Book 9

Summary

Analysis & Themes

The Achaeans, sensing defeat, are panicked and

despondent. Agamemnon summons a meeting of the armies and tearfully
declares the war a failure, stating that Zeus has entangled me in madness.
He tells the Achaeans that it is time to sail home. Diomedes rises up before
the men and criticizes Agamemnon, telling him that he may sail if he wishes,
but that he will stay and fight the Trojans. He says that Troy is fated to fall, and
the men roar with assent. Nestor agrees with Diomedes, tells the soldiers to
take their meal, and calls a meeting of the captains to devise a plan.

Agamemnon slightly diminishes his honor by

suggesting that the Achaeans abandon the war.
Diomedes refusal to leave is met with much heartier
approval from the troops. Similarly, Agamemnon uses
the will of the gods as an excuse for his failures.
However, he has no idea of the true nature or extent of
Zeus plan.

At the meeting of captains, Nestor proposes thatAgamemnon make peace

with Achilles in order to bring him back into battle. Agamemnon agrees with
Nestor, stating again that Zeus seized him with madness to make him quarrel
with Achilles. Agamemnon sets aside a massive treasure for Achilles,
including the return of Briseis and marriage to one of Agamemnons
daughters once the war ends. Odysseus, Great Ajax, and the
elderly Phoenix are chosen as the men to offer Agamemnons peace proposal
to Achilles.

As Agamemnon is the most powerful of the Achaean

kings, he can offer a very powerful reward, but it is
uncertain that Achilles will accept. In addition,
Agamemnon claims again that Zeus is responsible for
his quarrel with Achilles. The reader already knows the
actions of the gods, so Agamemnons justification
seems somewhat flimsy.

Agamemnons emissaries reach Achilles camp, where they find Achilles

playing the lyre and singing. Achilles friend Patroclus is at his side, and the
two men welcome the embassy. Achilles provides food and drink for the men.
Odysseus speaks first, asking for Achilles help and listing the treasures
offered by Agamemnon. Achilles rejects the offer immediately. Claiming that
death is the same for everyone, Achilles says that there is no point in battling
with the Trojans. He curses Agamemnon and his treasures.

Achilles here is portrayed as a good host and a man of

culture (at least in comparison to his comrades).
Achilles questions the fundamental reason of fighting
the war, at least temporarily rejecting the idea that
soldiers can attain greater honor in combat. From
Achilles perspective, all death is the same, so it does
not matter how it comes.

Achilles tells the embassy that his mother Thetis told him of two possible
fates: either Achilles can die at Troy and win everlasting glory, or he can return
to his homeland and live a long but unremarkable life. Remarking that no
wealth is worth my life, he tells the captains to sail home, saying that he will
do the same tomorrow morning. He welcomes his old friend Phoenix to
remain with him if hed like to sail home.

Achilles fate is unusual, insofar as he seems to have

two options between which he can choose. His fate is
fixed, but there is still room for him to make a decision.
Achilles sees clearly that if he accepts Agamemnons
treasure he will die fighting against Troy, and afterward
Agamemnons treasure will be of no use to him.

Phoenix attempts to convince Achilles not to sail home. He recalls Achilles

father Peleus sending Achilles off to battle. Phoenix also tells a story of
conflict with his own father, recounting that his exile led him to Phthia, where
he helped raise Achilles. Recalling these emotional memories, he urges
Achilles to beat down your mounting fury! Finally, Phoenix tells an old story
of the warrior Meleager, a man who out of anger refused to fight for his city.
Eventually he was convinced to fight, but received no treasure for his efforts.
Achilles sill rejects the offer, and asks Phoenix to support him instead of doing
Agamemnons errands.

Phoenix appeals to Achilles emotions, recounting

stories of his youth in an attempt to make Achilles
forget his pride. However, Phoenixs memories and his
moralistic tale of Meleager are ineffective, as the
choice that faces Achilles is too stark. If he yields to
Agamemnons embassy, he believes he will seal his
fate for a price that is not worth it.

