Why does Agammenon, in the first book's inciting incident, threaten to take Achilles we know why Achilles, Odysseus or Ajax war prizes, of all people, when he's forced to give up Chriseis?
The bicker go thusly:
First, he tells the Achaeans to reach an agreement to get him a prize and a compensation for the one giving up his prize to him - the diplomatic solution.
Then he threatens to get Achilles' war prize first, likely because the Peleides just vouched in front of everyone to protect Calchas even against Agammenon - saying 'who boasts to be the stronger in the army', between the lines suggests it's an illegitimate claim; it kinda feels Achilles had a beef with Agammenon even before all this. Even now Achilles is adding insult to the injury of the King of Men losing the war prize.
No wonder Agamemnon is irked.
[Considering both Achilles, and later Thersites, accusing Agammenon of hogging all the spoils, perhaps Agammenon was, in fact, abusing his authority: out of greed or to recover the financial loss of organizing that entire war in the first place - see Arcadian ships later - or both]
Right after Achilles' Agamemnon threatens Ajax and Odysseus war prizes.
Then says, back to diplomacy, that they can sort this out later - so people think about it and do not act out of anger (hearing this, Achilles? lol sorry).
Why did he call out Ajax (I think Telamonian Ajax but it's unspecified which Ajax) and Odysseus specifically? My theories:
Theory one!
✨ Presenting characters ✨
They are two of the big names that are not related to him; surely he's not going to take his brother or Idomeneus, maternal uncle, prize.
Why not Diomedes or Nestor or the other Ajax then? Diomedes could be without a war bride, considering how much everybody slanders him, but I don't think so, he's too valiant not to have earned one (not sure though); but Nestor is super respected and there is a mention of his slave too (not sure it was the precious war prize itself).
Theory two!
⚔️ Politics 🪙
I'm a big fan of the catalogue of ships (premium nerd here, excuse you), so I made a list of how many ships every king has. Agamemnon has 100 (and he built more for the Arcadians, which must have been quite expensive), followed by Nestor's 90, then on the third place we have Idomeneus and Diomedes with 80 each. No wonder Agamemnon didn't mention those three, they had the vastest armies after him!
Then the Arcadians and Menelaos with 60 each, Achilles 50 ships (same as Menestheus and my now-dead boy Thersander), Locrian Ajax 40... a long list of other kings.
Where do we find Telamoniam Ajax and Odysseus? Near the bottom, with 12 ships each.
Note that Philoctetes, who was left behind, had only 7 ships, second-to-last.
So this theory is that Agamemnon was calling out people he could afford to cross should they take the insult very personally. This is my favorite theory but I usually mix it with the third for spice.
Theory three!
🔥 Drama 💅
In the Embassy to Achilles (book 9), Achilles calls Telamonian Ajax (his cousin) and Odysseus 'the dearest (philtatoi) to him among the Achaeans; they were chosen by Nestor, with Phoenix (Achilles other dad), because of this, since they were there to persuade him.
I interpret it as Agamemnon telling Achilles to shut up or the people he favors will pay the price.
I freaking love this epic people. They are so petty and so human; and they have been on each other's nerves for the last 9 years.
