The Iliad Book 1 Reflection

Q. Achilles’ rage is justified and I support his decision not to fight, even if it means the Greeks might lose lots of men, or even the war itself.

A. I agree with the decision that Achilles had made. Achilles chose to not fight, even if it meant the loss of many men or even with the war itself. I agree with this because in the text, Achilles states "And I tell you this-take it to heart, I warn you-my hands will never do battle for a girl, neither with you, King, not any man alive. You Achaeans gave her, now you've snatched her back. (pg.87-lines 348-351)" From this piece of evidence, Achilles is not willing to fight for just one girl. The Trojans have not done any harm to him, and Agamemnon wants him to battle. It was a good decision for Achilles to back down. I also think Achille's decision to not fight was great, because that could cause less controversy against him and the Trojans. Even if this meant that Agamemnon now wants Achilles to give up his own war prize in exchange to let Chryseis go.