Achilles moves to adjourn the meeting, but Great Ajaxspeaks his turn. He
tells Achilles that his anger has made him too proud, and finally appeals to the
respect the other soldiers will have for him if he relents. Achilles is somewhat
softened by his speech. He says that he will not sail tomorrow, but he will still
refrain from combat until the fighting reaches his own ships. The embassy
departs.

Great Ajax entreaty to Achilles is the most effective of

the three speeches. It speaks to the point closest to
Achilles heart, which is the question of glory, a trait
that can only be conferred through the opinions of
other men. The more other men respect Achilles, the
more his honor will grow.

The embassy returns to Agamemnons camp. The embassy gives

Agamemnon the news of Achilles refusal. The soldiers are dispirited by the
news. Diomedes says that Achilles is very proud, and that he will fight when
the time comes. He says that Achaeans will be able to fight on without him if
they prepare themselves. The meeting ends and the men sleep.

The failure of the embassy reflects Achilles position as

an individual hero within the Achaean army. Diomedes
suggests that Achilles will fight simply because it is his
nature as a warrior, and that he cant hold back in
anger forever.

Book 9:
Summary:
The god Panic grips the Achaeans that night, and Agamemnon calls the chieftains to council. He weeps, suggesting that they go
home.Diomedes speaks out against that plan, saying that he and his co-commander Sthenalus will fight, if needs be, alone. The

chieftains shout their approval of his words. Nestor speaks next, suggesting that they take their evening meal as usual and that
Agamemnon should give a feast for the chieftains. Nestor also proposes a plan for keeping careful watch during the night. Agamemnon
follows the old chieftain's advice.
After the chieftains have had their fill of food and drink, Nestor advises Agamemnon to make peace with Achilles so that he will rejoin
the fighting. Agamemnon agrees that it was madness that made him insult their greatest warrior, and prepares an offer for Achilles. He
will give the great warrior fabulous riches, including one of Agamemnon's own daughters as wife and seven of Agamemnon's citadels, if
only he will return and "yield place to me, inasmuch as I am the kinglier" (9. 160). Nestor proposes sending Phoenix, Great Ajax,
and Odysseus, as well as the heralds Odius and Eurybates.

The ambassadorial party goes to the Myrmidon encampment, and they find Achilles playing his lyre and sitting with his beloved
companion Patroclus. The two men rise on seeing the party, and Achilles treats his guests with great courtesy, asking Patroclus to
ready food and drink for them. A good meal is prepared, with sacrifices to the gods, and Odysseus makes his proposal to Achilles. He
tells him that the Achaeans are in trouble and need their greatest fighter, and he gives Achilles Agamemnon's offer. The offer is
repeated verbatim from Agamemnon's own speech until the end, where Odysseus leaves out Agamemnon's statement about Achilles
needing to yield to Agamemnon's kingly majesty. Odysseus also adds one final, important argument: if Achilles still hates Agamemnon,
he should rejoin the fighting out of pity for his friends and fellow soldiers, who are being slaughtered for want of their greatest warrior.

Achilles responds that he will not return, nor would he even if he were offered treasures far richer and greater than those offered by
Agamemnon. The possessions, Achilles argues, are not worth his life. His mother has told him that he can either stay and fight and gain
great glory, or he can return home and have a long life. Achilles says that he will choose the latter option. He and the Myrmidons will
sail for home. He asks Phoenix to return with them, if he wishes. Phoenix, now an older man, was an exile taken in by Achilles' father
Peleus. Phoenix helped to raise Achilles, and he asks Achilles to listen to him now. He tells the story of Meleager, a man who was
wronged and then out of pride refused to defend his country. He retired to his room with his beloved wife and stayed out of the fighting
until the enemy was closing in and his own wife begged him to rejoin the fighting.

