Curiously, in the passage right after Agamemnon's command to commit infanticide, as it were, the Homeric narrator speaks of this, "αἴσιμα παρειπών:" "appointed by the will of the gods, destined,"- Wilson translating this as "to do what must be done" - the consensus, if any, of English translation is that Agamemnon is persuading the otherwise gentle Menelaus to do some grim duty, even if it's less pleasant to just capture the soldier and then sell him back for a heavy ransom.
So even where the Iliad may critique extreme military violence, I'm not entirely sure it condemns it, and I think this may apply also to Achilles' more extreme behavior in the moment of his return to battle.
From Graziosi and Haubold:
“αἴσιμα παρειπών ∼ 7.121, ‘advising what was apportioned’; cf. 333n. (κατ᾽ αἶσαν…οὐδ᾽ ὑπὲρ αἶσαν). A problematic addition which has challenged ancient and modern readers (e.g. Goldhill 1990: 376); as elsewhere, the poet invites scrutiny of Agamemnon's behaviour (see esp. 2.1–420). Ancient commentators wondered whether αἴσιμα simply means ‘in accordance with fate’ (ΣT ad 6.62a), or whether the poet endorses Agamemnon's speech as ‘appropriate’, even though it seems especially savage (ΣbT ad 6.62a, cf. 58–60n.). As Kirk 1990: 191 points out, ‘αἴσιμα…refers to Agamemnon's invocation of the laws of hospitality in 56 more than anything else’; see esp. Od. 15.68–71. ΣbT ad 6.58–9b argue that the speech is appropriate, because the truce has been broken: at 3.300–1, Trojans and Achaeans agreed that, should they break the truce, they ought to have ‘their brains poured out like wine, and those of their sons too, and their wives raped’. For further discussion, see esp. Fenik 1986: 26; Yamagata 1994: 118; Wilson 2002: 166–7; Stoevesandt 2004: 152–5."
Curiously, in the passage right after Agamemnon's command to commit infanticide, as it were, the Homeric narrator speaks of this, "αἴσιμα παρειπών:" "appointed by the will of the gods, destined,"- Wilson translating this as "to do what must be done" - the consensus, if any, of English translation is that Agamemnon is persuading the otherwise gentle Menelaus to do some grim duty, even if it's less pleasant to just capture the soldier and then sell him back for a heavy ransom.
So even where the Iliad may critique extreme military violence, I'm not entirely sure it condemns it, and I think this may apply also to Achilles' more extreme behavior in the moment of his return to battle.
From Graziosi and Haubold:
“αἴσιμα παρειπών ∼ 7.121, ‘advising what was apportioned’; cf. 333n. (κατ᾽ αἶσαν…οὐδ᾽ ὑπὲρ αἶσαν). A problematic addition which has challenged ancient and modern readers (e.g. Goldhill 1990: 376); as elsewhere, the poet invites scrutiny of Agamemnon's behaviour (see esp. 2.1–420). Ancient commentators wondered whether αἴσιμα simply means ‘in accordance with fate’ (ΣT ad 6.62a), or whether the poet endorses Agamemnon's speech as ‘appropriate’, even though it seems especially savage (ΣbT ad 6.62a, cf. 58–60n.). As Kirk 1990: 191 points out, ‘αἴσιμα…refers to Agamemnon's invocation of the laws of hospitality in 56 more than anything else’; see esp. Od. 15.68–71. ΣbT ad 6.58–9b argue that the speech is appropriate, because the truce has been broken: at 3.300–1, Trojans and Achaeans agreed that, should they break the truce, they ought to have ‘their brains poured out like wine, and those of their sons too, and their wives raped’. For further discussion, see esp. Fenik 1986: 26; Yamagata 1994: 118; Wilson 2002: 166–7; Stoevesandt 2004: 152–5."
thank you for this!
You’re welcome
This is fantastic Joel. A topic that I am so interested in and so insightful and relevant as always. I'm going to edit something I just submitted!
thanks, Casey. I have been thinking about this one a lot