This, the only occasion in the Iliad when furious Achilles smiles serves as a bittersweet reminder of the difference real leadership could have made to the events of the Iliad. Agamemnon's panicked prize-grabbing in Book One and even Nestor's rambling "authority" pale beside Achilles' instinctive and absolute command of himself and the dangers of this occasion. Caroline Alexander
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Agamemnon is the commander-in-chief of the Greek army. He is also the son of Atreus, the brother of Menelaus and brother-in-law of Agamemnon. The Iliad tells the story of the ten year war between the Greeks and the Trojans. It begins after Agamemnon takes King Priam's daughter as his wife, although she is actually his sister.

This decision causes friction with both Agamemnon's father, king Atreus, and his brother, Menelaus. The Iliad describes how Agamemnon begins to lose control of his soldiers, leading them into battle without any strategy. This leads to many deaths on both sides of the war.

Source: The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story Of Homers Iliad And The Trojan War

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