Because he realized that his wife's own safety would be threatened if his countrymen lost the war, he finally went to battle. He drove the
enemy away, but because of the suffering he had allowed to fall on his own people Meleager won little honor. Phoenix urges Achilles
not to make a similar mistake. Achilles is still not moved. Ajax makes a final, angry entreaty, and Achilles responds that he will only fight
if Hector comes and threatens the ships of the Myrmidons. The ambassadorial group returns to Agamemnon, without Phoenix, who
stays with Achilles. Back at Agamemnon's encampment, the news of Achilles' continued withdrawal from the war is disheartening, but
Diomedes tries to raise the men's spirits.

Analysis:
In the beginning of Book 9, we see Agamemnon crumble under the burden of leadership. Although at times Agamemnon seems weak
or overbearing, the audience should remember that he feels most fully the responsibility for the lives of the Achaean troops.
Agamemnon weeps until Diomedes manages to invigorate the chieftains with his enthusiasm and loyalty, and the commander-in-chief's
tears are the honest tears of a man who understands the impact of his decisions. At the same time, he is limited by pride just as
Achilles is. The theme of pride runs is an important part of all of the interactions between Achilles and Agamemnon. Although the king
attempts to draw Achilles back into the fighting, he offers no apology to the warrior. He offers fabulous riches and holdings, but these
gifts mostly reflect the glory and kingly magnanimity of the giver. And he closes his offer with the command that Achilles yield to him and
his majesty: notice that Odysseus, always the strategist, delivers most of Agamemnon's offer to Achilles verbatim, but omits the king's
command to yield.

Achilles is aware of what is missing from Agamemnon's offer, and he responds in the terms that Agamemnon has set. Not all of the
material wealth in the world could move Achilles to return to battle. His pride is worth more than that. Note that although Achilles says
that these riches are not worth his life, he does not weigh the value of his life against the value of a man's honor. Referring to his

mother's prophecy for him, he tells the embassy that he will choose long life over glory, but he does so without making a value
judgment about which is better.

Phoenix's story about Meleager foreshadows what will happen to Achilles, and parallels Achilles current situation. As Meleager shut
himself away with his wife, Achilles has shut himself away with his closest companion, Patroclus. Meleager was persuaded back into
battle in part by his wife's description of what would happen to her if he continued in his refusal to fight; Achilles will return to battle one
step later, after his closest companion has died. Achilles will refrain from fighting until situation forces him back into battle, and by then
much needless suffering will have taken place.

Achilles carries pride too far in his refusal to be moved by the suffering of his fellow soldiers. That self-absorption is part of his
greatness, but it is his greatest sin as well. The bitterness that his mother has promised will not come because of Achilles' own death,
but because there is one man that Achilles will not be prepared to sacrifice. When Patroclus dies, Achilles will become frenzied with a
new kind of rage, a rage that has its source in grief. Part of that grief will be the realization that he is in large part responsible for
Patroclus' death.

Iliad Book IX happens on the same day as Book VIII.

Agamemnon holds a council at which he complains that Zeus had promised victory, but is now ordering the Greeks (NB: Homer refers
to them mostly as Achaeans, and sometimes Argives or Danaans; Greek is our term) home; therefore, they should set sail. Diomedes
says that Agamemnon is welcome to set sail since he has honor, but no valor. Meanwhile, the rest of the Greeks will stay. Nestor says
that although Diomedes speaks well for such a young man, they should all have their evening meal, and Agamemnon should look into
the advice of his councillors over wine.
The Greeks do as Nestor advised. In Agamemnon's quarters Nestor is first to speak. He reminds Agamemnon that he has angered
Achilles and should now appease him. Agamemnon says Nestor is right and will send to Achilles many gifts, including Briseis, whom he
swears he has not violated. He will make Achilles his son-in-law when they return home and give him 7 cities.
Nestor approves the offer and suggests the messengers - Phoenix, Ajax, Odysseus, and the heralds. The messengers follow the
shoreline to the Myrmidons where Achilles is playing a lyre before Patroclus. Achilles greets them graciously. Achilles asks Patroclus to
provide wine, fire, and meat for the guests.
Odysseus explains that Zeus is favoring the Trojans with his thunderbolts, the Trojans are pressing down upon the Greeks and Hector
is raging fearlessly. He pleads with Achilles to join them, saying Achilles will be sorry if he waits too long. Odysseus adds the long
inventory of gifts Agamemnon has offered.
Achilles answers that he won't have any more cajoling. He hates Agamemnon and thinks the Greeks have not been very grateful for all
his fighting. Agamemnon has taken his love just the same as Paris took Helen. He adds that Agamemnon is doing fine without him. He
has even built a wall and trench. He says the next day they'll go back home and reveals his mother's prophecy that he will stay, fight
bravely, and die famously, or will go home and live a long inconsequential life.

