Response to Odysseus' Speech to Achilles

29 January 2013

Exigence

In the midst of a losing battle, Odysseus attempts to persuade Achilles to join the fight against the Trojans. The Greeks need their greatest warrior, or they will surely lose.

Rhetorical Problem

Odysseus constructs the situation with as a rhetorical problem of a doomed fate for the Greeks, unless their half-god warrior “dons [his] valor” (line 231). He uses the speech to pique Achilles’ interest by talking about the greatness of the enemy Trojans, that Zeus is in their favor, and the warrior Hector is on the battlefield, awaiting his opportunity for vengeance. By coupling these issues, Odysseus hopes that Achilles will see this as a problem of war and fate that only he can overturn, utilizing an appeal to his other-wordly abilities and opportunity to defy the gods.

Yet, he also appeals to Achilles through his mentioning of his earthly father, Peleus. Wrath is to be had, entreats Odysseus, and honor and fanfare will follow this victory. Conversely, only “grief” will be found after the loss to the Trojans (line 249).

Overall, Odysseus seems to construct a rhetorical problem: 1) Simply a battle that only a god can overturn, and 2) Odysseus calls upon the complexity of Achilles’ familial and national associations to call upon him to fight this fight for them. Achilles is their only hope.