Power Imbalance and a Fundamental Moral Shift: Agamemnon, Peisandros, Hippolochos As Peisandros and Hippolochos fall in terror from their chariot in book 11.128-137 of the Iliad in Lattimore’s translation, Agamemnon “rose like a lion,” continuing the conspicuous lion motif and catching my attention. The departure from standard morals of war and honor is developed in these lines as Agamemnon refuses supplication, killing Peisandros and Hippolochos instead. Through my close reading, I found that the diction and enjambment of the text focus the reader on the concept of power imbalance as it relates to this departure. Lattimore uses the word “rose” in his translation to describe the way Agamemnon asserted dominance over Peisandros and Hippolochos as they tumbled to the ground and prepared to supplicate at his knees (11.129). The word “rose” itself describes becoming literally higher above the two men, providing Agamemnon with an actual tactical advantage in the fight. This word also implies a sudden change in stature, leading the reader to imagine Agamemnon as increasing in size, as if his rage literally allowed him to become larger and more powerful. The word “rose” also connotes becoming closer to the Gods above; Agamemnon becomes more godlike in his force as well as his right to decide the fate of the men beneath him. Such implications are confirmed in the following lines. Within these ten lines, the shortest is as follows: “Thus these two cried out upon the king, lamenting” (11.136). This line is notable within the context of the preceding lines due to its short enjambment as well as its final word, “lamenting.” Being that this is the last word of the line, Homer is intending that it be in the reader's mind for longer than the others (it is also preceded by a comma which puts even more focus on the word with a pause both before and after). The word lamenting is an interesting choice because it expresses mourning or regret instead of an expected feeling of fear or desperation. This word is the first to foreshadow their deaths and presents an unexpected shift from the tradition of supplication which is generally met with mercy. By emphasizing regret, Homer redefines Agamemnon’s intention of war from resolving conflict to rageful destruction; he wants to make the Trojans suffer. Throughout these lines, the power dynamic between Agamemnon, Peisandros, and Hippolochos is defined as extremely unbalanced through the particular diction and the enjambment of the lines, providing the reader with a symbolic anecdote that demonstrates the shift in Agamemnon’s moral standards toward that of revenge and disrespect over honorable warfare. Additional supporting evidence for this power imbalance is found throughout the lines using diction such as “pitiful” to describe the men and “king” to describe Agamemnon. The reader is made to question whether this change in Agamemnon’s understanding of what is right will go unpunished by the gods and if the moral standards of the gods themselves are flexible. Works Cited: Homer. The Iliad of Homer. Translated by Richmond Lattimore, introduction and notes by Richard Martin, University of Chicago Press, 2011. The Illiad Book 11 "Now the glittering reins escaped from the hands of both of them and they were stunned with fear, for against them rose like a lion Atreus son, and they supplicated him out of the chariot: ‘Take us alive, son of Atreus, and take appropriate ransom. In the house of Antimachos the treasures lie piled in abundance, bronze is there, and gold, and difficultly wrought iron, and our father would make you glad with abundant repayment were he to hear we were alive by the ships of the Achaians.’ Thus these two cried out upon the king, lamenting and in pitiful phrase, but they heard the voice that was without pity"