In The Iliad, Agamemnon, as an official of the highest rank, showed his incompetence frequently. Out of selfishness, he took Achilles' prize, Briseis. His behavior stimulated Achilles' anger as well as god's intention to bring disaster to his army. During battles, he was recognized as timid. Even the troops under his command knew that. Numerous facts prove that, before Achilles joined the battle against Hector, Agamemnon's personality defects were the cause of several failures of Achaians.
Firstly, Agamemnon was arrogant. He was arrogant for two reasons. He was disrespectful to an elders, and he was very confident that he was loved by the god. For example, at the beginning of the story, Agamemnon said to the old man Chryses, priest of Apollo, "Never let me find you again, old sir, near our hollow ships, neither lingering now nor coming again hereafter, for fear your staff and the god's ribbons help you no longer" (Richmond Lattimore, The Iliad, 1.26-28). With no pity, he turned the old father down and threatened him. His disrespectfulness attracted Apollo's arrows. However, this was not Agamemnon's only time to be disrespectful. To the interpreter, Agamemnon did not hide any of his anger. "Seer of evil: never yet have you told me a good thing. always the evil things are dear to you heart to prophesy, but nothing excellent have you said nor ever accomplished" (1.106-108). Agamemnon questioned the interpreter, who represented god's decrees. Because Agamemnon possesses the scepter, he is in great confidence that he is loved by the god. He tells Achilles, "Run away by all means if your heart drives you. I will not entreat you to stay here for my sake. There are others with me who will do me honor, and above all Zeus of the counsels" (1.173-175). However, the love from god is painful for Agamemnon. Unlike Achilles, who was given birth by a goddess, or Odysseus, who was constantly loved by Athene, Agamemnon was more often manipulated by gods, when Zeus sent the evil dream, that spoke and went away, and left Agamemnon believed he was doomed to accomplish things that were not to take place (2.
