ABSTRACT
An early scene in the Iliad (2.190ff.) forces the point home in a deliberately paradigmatic way. An incautious speech by Agamemnon triggers a mad stampede by the Akhaian army back to the ships, to set sail for home; only with difficulty does Odysseus succeed in exerting his powers of persuasion to stem the rush. First he appeals to the nobles: ‘Now look here, it is not right for you to be afraid, like some coward-commoner ; sit down yourself, and seat the other troops.’ But to any ‘man of the people’ he found still ‘yelling’, his approach was different: ‘Now look here, sit down quietly, and pay attention to the talk of others, those who are better than you, while you are no warrior, and have no strength; in warfare, and in policy, you just don’t count.’
