'best of the Achaeans'

The meaning of eukhesthai as ‘declare’ has to do with speaking for the record in the form of ‘boasting’ or ‘praying’ or ‘juridically declaring’ (Muellner 1976). The question of who ... Continue reading

The insulting of Achilles by Agamemnon takes on a special meaning in the Iliad because the Master Narrator recognizes Achilles as the ‘best of the Achaeans’. The insulting of Achil ... Continue reading

In the words of the mortal hero Achilles, speaking to his immortal mother Thetis, the status of the hero as ‘best of the Achaeans’ is linked with the akhos ‘grief’ that he experien ... Continue reading

The status of Achilles as ‘best of the Achaeans’ is primarily formalized by way of the epithet aristos Akhaiōn ‘best of the Achaeans’. For Agamemnon to dishonor this status of Achi ... Continue reading

In the words of the immortal goddess Thetis, speaking to the all-powerful god Zeus on behalf of her mortal son Achilles, the status of this hero as ‘best of the Achaeans’ is linked ... Continue reading

analysis of the Iliadic theme of Achilles as the best of the Achaeans, and here, Agamemnon’s claim to the titleCountering the claim of Achilles to be the ‘best of the Achaeans’, Ag ... Continue reading

The Iliadic entitlement of Achilles as the ‘best of the Achaeans’ is confronted here with a rival theme: Agamemnon too claims the title. The Iliadic entitlement of Achilles as the ... Continue reading

This verse expands on the rivalry of Achilles and Agamemnon for the title of ‘best of the Achaeans’. This verse expands on the rivalry of Achilles and Agamemnon for the title of ‘ ... Continue reading

The Master Narrator addresses here a singular Muse: see the comment on I.02.761. The Muse is asked for an answer to the Iliadic question: who is the ‘best of the Achaeans’? The ans ... Continue reading

This verse shows that the hero Diomedes has a chance to qualify as the ‘best of the Achaeans’, aristos Akhaiōn. In the long run, however, in line with the plot or narrative arc of ... Continue reading

analysis of the application of aristos Akhaiōn to Diomedes in his aristeiaAlthough Diomedes is recognized as aristos Akhaiōn ‘best of the Achaeans’ here at I.05.416, in the present ... Continue reading

analysis of the applications of phrase “best of the Achaeans”, and here pointing out the exception that instances of aristos in the plural (as in this verse) are not countedAeneas ... Continue reading

analysis of the application of aristos Akhaiōn to Diomedes in his aristeia (in this line he is only described as ariston, without Achaiōn)The description of Diomedes here as aristo ... Continue reading

analysis of the applications of phrase “best of the Achaeans,” here restrictions to the way others besides Diomedes, Agamemnon, Ajax, and Achilles may be best, in particular, Perip ... Continue reading

Whoever is ‘best of the Achaeans’ is challenged by Hector to fight him in a one-on-one duel. Hector boasts that he will kill this fighter, still to be named, who will then be entom ... Continue reading

The Achaeans, faced with Hector’s challenge, hesitate, I.07.092–093. Their hesitation seems to indicate that not one of them is really the ‘best of the Achaeans’. Finally, Menelaos ... Continue reading

analysis of who is the best of the Achaeans in the context of Hektor’s challenge to the duel and Nestor’s reproach to the Achaeans and the narrowing down of the focus on the pan-Ac ... Continue reading

By blaming or insulting his fellow Achaeans for not daring to stand up to the onslaught of Hector, Agamemnon is goading them into action. His insulting words recall a scene that to ... Continue reading

The catalogue here of heroes who volunteer to accompany Diomedes on his nighttime spying mission is organized by way of repeating the verb (e)thelein ‘wish’ in the specialized sens ... Continue reading

