| “ | Old King Priam thinks he's untouchable behind his high walls. He thinks the Sun God will protect him. But the gods protect only...the strong! | „ |
| ~ Agamemnon to Nestor |
| “ | Let it burn! Let Troy burn! Burn it! Burn it all! Burn Troy! Burn Troy! | „ |
| ~ Agamemnon during the Sack of Troy |
Agamemnon is the king of Mycenae and the main antagonist of the film Troy, which is based loosely on The Iliad.
He is portrayed by Brian Cox, who also portrayed Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter.
History[]
Through several wars, Agamemnon brought all the kingdoms of Greece under his control, with his younger brother Menelaus ruling Sparta. His best soldier was Achilles, the prince of the Myrmidons, but the two completely despised one another, and Achilles would only fight for Agamemnon because one of the latter's generals would appeal to his conscience.
When Menelaus's wife, Helen, fled to the kingdom of Troy with its prince, Paris, the outraged Menelaus confronted Agamemnon and asked his brother to help him destroy the city. Agamemnon, having wanted to conquer Troy for some time, agreed, but was forced to bring Achilles and his men along, knowing that he could not win the war without them. After Achilles and his men storm the beach of Troy, Agamemnon claims credit for the victory and unfairly takes Briseis, a priestess and member of the Trojan Royal Family, as his prize, causing Achilles to withdraw his support and watch from the sidelines.
The next day, Agamemnon gathered his forces and offered to spare the city of Troy if they swore allegiance to him and returned Helen to Menelaus. His offer is refused, and Paris steps forward and suggested that he and Menelaus settle their conflict for Helen; this offer is refused by Agamemnon, but Menelaus--who was determined to kill Paris--convinces him to accept it, saying that Agamemnon could attack and conquer Troy regardless of the battle's outcome. Menelaus easily dominates the fight while Agamemnon watches in amusement, but just as Paris is about to be killed, Hector (Paris's older brother and leader of the Trojan army) steps forward and kills Menelaus. Outraged, Agamemnon orders his army to charge, but the Trojans push them back, and Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, convinces Agamemnon to retreat.
After conducting his brother's funeral, Agamemnon is urged by his generals to return home, but he is now more determined than ever to conquer Troy. He gives Briseis to his men (having never laid a finger on her himself), and asks Odysseus to persuade Achilles to fight for him again. After Achilles' beloved cousin Patrochlus is killed by Hector, Achilles vows revenge; during Patrochlus' funeral, Agamemnon comments "that boy's just saved this war for us."
Achilles slays Hector in battle, but later returns his body (and Briseis) to the Trojans at the behest of Priam, the Trojan king. Agamemnon is enraged that he will have to honor Achilles' twelve-day armistice so that Hector's funeral can be conducted, vehemently declaring that he will smash Troy's walls to the ground, "even if it costs [him] 40,000 Greeks!" Odysseus, wanting to reduce casualties, comes up with a plan to infiltrate the Trojan wall by building a large wooden horse that will secretly be filled with Greek soldiers. Agamemnon agrees with the plan, describing it as a way "to make the sheep invite the wolves to dinner."
The next day, the horse is left behind while the remaining Greek fleet hides in a cove. Despite Paris's misgivings, the horse is brought into the city by the Trojans, believing that the Greeks have fled. That night, the concealed soldiers emerge from the horse and open the gate for the rest of the Greek army. The Greeks storm the city and proceed to burn it. Agamemnon takes great delight in the carnage, loudly encouraging his men to burn the city to the ground. He kills Priam by impaling him with a spear, then assaults Briseis and declares his intention of making her his slave and that he will rape her every night. However, Briseis stabs him in the neck with a concealed knife, killing him.
Personality[]
Agamemnon is an arrogant, power-hungry man whose favorite hobbies are bolstering his own status and antagonizing his strongest warrior, Achilles, with whom he shares a mutual antipathy. He is also lecherous and sadistic, taking great delight when his men successfully stormed Troy and burned it and shouting at them to heighten the carnage; he planned to make Briseis his slave in Mycenae, where she would "scrub [his] floors" during the day, and be raped at night.
Despite his arrogant and selfish nature, Agamemnon is not above listening to his generals when he knows they are right about something, and he (albeit begrudgingly) acknowledges Achilles as the greatest fighter in his army. He also seems to care somewhat about his younger brother Menelaus, reacting with outrage at the latter's death and personally conducting his funeral.