias receives a comradely and conciliatory response. This contrasts Achilles' treatment of Phoenix's moral plea, to which Phoenix is treated to a sharp reminder of his duty towards his patrons. Overall, the arguments based on reason made by Odysseus, the arguments based on morality made by Phoenix, and the arguments based on emotion made by Aias fell on deaf ears.
Reason did not work because Achilles was full of vengeful feelings toward Agamemnon, and he was far past reason. Arguments based on morality did not work, both because there was a loophole in the story that Phoenix used, and Achilles' injured pride went deeper this point than did his need to honor his moral code. Finally, the argument based on emotion did make a slight impact because Achilles could not refute the bold statements of Aias. It could not move him to help when he was actually needed, however, because although he admitted Aias was right, he also admitted that Agamemnon had humiliated him too deeply, and because of this he was not even able to consider assisting him.
As a result of this, the embassy returns unsuccessful from their trip, and the army again sinks back into despair. Reference Homer. The Illiad: Book IX. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.
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