The length of the identifying passage varies, however, depending on various contextual and aesthetic factors that I will discuss in more detail below. The importance of sitting as one aspect of appropriate behavior in assembly clearly emerges later on in this assembly scene from Iliad 2, after Odysseus heads the Greek army off from their eager rush to launch their ships for home. Here the narrator characterizes Thersites as a misbehaving speaker partly by his failure to sit down when everyone else has been seated (211-214).

The speech frame between Agamemnon’s initial turn in the assembly and Diomedes’ reply consists of two full-verse formulas (29 and 31) and one verse that appears twice, both times in Iliad 9 (30). This passage allows us to imagine several different ways to make the transition from Agamemnon’s speech to Diomedes’ that provide varying amounts of length and emphasis to this moment in the episode. The simplest and briefest way to get from Agamemnon’s words to Diomedes’ answer would be the single verse formula τοῖσι δὲ καὶ μετέειπε βοὴν ἀγαθὸς Διομήδης (and Diomedes of the great war cry addressed them). A slightly more drawn-out version could pair this verse with the formulaic speech conclusion “they were stricken to silence” (9.29). A more emphatic but still entirely formulaic speech frame here could be achieved with 9.29 followed directly by 9.31. This would not only mention the silence of the audience after Agamemnon finished speaking (29), but would also draw their silence out by delaying the next speech until a certain amount of time had passed without anyone taking the next turn (31). In the passage as printed by modern editors, however, verse 30 literally extends the period of silence in the narrative—and emphasizes the reason for it—by saying why the Greeks were silent. Thus, the speech frame in 9.29-31 emphasizes the depths of the Greeks’ emotions by describing it at length. This sets off both the gravity of the situation and the speech of Diomedes, when he does eventually give it.

This description of Nestor focuses on his kingship—on his authority, in other words—and not on the quality of his advice. In the council, moreover, in contrast to the assembly, there is no reference to Nestor sitting or standing. This reinforces the idea that sitting and standing in connection with speaking is restricted to the formal, institutional nature of the assembly.

Here, as in the assembly earlier in Book 9, an additional verse follows the formula “they were all silent” that describes the emotions of the silent {200|201} listeners. The embassy is amazed (ἀγασσάμενοι, 431), while the group at the assembly was grief-stricken (τετιηότες, 9.30). The basic structure, though, is the same: A gave a speech; listening group was silent because they felt/were [emotion]; finally, B replied. Our passage, like 9.30, lengthens the related typical structure “A gave a speech / listening group was silent / finally, B replied.” By doing so, it calls the attention of the audience of the poem to the effect of the speech on the listeners. Furthermore, in 433, our passage contains a second additional verse after the “finally B replied” formula that describes the emotions of B. This is a particularly interesting elaboration from the structural standpoint, because it is rare for anything to intervene between a formulaic speech introduction and the speech itself. When an audience heard the reply introductory formula in 432, that would set up a strong expectation of hearing the beginning of a speech in the next verse. When they heard yet more description of the speaker instead, that surprising departure from the normal structures of speech frames would strongly draw their attention to this pathetic description of Achilles’ old friend Phoenix, afraid and in tears, as he begs Achilles to pity his struggling comrades.

Unlike Achilles’ vocatives for Agamemnon later in the assembly, this verse is not unambiguously abusive: a desire for possessions is not necessarily bad. Beyond the unusual but ambiguous opening, Achilles’ speech shows no particular animus toward Agamemnon personally: he says that the prizes have already been distributed, and so none is available to give to Agamemnon, but that he will be amply compensated when Troy is sacked (123-129).

1.245-247 as it stands adds detail and emphasis to the essentially formulaic idea of “X spoke and sat down, and Y got up to speak.”

Here, Achilles is so beside himself that he breaks the turn sequence by interrupting and leaving a question without an answer, very unusual events in Homeric epic.

Each of these verses appears in both battle scenes and assemblies and is spoken by various characters. There is no clear and obvious pattern that explains why one verse is used rather than the other in every case.