The Iliad Week 2

You fool- sit still! Obey the commands of others,/your superiors-you, you deserter, rank coward,/you count for nothing, neither in war nor council./How can all Achaeans be masters in Troy?/Too many kings can ruin an army-mob rule!/Let there be one commander, one master only,/endowed by the son of crooked-minded Cronus/with kingly-scepter and royal rights of custom:/whatever one man needs to lead his people well.

Importance
This quote, said by Odysseus to a dissenter, shows how, in Book 2, the self-destructive Achaeans finally put their petty differences aside and decide to fight for the common goal of retrieving Helen from Troy. Odysseus, who is a king himself, knows the importance of one single leader in a situation such as a war, so this represents the abandonment of personal vendettas against each other and the unification of the Achaean army.

Analysis
In this quote, the normally headstrong, arrogant, "godlike" Odysseus exhibits the militaristic might for which he is famous. Even though he is used to leading people and not used to following the orders of others, Odysseus realizes that it is not his place to lead the army. Because "too many kings can ruin an army", Odysseus takes a more submissive role. This inflexible system of rank and superiority ("Obey the commands of others,/your superiors...") is easily identifiable and shows the historical Greek system of organization.