Use Of Voice In The Iliad

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Book One of the Iliad uses the voice of a muse to aid in telling the story of the hero Achilles. It begins in the midst of the Trojan War, as the Achaeans capture two maidens from a Trojan-allied city- Briseis and Chryseus. Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaean army, and Achilles, the fierce warrior, claims Chryseus and Briseis as their prizes, respectively. Upon her capture, Chryseus’ father Chryses, a priest to the god Apollo, begs Agamemnon for the return of his daughter and offers a great ransom: the scepter of Apollo. The Achaean ruler refuses and sends Chryses away. In his despair, Chryses cries out to Apollo to rescue his beloved daughter, and the god hears his cry. Apollo rushes down from Olympus, bow and quiver in hand, and sends a