Chapter Seventeen

Summary

• The fleet arrives in Aulis, a strategic location chosen by king Agamemnon for assembling the soldiers of Greece before they set sail.
• Achilles and his men disembark under the observation of the other warriors present; their arrival is marked by an aura of divinity surrounding Achilles, assumed to have been manifested by his mother, the sea nymph Thetis.
• Achilles asserts his leadership and differentiates himself from the rest by refusing to submit to Agamemnon and instead, he declares his divine status and his skills as a warrior.
• Achilles's assertion ignites unity among the men who openly express their anticipation about his performance in the imminent war against the Trojans.
• Agamemnon tries to belittle Achilles' role in the coming war by pointing out his belated arrival, showing the tension and power struggle between them.
• As they prepare their camp, the herald in service of Menelaus, brother of the king Agamemnon, offers a tour of the encampment, manifesting the diplomatic tension between Achilles and the royal brothers.
• Achilles, notwithstanding any divine intervention, carries himself with grace and earns respect from fellow soldiers who perceive him as their best warrior.