Paris and the Trojan army abducted the most beautiful woman in all of Greece, Helen, daughter of Zeus and wife of Menelaus King of Sparta; thus the war started. At the start of book one of the Iliad, the war between the Trojans and the Achaians had been going on for some time. The Achaian army, lead by Achilleus, took a town and as their spoils two women in particular. The abduction marks the beginning of an epic quarrel between Agamemnon, King of the Achaians, and Achilleus, the Achaian's greatest warrior. Although King Agamemnon can do and take whatever he pleases, publicly undermining a man with as great a pride as Achilleus was a foolish gesture, for the Achaians will soon see the wrath of their brilliant soldier.
"Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilleus and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians, hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong should of heroes "(1.1-7). Angering, Achilleus, a master soldier with a knowledge of strategy is very ignorant. He must know the next move, because not knowing means death on the battle field. The moment he finds the reason for the plague he calls an assembly of the troops, which is a king's right, and confronts Agamemnon. " Agamemnon raging, the heart filled black to the brim with anger from beneath "(1.102-104). Agamemnon is humiliated that he would be named responsible for this foul cloud over his people, the Achaians. The King, a prideful man, states that he will give his prize back, but he will take Achilleus' in turn. A perturbed Achilleus states, "And now my prize you threaten in person to strip from me, for whom I labored much, the gift of the sons of the Achaians "(1.161-162). The outraged king and soldier exchange words, and Achilleus takes his men and leaves the Achaian forces to express his rage. .
Achilleus has the right to be angry, for he is only fighting to help the Achaians, yet he is stripped of his prize? He deserves his spoils for each victory because he serves the King and succeeds at his assignments.
