The Iliad, Book 11

Summary, Book 11

The sun is rising on the troops, and we are treated to a long description of Agamemnon’s armor.  Zeus sends an ominous sign: a rain of blood.  Gross.  The battle resumes an again, and Agamemnon is facing two Trojan warriors – a set of brothers.  Their horse deserts them, leaving them at Agamemnon’s mercy:

“Take us alive, son of Atreus. You’ll get
a worthy ransom. There are many treasures
in Antimachus’ homes—bronze and gold
and well-worked iron. Our father will be glad
to give a massive ransom from all that,
if he learns we’re at Achaean ships alive.”

Once again, this never works.  Agamemnon’s “harsh” response:

“If you’re the two sons of Antimachus,
that hot-hearted man who, when Menelaus came
as envoy once to the assembled Trojans
with godlike Odysseus, urged the Trojans                                                   
to kill Menelaus, to stop him going back
to the Achaeans, now you’ll pay the price
for those shameful actions of your father.”

And with that, Agamemnon pretty much slices the guys to ribbons.  We also get this charming description of the battle scene:

Many strong-necked horses in the battle lanes
rattled past with empty chariots, missing their drivers,                                  
excellent charioteers now lying on the ground,
far more friendly to the vultures than their wives.

That’s quite a visual.  Zeus sees that things are not going great for the Trojans so he sends the messenger goddess, Iris, to give a message to Hector that as long as Agamemnon is fighting, he should stand back.  But once Agamemnon is wounded, Zeus will give Hector the power to kill.

Iris relays the message and Hector obeys.  And then, Agamemnon is injured.  He is wounded by Antenor’s son after Agamemnon kills his brother.  If you will remember, Antenor is the sage individual who suggested that Paris return Helen to the Achaeans.  Agamemnon retaliates and kills him, but he is injured badly enough to withdraw from the fighting.  His pain is compared to the pains of childbirth.  Oookay.

Hector sees Agamemnon retreat and he goes in for the kill.  He goes on a killing spree worthy of Diomedes.  He kills some leaders, and some common soldiers.  Odysseus is horrified and he and Diomedes try to fight back.  In the melee, Paris aims for Diomedes and shoots at him, hitting his foot.  Diomedes laughs and acts like he’s not in pain, but when Odysseus comes over and takes the arrow out of his foot (ouch!) Diomedes goes back to his ship.  So Odysseus is on his own and faces disaster.  He debates what to do:

“Here’s trouble. What’s going to happen to me?                            
If I run away from this crowd in fear,
I’ll be badly shamed. But to be trapped here,
all alone, that could be worse. For Cronos’ son
has made the rest of the Danaans flee.
But why’s my fond heart arguing all this?
I know that those who leave the war are cowards.
The man who wants to fight courageously
must stand his ground with force, whether he’s hit,
or whether his blows strike the other man.”

Bravely (and stupidly) he decides to take on the Trojans all by himself.  He manages to kill a few of them, but then a guy named Socos (who we have not yet heard anything about but apparently is still worthy of the epithet ‘god-like’) approaches and strikes him with a spear.  Athena intervenes and keeps it from striking any vital organs, but it still makes quite a mark.  The Trojans see blood and begin to rush in on him.  Things are looking grim for Odysseus, but Menelaus hears his cry and he and Ajax run over to him.  Menelaus drags him away while Ajax charges the Trojans, slaughtering men and horses.

Hector is unaware of any of this as he and Paris are fighting at the other end of the battle.  Paris wounds Machaon, one of the Achaeans who I do not think we have yet encountered but who merits the epithet “shepherd of his people.”  The Achaeans are horrified, but Nestor drags him from the battle.  While this is happening, one of the Trojans lets Hector know that Ajax is routing the Trojans at the other end of the battle.  Hector charges away to help his men in that part of the battlefield, although he does not fight Ajax directly.

