Le discours d’un roi

Agamemnon’s excuses in book 19 of the Iliad have been considered very problematic for the understanding of action and its attribution to several agents in Homer. In this paper, I analyze how the king seeks to convince his audience by presenting his deeds as the result of a shared action, and then na...

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Main Author: Manon Brouillet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Anthropologie et Histoire des Mondes Antiques 2019-03-01
Series:Cahiers Mondes Anciens
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/mondesanciens/2227
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author Manon Brouillet
author_facet Manon Brouillet
author_sort Manon Brouillet
collection DOAJ
description Agamemnon’s excuses in book 19 of the Iliad have been considered very problematic for the understanding of action and its attribution to several agents in Homer. In this paper, I analyze how the king seeks to convince his audience by presenting his deeds as the result of a shared action, and then narrating a mythological story where Zeus seems to play the same part as himself. By focusing on the expression of agency, I show that the hero substitutes shared agency to responsibility for the evaluation of his action. Arguing that it is the result of the collaboration of the gods not only together but also with him, Agamemnon describes himself as an epic hero while, in the same time, assuming the part of the singer. In this text, the poet states that poetic utterance is needed for political reconciliation.
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publisher Anthropologie et Histoire des Mondes Antiques
record_format Article
series Cahiers Mondes Anciens
spelling doaj-art-a6b62c60b1d6475aab2f6264f3654f5f2025-08-20T02:02:28ZengAnthropologie et Histoire des Mondes AntiquesCahiers Mondes Anciens2107-01992019-03-011210.4000/mondesanciens.2227Le discours d’un roiManon BrouilletAgamemnon’s excuses in book 19 of the Iliad have been considered very problematic for the understanding of action and its attribution to several agents in Homer. In this paper, I analyze how the king seeks to convince his audience by presenting his deeds as the result of a shared action, and then narrating a mythological story where Zeus seems to play the same part as himself. By focusing on the expression of agency, I show that the hero substitutes shared agency to responsibility for the evaluation of his action. Arguing that it is the result of the collaboration of the gods not only together but also with him, Agamemnon describes himself as an epic hero while, in the same time, assuming the part of the singer. In this text, the poet states that poetic utterance is needed for political reconciliation.https://journals.openedition.org/mondesanciens/2227Homeragencyresponsabilityheroic actionAgamemnon’s excuses
spellingShingle Manon Brouillet
Le discours d’un roi
Cahiers Mondes Anciens
Homer
agency
responsability
heroic action
Agamemnon’s excuses
title Le discours d’un roi
title_full Le discours d’un roi
title_fullStr Le discours d’un roi
title_full_unstemmed Le discours d’un roi
title_short Le discours d’un roi
title_sort le discours d un roi
topic Homer
agency
responsability
heroic action
Agamemnon’s excuses
url https://journals.openedition.org/mondesanciens/2227
work_keys_str_mv AT manonbrouillet lediscoursdunroi