The Iliad -Book 10 - Marauding through the night

• Reading time: about 38 minutes

• Don't be confused by the epithets used. Lord of the war cry (70) is Menelaus; the marshall (74) is Agamemnon; the old charioteer is Nestor (118).

• Agamemnon acts, and the Achaeans' spirit turns from dejection.

• In previous books, Agamemnon's actions caused more problems than solutions. In this book, finally, he acts as a leader. He rounds up his principal commanders to get ready for battle the next day.
• The gathering of the leaders in the night has a feeling of precision and purposefulness. The Achaeans are getting their act together.
• Agamemnon selects Diomedes, and Diomedes selects Odysseus to spy on the Trojans.
• Diomedes and Odysseus encounter a Trojan spy, Dolon, whom they capture, get information from, and then slay. Odysseus and Diomedes almost project a playful attitude as they toy with the panic-stricken Dolon. They delight in leading him on and then slashing his throat.
• Using the information they obtained from Dolon, they sneak into the sleeping Thracians' camp, slaughter the soldiers, kill King Rhesus, and steal plunder and horses.
• Again, Odysseus and Diomedes are clearly enjoying their slaughtering, wondering when to stop.
• This scene serves several purposes. In addition to being fascinating in itself, it provides a comparison and contrast with other scenes in the epic in which enemies meet face to face, like the Ajax-Hector meeting in 7 and Diomedes and Glaucus in 6. Furthermore, we see yet another side of Odysseus. What insights do you derive by thinking about the scene of Odysseus and Diomedes with Dolon? [Discuss Il 10-Enemies]
• Now the Achaeans are ready, mentally and physically, to attack the Trojans.
• We are now prepared to begin the great battle of the epic, leading to the death of Patroclus.