Day 34: Most Odious of the Zeus Nourished Kings

Lines 173-81
"φεῦγε μάλ' εἴ τοι θυμὸς ἐπέσσουται, οὐδέ ς' ἐγώ γε
λίσσπμαι εἵνεκ' ἐμεῖο μένειν· παρ ἐμοί γε καὶ ἄλλοι,
οἵ κέ με τιμήσουσι, μάλιστα δὲ μητίετα Ζεύς.
ἔχθιστος δέ μοι ἐσσι διοτρεφέων Βασιλήων·
αἰεὶ γάρ τοι ἔρις τε φίλη πόλεμοί τε μάχαι τε.
εἰ μάλα καρτερός ἐσσι, θεός που σοὶ τό γ' ἔδωκεν.
οἴκαδ' ἰὼν σὺν νηυσί τε σῇς καὶ σοῖς ἑτάροισιν
Μυρμιδόνεσσιν ἄνασσε, σεθεν δ' ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀλεγίζω
οὐδ' ὄθομαι κοτέοντος· ἀπειλήσω δέ τοι ὦδε·

"By all means flee, if this is what your desire urges,
Nor do I beg you to remain on my account,
There are others beside me who may do me honor,
And above all the counsellor Zeus.
And to me you are the most odious of Zeus nourished kings;
Always war and strife and battle are dear to your heart.
If you are so mighty, then some god gave it to you.
Go home with your ships and your comrades,
Rule your Myrmidons, but I am not concerned with you
Nor do I worry over your anger; and I will threaten you thus:



An amazing scene which my comments will not do justice. The only thing I would say is that Achilles is usually portrayed as a mighty warrior, though not as a king, perhaps since his portrayl in Homer is as of one outside the bounds of society. Here, however, Agamemnon addresses him as a king, though not in the most flattering of kingly addresses.