Agamemnon (Troy)

"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 Mycanae and the main antagonist of the film Troy, which is based loosely on The Illiad. He is portrayed by Brian Cox.

History
Through several wars, Agamemnon brought all the kingdoms of Greece under his control, with his younger brother Menelaos 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 Menelaos's wife, Helen, fled to the kingdom of Troy with its prince, Paris, the former angrily confronted Agamemnon and asked his brother to help him destroy the city. Agamemnon, having wanted to conquer Troy for some time, agreed, bu 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 Menelaos. His offer is refused, and Paris steps forward and suggested that he and Menelaos settle their conflict for Helen; this offer is refused by Agamemnon, but Menelaos--who was determined to kill Paris--convinces him to accept it, saying that Agamemnon can attack and conquer Troy regardless of the battle's outcome. Menelaos 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 Menelaos. 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 has just saved this war for us."

Achilles successfully kills 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 inflitrate the Trojan wall by building a large wooden horse filled with Greek soldiers, who will be brought into the city and be allowed to open the gates for the remaining soldiers.

The trick works, and the Greeks storm the city and burn it. Agamemnon takes great delight in this, loudly encouraging his men to burn the city to the ground. He kills Priam by impaling him with a spear, then attacks 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.