Briseis lost family, country and freedom when sacked Lyrnessus where she lived; yet she found her captivity sweet, until the feud between Achilles and Agamemnon, which costed so many lives, made her captive of the latter.
Achilles' prize Briseis was married to King Mynes of Lyrnessus, a city east of Mount Ida that was Troy's ally. When Achilles sacked Lyrnessus, he slew Briseis' husband and her three brothers, and brought her to the Achaean camp as her prize and concubine. This was a sad day for this girl; for no one loses family and country without pain. But Patroclus comforted her saying that he would make her Achilles' wedded wife, and that on their return to Phthia after the war, he would arrange a marriage-feast.
Women and trouble
For the sake of golden-haired Briseis great trouble came about. But this should cause no particular surprise, some think, since not seldom there is a woman behind devastating wars, overthrown households, and other disasters. For example Agamemnon, they reason, was destroyed by his own wife Clytaemnestra on account of Iphigenia and Cassandra. And Briseis is the reason of Achilles wrath, which brought countless woes upon the Achaeans, and sent forth to Hades many valiant souls.
"... brought countless woes upon the Achaeans, and sent forth to Hades many valiant souls ..."
"... brought countless woes upon the Achaeans, and sent forth to Hades many valiant souls ..."
But others say that Achilles is the sole responsible; for he forgot that he had come to Troy in order to fight, and not for the purpose of spending a wonderful time with a new sweetheart. Besides, they argue, a man is angry when he wishes to be and not because someone else makes him so. Similarly, they add, it was not the death of Patroclus who caused Achilles deep grief, for other men do not act like Achilles when their friends die, but it was Achilles' own wish to grieve deeply that caused his grief.
Apolo más oscuro que la noche
Tan pronto se encontró solo, Crises rezó a Apolo, para pedirle que dejara a los aqueos pagar con las flechas del dios las lágrimas que él derramaba. Y el dios, después de saber de la indignación que su sacerdote había sufrido, bajó más oscuro que la noche al Olimpo, a pesar de que se conoce como el luminoso, y disparó sus flechas de oro contra el campamento aqueo, que causó una epidemia que diezmó al ejército.
La amenaza de Agamenón
Cuando una asamblea se convocó para discutir la plaga, el adivino Calcante declaró que la razón por la que se encontraba bajo la ira de Apolo, era que Agamenón la había despertado por insultar al sacerdote y mantener a su hija cautiva. Al oír esto, el primer rey llamado Calcas profeta del mal, aceptó renunciar a su premio, siempre que le diesen otro premio para reemplazar a Criseida, y si no, él dijo, que el mismo lo buscaría. Debido a esta amenaza, Aquiles llamó al intrigante desvergonzado rey, y lo acusó de tomar siempre la parte del león, y con los demás para acumular riqueza y lujos para sí mismo. Pero Agamenón, haciendo gala de su autoridad como comandante en jefe, respondió a Aquiles, dejando saber que, de la misma manera que Apolo le estaba quitando a Criseida, que ahora iba a hacer una visita a la tienda de Aquiles, y robandole a su novia Briseida, darle una lección en el poder y la realeza. Agamenón a continuación, mete a Criseida en un barco bajo el mando de Ulises, dándole instrucciones para navegar hasta su padre y darle a su hija. Pero a sus heraldos Euríbates y Talthybius dio las siguientes órdenes:
Cuando una asamblea se convocó para discutir la plaga, el adivino Calcante declaró que la razón por la que se encontraba bajo la ira de Apolo, era que Agamenón la había despertado por insultar al sacerdote y mantener a su hija cautiva. Al oír esto, el primer rey llamado Calcas profeta del mal, aceptó renunciar a su premio, siempre que le diesen otro premio para reemplazar a Criseida, y si no, él dijo, que el mismo lo buscaría. Debido a esta amenaza, Aquiles llamó al intrigante desvergonzado rey, y lo acusó de tomar siempre la parte del león, y con los demás para acumular riqueza y lujos para sí mismo. Pero Agamenón, haciendo gala de su autoridad como comandante en jefe, respondió a Aquiles, dejando saber que, de la misma manera que Apolo le estaba quitando a Criseida, que ahora iba a hacer una visita a la tienda de Aquiles, y robandole a su novia Briseida, darle una lección en el poder y la realeza. Agamenón a continuación, mete a Criseida en un barco bajo el mando de Ulises, dándole instrucciones para navegar hasta su padre y darle a su hija. Pero a sus heraldos Euríbates y Talthybius dio las siguientes órdenes:
Achille's prize
Briseis was married to King Mynes of Lyrnessus, a city east of Mount Ida that was Troy's ally. When Achilles sacked Lyrnessus, he slew Brisei's husband and her three brothers, and brought her to the Achaean camp as her prize and concubine. This was a sad day for this girl; for no one loses family and country without pain. But Patroclus comforted her saying that he would make her Achilles' wedded wife, and that on their return to Phthia after the war, he would arrange a marriage-feast.