Phoenix tells the story of how he came to be like a second father to Achilles and Achilles asks him to stay.
Ajax addresses Odysseus to suggest they leave. He calls Achilles unforgiving. Achilles says much of what Ajax says is of his liking, but
he will not fight the Trojans until Hector brings the battle to his court and attacks his Myrmidons. The messengers return to base, and
Agamemnon asks Odysseus and Ajax what Achilles said. Odysseus says he is angrier than ever. He adds that Achilles believes all the
Greek forces should go home. Diomedes says that Agamemnon shouldn't have offered Achilles anything because he's proud enough.
Diomedes says again, they should fight in the morning. The other chiefs approve and go to sleep.
Agamemnon - lead king of the Greek forces, the brother of Menelaus.
Diomedes - from Argos. One of the most fearless of the Greek leaders. His father was Tydeus.
Nestor - from Gerenia in Messenia. King of Pylos. Nestor joined the Trojan War with his sons Antilochus and Thrasymedes.
Nestor is old, but well-respected. Odysseus visits Nestor on his return home.
Odysseus - from Ithaca. One of the leaders of the Greeks who will vie with Ajax for the status of most worthy after Achilles.
Ajax - the son of Telamon and Periboea, this Ajax is the one most people refer to when talking about Ajax. He was one of the
foremost fighters in the Trojan War.
Phoenix - like a father to Achilles. He describes how he was cursed by his own father and taken in at the court of Achilles'
father Peleus in Iliad IX.
Achilles - best warrior and most heroic of the Greeks, although he is sitting out the war.
Myrmidons - Achilles' troops. Their name means ants and they were called Myrmidons because it is said that they were
originally ants.
Patroclus - loyal friend and companion of Achilles in the Trojan War.

Book 10
Analysis & Themes
Summary

As night falls, the Achaeans sleep soundly, except forAgamemnon,

who watches the Trojan fires. Restless, he seeks out Nestor to create
a new plan for the Achaeans.Menelaus is also unable to sleep and
comes across his brother arming himself. Agamemnon tells Menelaus
to gather the best Achaean captains while he speaks with Nestor.

Agamemnon and Menelaus are both deeply concerned for

the fate of the Achaean expedition. Agamemnon needs
victory as the leader of the Achaean forces: if the Trojans
defeat him, it will show his weakness. Menelaus is
Agamemnons brother, but the war concerns him directly
through Helen, his wife who was stolen by Paris.

Agamemnon goes to Nestor and tells him about his anguish. Nestor
tells him to wake other captains, but Menelaus has already done so.
Nestor rouses Odysseus and Diomedes. When the captains have
gathered, Nestor asks if anyone is willing to infiltrate the Trojan lines to
gain some advantage or information. Diomedes immediately
volunteers to lead the mission, and suggests that another man
accompany him. Many men volunteer to go with him, but Diomedes
chooses Odysseus.

The suggestion of the night raid displays a new aspect of the

war. Combat between the two sides is not simply men
dueling to the death in full armor. Intelligence and tactics are
necessary to secure victory over the Trojans. By volunteering,
Diomedes further solidifies his status as a great Achaean
hero.

Diomedes and Odysseus arm themselves for battle, and Odysseus

wears an ancient helmet lined with boars teeth, passed down for

Odysseus helmet is described as having an ancient lineage,

just as the soldiers themselves have passed down the art of

Book 10
Analysis & Themes
Summary

generations. Athena sends the men a lucky bird sign. They pray to
Athena and set out into the night to infiltrate the Trojan lines.

war to their sons for countless generations.

