Phoinix’ Personal Speech To Ac Essay, Research Paper

In the middle of Book 9 of Iliad there are six little epic songs, which are the speeches of the three ambassadors, Odysseus, Phoinix, and Aias, and the reply of Achilleus to each one. Trying to persuade Achilleus to rejoin the fighting, all three ambassadors give their speeches. However, it is Phoinix speech that contains the most compelling arguments because his speech is very personal to Achilleus.

Odysseus is a spokesman for Agamemnon and therefore speaks first because of his rhetorical skills. In his speech, Odysseus repeats word for word most of Agamemnon s earlier speech, which mostly consists the list of the gifts that Agamemnon is offering to Achilleus but Odysseus purposely, adds a few things from himself. Il9. 244-246 All this I fear terribly in my heart, lest immortals accomplish all these threats, and lest for us it be destiny to die here in Troy, far away from horse-pasturing Argos. What he says is that if Achilleus won t help them, the Trojans are going to destroy Achaians ships and they won t be able to go back home, and they would die in Troy. Then the counselor counts out all the gifts that Agamemnon offers to him. The last few lines of the Odysseus speech are his own too. He says to Achilleus that if he really hates Agamemnon and he doesn t want to accept his gifts, he asks him to take pity on the Achaians because they will honor him as a god if he will help them. Il9. 300-303 But if the son of Atreus is too much hated in your heart, himself and his gifts, at least take pity on all the other Achaians, who are afflicted along the host, and will honour you as a god. You may win very great glory among them.

Achilleus reply to Odysseus is the most powerful speech in the Iliad. Achilleus speech is very significant because he says things that the ambassadors never heard before. Up to this point honor was the most important thing in his life. He lived for his standing in the eyes of other people. But now, the great warrior comes to a different understanding in life. And since the honor is the center in the culture, Achilleus redefines honor and this is very surprising and significant to his reply. Agamemnon dishonored Achilleus and now he questions whether honor is indeed more valuable than life, since after all his heroic achievements he was treated like this. In his reply he says that even if a person is a brave man or a coward, he is treated the same way and will die anyway. Consequently, he would rather go back to Greece and enjoy his life than go back to fighting. Il9. 318-320 Fate is the same for the man who holds back, the same if he fights hard. We are all held in a single honour, the brave with the weaklings. A man dies still if he has done nothing, as one who has done much. Achilleus is questioning the whole basis of the heroic code. Achilleus reply shows that Odysseus speech doesn t consist the compelling arguments that would persuade Achilleus to rejoin the fighting. Now, the great warrior doesn t think that the honor is the most important thing in man s life so, he won t go back to fighting for exchange to be honored by others.

Phoinix is the next one to continue the diplomatic mission in persuading Achilleus. Achilleus reply to Odysseus speech has a great impact on Phoinix speech. Phoinix hears things from Achilleus speech that he never heard before and he doesn t really likes it, but he uses in his speech. Odysseus in his speech says to Achilleus that if

he would rejoin the fighting, he will be honor in the eyes of the Achaians, but the great warrior doesn t give damn about the honor. In Phoinix speech, the ambassador tries

to change Achilleus point of view on honor and he tries to persuade the great warrior to rejoin the fighting in more personal way. Phoinix talks to Achilleus more like a father than an ambassador. The speech of Phoinix is divided into three sections: Phoinix personal history, the Parable of the Prayers and the mythological example of Meleagros.

In the first part of Phoinix speech, the ambassador tells the story about his relationships with his father, with Achilleus father, and with Achilleus. The counselor is telling Achilleus about his father and how he expelled him. He talks about Achilleus father (Peleus) and how he took him under his roof. At the end Phoinix brings out all the things he had done for Achilleus and how he was a second father to him. Phoinix hopes that by mentioning all that, the great warrior will consider returning the favor. Il9. 485-495 I made you all that you are now, and loved you out of my heart So that it was you godlike Achilleus, I made my own child, so that some day you might keep hard affliction from me.

In The Parable of the Prayers , the second part of the Phoinix speech, counselor defines to Achilleus two parts of life: ruin(when Agamemnon dishonored Achilleus in Book 1) and reconciliation(when Agamemnon apologies to Achilleus in Book 9). Phoinix explains to Achilleus that the spirits of the Prayer are the daughters of the Zeus and there is a connection between Prayers(reconciliation) and Ruin. Ruin is Ate, a goddess who

represents the tendency to give offense to others, and in the beginning of the Book 9, Agamemnon has admitted that he was under the influence of Ate when he dishonored

Achilleus in Book 1. The meaning of the word Prayers is requests for forgiveness, i.e., apologies. The spirits of Prayer desire to make amends by asking forgiveness. Therefore, Phoinix tries to warn Achilleus that by not accepting Agamemnon s reconciliation the son of Peleus may be punished by Zeus.

The last part of Phoinix speech is the mythological example of Meleagros, which is given to make an argument more persuasive. The story is about Meleagros who was in a situation similar to Achilleus. Meleagros helped his people when the danger was really intense because his wife, Kleopatra, persuaded him. However, he should have helped them when the supplicants asked him with the gifts of supplication. Meleagros saved the city but did not get the gifts. The message in this story is very simple: Achilleus should accept the gifts and go back to fighting if he doesn t want to face Meleagros fate. Phoinix says that by rejecting the gifts he s rejecting the kind of honor, the honor that is showed by material way. Il9. 601-605 It would be worse to defend the ships after they are burning. No, with gifts promised go forth. The Achaians will honour you as they would an immortal. But if without gifts you go into fighting where men perish, your honor will no longer be as great, though you drive back the battle.

In reply to Phoinix speech Achilleus says that he doesn t care about that kind of honor because he already has honor in the eyes of Zeus. Achilleus is upset that Phoinix is defending Agamemnon instead of being on his side. Il9. 612-615 Stop confusing my heart with lamentation and sorrow for the favour of great Atreides. It does not become

you to love this man, for fear you turn hateful to me, who love you. It should be your pride with me to hurt whoever shall hurt me. However, even though Achilleus was upset with Phoinix his speech does make him think. Therefore, he invites Phoinix to spend the

night and see what they will decide the next day. Achilleus knows that he owns to Phoinix at least to rethink his decision about not going back to fighting.

After Achilleus reply to Phoinix arguments, the last member of the embassy, and the second greatest warrior of the Greeks at Troy, Aias gives his speech. In his speech he says that Achilleus is being unreasonable. Aias talks about a blood-price, and how even if a man kills another man s brother or son, he is forgiven when the compensation is given. This gives honor to the person who accepts the compensation, therefore Achilleus should accept the gifts of supplication from Agamemnon. In reply to Aias speech, Achilleus disagrees with Aias arguments and he decides to stay out of the fighting until such time as the son of wise Priam, Hektor the brilliant, comes all the way to the ships of the Myrmidons, and their shelters, slaughtering the Argives, and shall darken with fire our vessels.

At the end of Book 9, Achilleus decided not to go back to fighting. Even though the three ambassadors- Odysseus, Phoinix, and Aias weren t successful in persuading Achilleus, they did give good speeches. They all talk about honor, and how it s the most important thing in man s life. But Odysseus and Aias throw the honor on Achilleus without explanations or consequences of not accepting the honor. However, Phoinix put all those explanations and consequences in his speech, and that s why his speech contains the most compelling arguments.