Who Is Briseis?
The captive woman taken from Achilles
Briseis is a captive woman Achilles won in war, and she stands at the center of the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon. The Iliad says she was brought away when Achilles sacked the town of Lyrnessus.
In Episode 1, heralds arrive at Achilles' tent on Agamemnon's orders. At Achilles' word, his close friend Patroclus leads Briseis out and hands her over to them. She goes "unwilling," and Achilles sits alone on the shore in tears.
Her seizure is what directly drives Achilles out of the war, and it sets the whole story of the Iliad in motion.