In the Trojan camp, Hector also plans a night mission to gain

information, promising treasure to a volunteer. A soldier
named Dolon accepts the challenge, offering to scout the Achaean
camp. Dolon heads toward the Achaean ships, butOdysseus sees
him coming. Odysseus and Diomedes plan to ambush Dolon in order
to prevent his spying.

Hectors decision to send out a scout creates a parallel to the

Achaean mission, but with key differences. Dolon is not one
of the best-known Trojan fighters, as Odysseus and Ajax are
for the Achaeans. The skill of the Achaeans will allow them to
gain an advantage.

Dolon passes by the hiding Diomedes and Odysseus, and the pair
spring upon him, chasing him down. Dolon asks to be taken alive, and
the Achaeans use the opportunity to gather information from him.
Dolon tells the two all about the Trojan position, letting them know the
best place to attack. Afterward, Diomedes kills Dolon, and the two
head toward the Thracian camp that Dolon had suggested.

Dolon capitulates too easily to Diomedes and Odysseus, and

his cowardice wins him nothing. He is killed all the same. The
cunning of the Achaean heroes allow them to scout out a
Trojan position where they hope to find favorable
opportunities.

Diomedes and Odysseus come upon the Thracian camp, where the
king is sleeping among his troops. Diomedes kills the sleeping
soldiers while Odysseus steals the kings team of horses. Diomedes
thinks of killing more soldiers, butAthena alerts him that it is time to
return to the Achaean camp.

The courage of Diomedes and Odysseus allows them both to

reduce the number of their enemies and gain valuable
plunder in the form of the horses. However, they still need the
favor of Athena to escape unharmed.

Apollo sees the work of Athena and Diomedes, and immediately

wakes up the Thracians. Diomedes and Odysseus flee from the
scene, racing for the ships. The pair makes it back to the Achaean
camp with the horses. Nestorpraises the captured horses and
Odysseus plays down the feat. The two men wash themselves and
have a drink in praise of Athena.

Just as Athena is disposed toward helping the Achaeans,

Apollo intervenes in favor of the Trojans and their allies. The
night raid is a moment of heroism that allows the Achaeans to
have hope after the difficult battling of the previous day.

Book 10:
Summary:
Late at night, Agamemnon and Menelaus both find themselves unable to sleep. They decide to bring together a few of the greatest
chieftains to decide a course of action. A handful of the greatest among the Achaeans gather, and Nestor asks if anyone is willing to
make a nighttime scouting mission against the Trojans. Diomedes volunteers first, but asks that someone go with him. Many of the
heroes are willing to go with him, but Diomedes chooses Odysseus. The two men arm themselves, and as they set out for the enemy's

camp, Athena, who has a special love for Odysseus, sends a heron as a sign of her favor. The men offer their prayers to Athena, who is
the goddess of craft and cunning, and she listens to them with favor.

On the Trojan side, Hector likewise calls together a group of the Trojans and their allies, asking for a man to scout out the Achaean
positions and intentions. Dolon, Eumedes' son, is the only volunteer. He asks that as reward he be given Achilles' horses, which have
not yet been won. Hector promises him the great prize, and Dolon sets off for the Achaean camp, although the narrator tells us that he
is destined to die.
Along the way, Diomedes and Odysseus intercept and capture Dolon. Odysseus assures Dolon that they will not kill him. They
interrogate the terrified man, who reveals to them the Trojan positions. Most importantly, he tells them about Rhesus, chieftain of the
Thracians. Rhesus has a chariot drawn by a team of snow-white horses, the finest Dolon has ever seen, and Rhesus' armor is fit for the
gods. Despite the earlier promise not to kill Dolon, Diomedes decapitates him. Odysseus praises Athena, lifting Dolon's armor and
weapons and offering them to her. They hide them before setting on their way for the Thracian encampment.

