Human government and military rarely go together, no matter how vital they are to each other. Homer's Iliad illustrates this struggle quite well by capturing the tension between political authority and military might, particularly the perceived tension between Agamemnon, king of the Achaeans, and Achilleus, the most skilled and respected warrior in the Achaean army. This friction is caused by each hero's demand for higher honor than the other through the proper use of their respective excellences. The excellence possessed by Agamemnon is that of political authority, while the excellence possessed by Achilleus is that of martial excellence. Because of this competition for superior honor, the reader can understand that political authority can be transcended by martial excellence, and vice versa. Achilleus' martial excellence has a stronger claim to superior honor than Agamemnon's political authority because of the injustices committed by Agamemnon through his selfish abuse of power, in which he loses his claim to honor, and also because of the correct use of skill by Achilleo on the pitch. battlefield. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay To distinguish the actions of Achilles and Agamemnon as just and unjust, respectively, the meaning of justice in the sense of Achaean tradition must first be established: justice is rooted in the use of a hero's excellence or talents to accumulate distinction among common men in accordance with the will of the gods. This agreement with the will of the gods can essentially be defined by the compatibility or otherwise of the act in question with the destiny of the subject and object of said action. For example, when Agamemnon dishonors Achilleus by taking his war prize, Briseis, Achilleus becomes so angry that he almost draws his sword and kills Agamemnon. Athena instead comes down from Mount Olympus to urge Achilles not to kill Agamemnon, and Achilleus obeys, saying: "'Goddess, it is necessary that I obey the word of you two'... He spoke and placed his heavy hand on the silver of the hilt of the sword and put the great blade back into its sheath nor disobeyed the word of Athena” (1. 216-221) Agamemnon is not destined to be killed by Achilleus, nor is Achilleus destined to kill Agamemnon Achilleus and Agamemnon must die in ways consistent with the their tragic fate.If Achilleus had killed Agamemnon, the killing would have been unjust because Agamemnon would not have been able to face his fate at the hands of his wife and would have been killed over a small argument over the war prize With this concept of justice in mind, Achilleus seems to follow these guidelines quite well. Achilleus' might on the battlefield is a fair use of his excellence because he does so in search of distinction from the common man by acting according to the will of Zeus. This use of considerable strength can be seen again and again in his victories against the smaller heroes of Troy, but where it is most evident is in his defeat of Hector: “Die: and I will take my death any time Zeus and the other immortal gods choose to realize it” (22. 365-366) At this moment, Achilleus not only comes to terms with the death of Patroclus through the vengeance exercised on Hector, but also comes to terms with his own death through his tragic fate like GOOD. Achilleus kills Hector, Troy's most famous hero. This action, although it has an aspect of revenge, ultimately distinguishes Achilleus from the common soldier. Hector's death at the hands of Achilles is also in accordance with the will of the gods because even the gods who fought for the Trojans knew that the time had come for Hector to die. And perhaps what satisfies the most.