Question

Analyze the way Achilles' attitude and behavior change throughout the assembly. What factors contribute to this transformation? (ELA.9.R.1.4)

Answer 1

At the start of the assembly Achilles is furious and impulsive; when Agamemnon claims Briseis he bursts into open rage, seizes his spear, and threatens to kill the commander who has insulted him. By the end of the same meeting his outward behavior has changed: he restrains himself from murder, calms enough to speak in measured, bitter words, and withdraws from the army (returning to his ships and refusing to fight).

What causes this change?
- Divine intervention: Athena physically restrains Achilles and speaks to him, preventing immediate violence. The gods’ direct interference forces Achilles to stop and reconsider his actions in that moment.
- Awareness of consequences: Athena’s command and the public setting make Achilles see the political and practical consequences of killing Agamemnon — civil chaos, punishment, loss of future glory — so he chooses a less self-destructive response.
- Audience and social norms: Because the quarrel plays out before the assembled Greeks, Achilles modulates his behavior. He cannot settle the dispute by killing a king in public without provoking wider disorder and dishonor.
- Pride and strategy: Although he gives up the immediate act of revenge, his anger remains; rather than submit or be reconciled, he protects his honor by withdrawing from the fight. His behavior shifts from hotheaded violence to deliberate sulking and self-isolation as a form of protest.

In short, Achilles’ emotional state stays angry, but his behavior becomes controlled and strategic under the pressure of divine instruction, social consequence, and his concern for honor. The transformation changes the shape of his resistance—from violent retaliation to calculated withdrawal—which has far-reaching effects on the Greeks’ fortunes.