When they reach the Thracian encampment, Diomedes kills the sleeping men. He murders twelve of Rhesus' cohorts and then Rhesus
himself, while Odysseus pulls the corpses out of the way and readies Rhesus' splendid chariot and horses. After killing Rhesus,
Diomedes faces a moment of indecision, torn between killing more and escaping, but Athena tells him to get on the chariot with
Odysseus and escape. Apollo, angered by Athena's interference, wakes Hippocoon, cousin of Rhesus, and his wailing wakes the
Trojans, who come to gape at the havoc wreaked by the Achaean marauders. During the run back to the Achaean camp, Diomedes
and Odysseus stop briefly to pick up Dolon's weapons and armor. They return to the Achaeans to meet the praise of their comrades.
Finally, Diomedes and Odysseus bathe, eat, and give thanks to Athena.

Analysis:
This exciting book is a welcome deviation from the battlefield exploits we have seen so far. Facing grim odds, Menelaus and
Agamemnon search for a way to boost the Achaeans' morale and gain some small advantage over the enemy. What begins as a
scouting mission becomes an exciting hit-and-run attack. We see Agamemnon's initiative in bringing together the chieftains, and we
also see Odysseus' cunning in action. This book also stresses the favor bestowed on Odysseus by Athena. It is favor he takes care to
remember, praying to her and giving offerings to her in gratitude for her help.

This section, in addition to providing variety and an exciting episode to the Iliad, shows the importance of the psychological element in
war. In an epic where brute force plays the decisive factor in battle, where single warriors by their sheer strength drive the entire
opposing army backward, and where we seldom, if ever, see the commanders of the opposing armies plan out anything we might call
battlefield strategy, Book 10 shows an appreciation for a very different kind of warfare. Unable to bring Achilles back to the battlefield,
the Achaean chieftains strive to gain another kind of advantage. Odysseus and Diomedes go to gather intelligence, but it quickly
becomes clear that they are intent on winning some kind of psychological victory. These guerilla tactics are akin to the psychological
warfare analyzed in Sun Zi's Art of War; the death of Rhesus and twelve of his men, even granting that his horses and armor are
magnificent, is probably not a decisive victory in terms of destruction of manpower or matriel. A later play entitled Rhesus, attributed
with some uncertainty to Euripides, dramatizes this nighttime raid, adding the element that Rhesus is newly arrived. In the play, he is a
warrior so great that not even Achilles would be able to oppose him.

This embellishment is foreign to Homer, and it seems to miss the point of the nighttime raid. The psychological factor is the vital part of
this victory. Odysseus and Diomedes intercept and destroy the enemy's scout; they also win great glory by stealing magnificent horses
and armor, while terrifying the enemy with the sight of a bloodily slaughtered ally. With little effort, they create uncertainty and fear in the
enemy's ranks while boosting morale among their own forces. The same holds true for the audience; after the disappointment and
suspense of the failed embassy to Achilles, the nighttime raid is a welcome and exciting victory for our Achaean heroes.

But although Book 10 is exciting, the adventures of Odysseus and Diomedes can also be interpreted in ways that are dark and
unsettling. The raid is not any bloodier than daytime battle in terms of sheer numbers of death. But as with all psychological warfare, the
cold-bloodedness required is chilling. The image of valiant Diomedes slaughtering sleeping troops is, to say the least, unnerving,
particularly when Rhesus' kinsman awakes and cries out Rhesus' name in grief and horror. And the pathetic image of Dolon begging for
his life (life, incidentally, that is promised to him in good faith by Odysseus) and then being brutally murdered gives a somewhat darker
cast to the character of Odysseus. As we saw earlier in Book 6, the Trojan War has escalated to new levels of brutality.

The gentler practice of taking men captive and holding them for ransom has vanished. Time and time again throughout the epic, men
on the Trojan side ask to be spared and captured for later ransoming. This practice shows the enormous wealth of the Trojans, referred
to repeatedly throughout the Iliad. These repeated requests also show that the Trojans are accustomed to a gentler form of warfare. As
a wealthy and civilized people, they believe that money can solve problems even during wartime. It is the Achaeans who do away with
these niceties, bringing the war to a new pitch of ferocity.

