Summary

In Chapter 30, the wind had been strong all night and toppled the statue of Artemis. Everyone saw this as an omen.

At Agamemnon's assembly, Agamemnon said that the gods had prevented their departure for some unknown reason. To appease the gods, they had to listen to Calchas’s solution. Briseis was surprised the men still did not realize what they had "done to offend" the gods (234).

Calchas told everyone to "look at the statues of the gods" (235). Though they had been there for many years, they were in great disrepair. Not only had they been ignoring the gods, they had offended them. Now the gods demanded a sacrifice. He explained that because Pyrrhus had "killed his father's guest-friend on the altar of Zeus," he had offended "Zeus himself, the father of gods and men" (237). Though Pyrrhus did not know about the guest-friendship, Calchas...