This narrative centers on the aristeiā ‘epic high point’ of Agamemnon in the Iliad. On aristeiā ‘epic high point’, see the comment on I.05.103.This narrative centers on the aristei ... Continue reading

who is the best of Achaeans, analysis of the application of aristos to AgamemnonHere at I.11.288, Hector is boasting that Agamemnon, ‘the best man’, ho aristos, is now out of the p ... Continue reading

comment on the diction of Homeric poetry affirming that the wounding of a hero thwarts his aristeiaThe wounding of a hero, as in the case of the wound suffered by the hero Makhaon ... Continue reading

analysis of the applications of phrase “best of the Achaeans,” here restrictions to the way others besides Diomedes, Agamemnon, Ajax, and Achilles may be best, in particular, Teukr ... Continue reading

heroic status of Ajax as second best after Achilles, in the context of analyzing the applications of the epithet “best of the Achaeans”Ajax is described here as second-best to Achi ... Continue reading

analysis of pēma to both Patroklos and the Achaeans caused by Patroklos’ death, and so applicable to Achilles’ death, too, and association of Achilles with the theme of griefThe ne ... Continue reading

analysis of the application of the epithet “best of the Achaeans” and here, “best of the Myrmidons” to Patroklos and his identification with AchillesBefore he has even been told ab ... Continue reading

The addressing of Achilles here as phertatos ‘best’ of the Achaeans is most distinctive. See the comment on I.16.021. The addressing of Achilles here as phertatos ‘best’ of the Ac ... Continue reading

The narrative subject of the epic that is being paraphrased here is a neikos ‘quarrel’ between Odysseus and Achilles, O.08.075. And the setting for this quarrel is a dais ‘feast’ t ... Continue reading

Whoever succeeds in marrying Penelope would surely be ‘the best of the Achaeans’. But the events of the Odyssey will prove that only Odysseus is qualified to be ‘the best of the Ac ... Continue reading

Odysseus pays Achilles the compliment of addressing him here as phertatos 'the best'. Odysseus pays Achilles the compliment of addressing him here as phertatos 'the ... Continue reading

Achilles says that he would give up the status of a king among the dead if he could only be alive again—even if he became an abject underling in life. It is as if Achilles were now ... Continue reading

It is implied here that Ajax, not Odysseus, is really the second-best of the Achaeans.It is implied here that Ajax, not Odysseus, is really the second-best of the Achaeans.It is i ... Continue reading

Here again, as at O.11.179, it is said that whoever succeeds in marrying Penelope would surely qualify as ‘the best of the Achaeans’. Here again, as at O.11.179, it is said that w ... Continue reading

Here again, as at O.11.179 and at O.15.521–522, it is said that whoever succeeds in marrying Penelope would surely qualify as ‘the best of the Achaeans’. Here again, as at O.11.17 ... Continue reading

The speaker here is Antinoos himself: whoever succeeds in marrying Penelope, he says, would surely qualify as ‘the best of the Achaeans’. As the narrative will make clear, however, ... Continue reading

Here again at O.19.528, as at O.11.179, O.15.521–522, O.16.076, O.18.289, it is said that whoever succeeds in marrying Penelope would surely qualify as ‘the best of the Achaeans’. ... Continue reading

See also O.11.179, O.15.521–522, O.16.076, O.18.289, and O.19.528. Here again it is said that whoever succeeds in marrying Penelope would surely qualify as ‘the best of the Achaean ... Continue reading

Seeing that Odysseus has just now shot an arrow that has killed the suitor Antinoos, the rest of the suitors are feeling outraged, assuming as they do that this killing was acciden ... Continue reading

Reacting to the death of Antinoos, the remaining suitors were now ‘making likenesses’, as expressed by the verb eïskein ‘make likenesses, liken’, O.22.031. That is, each one of the ... Continue reading

As the psūkhai ‘spirits’ of the dead suitors are being conducted by the god Hermes toward their ultimate otherworldly destination, which is unspecified, they come to a place called ... Continue reading

There is an irony here in the reference to the dead suitors as aristoi ‘the best’, since they have all been already bested by Odysseus in his role as the best of the Achaeans in th ... Continue reading