@All the Greek (NB: Homer refers to them mostly as Achaeans, and sometimes Argives or Danaans; Greek is our term ) princes sleep
that night, except Agamemnon (who is too worried to sleep, so he arms himself before going to Nestor to see if between the two of
them they can figure out a way to save the Greeks) and Menelaus (who puts on his armor and goes to see his brother before his
brother has finished). Menelaus wonders if Agamemnon plans to spy upon the Trojans. Agamemnon says they need good advice
because Zeus now favors Hector -- as seen by the devastation he wrought the previous day. Agamemnon tells Menelaus to rouse Ajax
and Idomeneus to get their advice while he wakes Nestor. As Agamemnon tells Nestor, when he wakes him, he is afraid the Trojans
may attack at night. Nestor says Hector won't have it all his own way if Achilles is ever persuaded to rejoin the Greek cause.
He adds that Diomedes, Ajax, and Odysseusshould be summoned for their counsel and he criticizes Menelaus for not being involved.
Agamemnon tells Nestor that although his brother is sometimes slow to act, and that because he expects Agamemnon to lead, in this
instance, Menelaus was awake before Agamemnon and has set out to summon the very men Nestor named (except Odysseus whom
Nestor arouses and tells that the Greeks must decide whether it is best to fight or flee and Diomedes whom Odysseus and Nestor
awaken).
When the Greek leaders are convened, Nestor addresses them to say that someone needs to find a stray Trojan from whom to prise
information. Diomedes immediately volunteers, but asks for a companion, Odysseus. They are armed and sent on their way with
Athena helping them by means of a heron making noises to guide them in the dark.
In the Trojan camp, Hector will not let the Trojan princes and allies sleep, either, after seeing all the goings on in the Greek camp.
Hector promises to reward richly whoever will spy on the Greeks to determine whether they intend to flee. Dolon, an ugly, rich man and
good runner, volunteers in exchange for Hector's promise to give him the horses of Achilles, but Diomedes and Odysseus see him. The
Greeks pretend to be just two more corpses lying on the ground when Dolon passed. They then run after him. When he determines that
they are the enemy, he runs faster, but the Greeks cut him off. Diomedes calls to Dolon to stand still or die. He obeys and then pleads
with them not to kill him, offering a large ransom. Odysseus tells him not to be afraid, but to reveal what Hector is doing. Dolon tells him
that the Trojans are holding conference, but their allies are sleeping. He reveals the layout of the allies.
After he has told them everything, Diomedes cuts off his head. The Greeks then go to the Thracians who lie at the far end of the Trojan
camp. They release the horses, set them off towards the Greek ships, and slaughter 12 of the soldiers and then the Thracian king,
Rhesus. Athena hurries Diomedes back to the Greeks before he can kill any more. Apollo rouses Hippocoon, a Thracian, who alerts the
Trojans.
Diomedes and Odysseus return to the Greeks, who congratulate them. They offer the spoils stripped from Dolon to Athena, and pen the
horses in with Diomedes' horses.

Agamemnon - lead king of the Greek forces, the brother of Menelaus.

Nestor - from Gerenia in Messenia. King of Pylos. Nestor joined the Trojan War with his sons Antilochus and Thrasymedes.
Nestor is old, but well-respected. Odysseus visits Nestor on his return home.
Menelaus - Helen's Greek husband. Menelaus is not considered a good fighter.
Diomedes - from Argos. One of the most fearless of the Greek leaders. His father was Tydeus.
Odysseus - from Ithaca. One of the leaders of the Greeks who will vie with Ajax for the status of most worthy after Achilles.
Athena - favors the Greeks. Also known by the Romans as Minerva.
Hector - champion of the Trojans and son of Priam.
Dolon- wealthy Trojan who volunteers to spy on the Greeks in exchange for Hector's horses.
Rhesus - Thracian king and owner of horses. The Thracians are late arrivals to the Trojan side.
Apollo - god of many attributes. Favors the Trojans.