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Book I: A plague, sent by Apollo, is raging in the Achaean camp. The cause of this is the refusal of Agamemnon to return the captive girl Chryseis, daughter of Apollo's priest Chryses, to her father. The girl had been captured in a raid on a coastal town. After ....

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.... into battle to make him aware of his need of Achilles and his troops. Agamemnon, while hoping to be able to take Troy without Achilles' help, is conscious of the low morale of his army resulting from the plague and from Achilles' defection. He therefore resorts to a stratagem of reverse psychology. He will propose to his soldiers that they return home. He communicates this plan to the chieftains in council, with instructions that they should prevent the men's return, if the proposal is accepted. He assembles the troops and proposes that they return to their homeland. They all eagerly accept his proposal and hasten to their ships. Odysseus has to in ....