The Trojans get some help from Zeus, who puts fear into Ajax and causes him to retreat.  The Trojans throw spears at him, and Eurypylus (an Achaean) sees this and comes to his defense.  Is it just me or are a lot of people coming out of the woodwork in this section?  Eurypylus gets wounded and shouts to other Achaeans to come and save Ajax.  How noble.  I don’t think Eurypylus dies, or at least they don’t seem to say.

While all this is happening, Achilles is watching his comrades retreat.  He spots Nestor coming by in a chariot and tells his BFF, Patroclus, to find out from Nestor who the wounded man is that he is taking from the battlefield.  We also get this gem from Achilles:

“Fine son of Menoetius, joy of my heart,
I think the time has come for the Achaeans
to stand around my knees in supplication,
for their needs have now become unbearable.”

First of all, bro-mance.  Second of all, the Achaeans already offered Achilles anything he could possibly want.  Why is he acting like a petulant child?  Shouldn’t he want to help his fellow soldiers?  And if he doesn’t, then why doesn’t he just go home?  (I know I have asked that before, but it bears repeating because it is such a glaring problem.)

Patroclus goes to Nestor and sees that it is Machaon.  Nestor starts out making sense:

“Why is Achilles showing pity now
for Achaea’s sons, those men hurt with spears
and arrows? He knows nothing of our trouble,
the great suffering which afflicts the army.
For our best men lie injured at the ships,
crippled by arrows, spears, and swords.
Strong Diomedes, son of Tydeus, is hurt,                                                     
as is Odysseus, famous for his spear,
Agamemnon and Eurypylus as well,
with an arrow in his thigh. This man here,      
hurt with an arrow from some bowstring,
I’ve just brought in from battle. Achilles is brave,
but shows no pity, feels nothing for Danaans.
Is he waiting till our fast ships by the sea
are set on fire with all-consuming flames,
and Achaeans, powerless to stop it,
are slaughtered one by one?”

Well, good.  At least someone will say it.  But then he remembered that he is Nestor so he transitions from making sense to making the longest speech in the world.  And the subject of the speech is his favorite topic: himself, and his age and wisdom.  He ends the speech by asking Patroclus to convince Achilles to join the battle.  Failing that, he wants Patroclus to join the battle dressed in Achilles’s armour, perhaps to trick the Trojans into thinking Achilles has come back and hence scaring them?  I feel like this plan is half-baked and full of holes.  Then again, Nestor.

Patroclus goes to take this request to Achilles, passing the injured Eurypylus (so I guess he’s not dead.)  He “speaks winged words” to Eurypylus:

“You leaders, you rulers of Achaeans,
it seems to be your destiny to feed the dogs
with your white flesh at Troy, far from your friends,
far from your native land. But come now,
Eurypylus, you royal warrior, tell me
whether Achaeans will manage to contain                                                 
warlike Hector, or whether they’ll all die,                                     
slaughtered here on Hector’s spear.”

Why does he think Eurypylus will have the answer to this question?  In any case, Eurypylus is not optimistic:

“Lord Patroclus, there’s no longer anything
can save Achaeans, who’ll fall back to their black ships.
All those who were our finest fighters
are lying by the ships, hurt or wounded
at Trojan hands, whose strength keeps growing.”

He then asks Patroclus to treat the wound in his thigh, which apparently he learned to do from Achilles. (?)  Patroclus obliges.

Reading Note

This is an odd stopping point for Book 11.  Nursing some guy’s wounds is very anticlimactic for such an intense book.

I’m sure this has been explored by classicists and queer theorists, but Patroclus and Achilles:  I’m thinking homoerotic?  Or is this supposed to be a band-of-brothers type love for your fellow warrior?  I would be down with that interpretation but… they’re not fighting.  Achilles is pouting on a ship and Patroclus is acting as his go-between.  Nestor also says that Patroclus is older than Achilles.  I wonder how much older.

Nestor is predictably insufferable in this chapter, especially in light of his disastrous advice.  Seriously, why do they listen to this guy?  He keeps talking about how wise he is.  Show, don’t tell!!