Agamemnon's prize
In the tenth year of the Trojan War, however, while sacking the city of Thebe , east of Mount Ida , Agamemnon captured Chryseis , and intended to keep the girl as a prize, take her home, and turn her into both a slave and a concubine. But her father Chryses , a priest of Apollo, came to see Agamemnon, and blessing the whole army, he offered a generous ransom for her daughter's freedom. The troops applauded the priest, but Agamemnon nevertheless denied Chryses's request, threatening the old man, who left the Achaean camp humiliated.
Apollo darker than night
So soon he found himself alone, Chryses prayed to Apollo, asking him to let the Achaeans pay with the god's arrows the tears he was shedding. And the god, having learned the outrage his priest had suffered, came down from Olympus darker than night, though he is known as the bright one; and shooting his golden arrows against the Achaean camp, he caused a plague that decimated the army.
Agamemnon's threat
When an assembly was called to discuss the plague, the seer Calchas declared that the reason for it was to be found in Apollo's anger, which Agamemnon had aroused by insulting the priest and keeping his daughter. On hearing this, the king first called Calchas prophet of evil, but he nevertheless accepted to give up his prize, provided another fresh prize was found to replace Chryseis ; and if not, he said, he would help himself to someone else's prize. Because of this threat, Achilles called the king shameless schemer, and accused him of always taking the lion's share, and using others to pile wealth and luxuries for himself. But Agamemnon, displaying his authority as commander in chief, answered by letting Achilles know that, in the same way that Apollo was robbing him of Chryseis , he was now going to pay a visit to Achilles' tent, and by taking away his sweetheart Briseis, teach him a lesson in power and kingship. Agamemnon then set Chryseis in a ship under Odysseus' command, instructing him to sail to her father and give him his daughter back. But to his heralds Eurybates and Talthybius he gave the following orders:
"Go to the hut of Achilles ... take the lady Briseis into your custody, and bring her here. If he refuses to let her go, I will myself go with a larger company and take her, which will be all the worse for him."
These two came to Achilles' ship and hut, where they halted abashed without uttering a word; for those who carry out orders, which they themselves deem as unjust, suffer a great disgrace and are filled with shame. But Achilles helped them out, breaking the silence himself:
"Heralds ... I welcome you. Come forward. My quarrel is not with you but with Agamemnon, who sent you here to fetch the girl Briseis."
When an assembly was called to discuss the plague, the seer Calchas declared that the reason for it was to be found in Apollo's anger, which Agamemnon had aroused by insulting the priest and keeping his daughter. On hearing this, the king first called Calchas prophet of evil, but he nevertheless accepted to give up his prize, provided another fresh prize was found to replace Chryseis ; and if not, he said, he would help himself to someone else's prize. Because of this threat, Achilles called the king shameless schemer, and accused him of always taking the lion's share, and using others to pile wealth and luxuries for himself. But Agamemnon, displaying his authority as commander in chief, answered by letting Achilles know that, in the same way that Apollo was robbing him of Chryseis , he was now going to pay a visit to Achilles' tent, and by taking away his sweetheart Briseis, teach him a lesson in power and kingship. Agamemnon then set Chryseis in a ship under Odysseus' command, instructing him to sail to her father and give him his daughter back. But to his heralds Eurybates and Talthybius he gave the following orders:
"Go to the hut of Achilles ... take the lady Briseis into your custody, and bring her here. If he refuses to let her go, I will myself go with a larger company and take her, which will be all the worse for him."
These two came to Achilles' ship and hut, where they halted abashed without uttering a word; for those who carry out orders, which they themselves deem as unjust, suffer a great disgrace and are filled with shame. But Achilles helped them out, breaking the silence himself:
"Heralds ... I welcome you. Come forward. My quarrel is not with you but with Agamemnon, who sent you here to fetch the girl Briseis."
And addressing Patroclus , he said for all to hear:
"... will you bring the lady out and hand her over to these men? I shall count on them to be my witnesses before the happy gods, before mankind, before the brutal king himself, if the Achaeans ever need me again to save them from disaster."
Thus began the wrath of Achilles, who henceforth refused to fight, and instead amused himself with the cithara in his tent. Then Patroclus, doing as his friend has told him, brought out Briseis; and whispering in her ear, he said:
"Why do you weep? But a short time ... will you be here."
With those words he gave her up to the heralds, who made their way back to Agamemnon's tent. Briseis, who followed them to her second captivity unwilling and unhappy, is said to have later reproached her lover the readiness with which she was delivered to the heralds, without even a farewell kiss. And while she was away, she wrote to him saying that his wrath was not deep enough:
"... all these nights I am absent from your side, and not demanded back; you delay, and your anger is slow."
Patricia Meniz y Eva Garcés
