B—
Election of the Captain (331–62)
Two speeches by Jason, the first calling for an election of the best man for captain (Ba) and the second giving acceptance of this responsibility (Ba ), frame the election proper, in which, although
the Argonauts unhesitatingly choose him, Heracles refuses and orders that Jason lead the expedition instead (Bb). The first speech presents something of an anomaly among ancient epics. Jason opens up the leadership of his own mission to the comrade deemed by all to be the best-suited to the job:[8]
But, my friends, our return back to Greece is a matter of common
concern
and our journey to the palace of Æëtes is also of common concern.
Accordingly, sparing no one's feelings, elect now the best man
among you as leader. To him will fall the consideration of all the
details: the initiation of conflicts and treaties with foreign peoples.
Although the democratic process, which continues to function throughout the poem,[9] may appear quite strange at first, nonetheless it does suit the stated theme of the poem to some extent. In the opening lines (1–4), Apollonius announced that he would sing not of a man (Jason), but of men (the Argonauts).[10] Moreover, Jason himself had informed Alcimede that he felt confidence in the success of the mission in part because he had the assistance of the finest men of Greece (302). Since none, save Heracles (cf.
1.1161b–64, 2.145–53, 3.1232b–34),[11] who will eventually abandon the group, can hope to achieve the goal of the expedition by himself, the winning of the fleece will require a communal effort. Thus, Jason needs to foster a harmonious atmosphere amidst such a diverse group right from the beginning, and it is apparently for this reason that he invites an election.[12]
Before the vote takes place, Jason defines what he means by the "best" leader ( 
, 338) : he will be the one who takes care of all the details—in particular, the decisions to initiate conflicts ( 
) and treaties ( 
) with foreign peoples (338–40). Jason thus envisages not a man of strength, but one with a specific skill. Yet the others express their conviction that the best in the group is Heracles by voting him captain. It is obvious that they understand the "best" among the group to be a man of strength. Heracles refuses, however, to accept the honor, and casts his influential vote for the one who assembled the men, Jason.[13]
As I have noted, the structure focuses on the actual election of Jason as captain, and herein lies an important reference to a well-known Homeric text.[14] When Heracles addresses the group, he remains seated:
Thus he spoke , and the young members of the crew 
bold
Heracles
seated in the middle , and all with one voice
ordered Jason to name him leader. But right from where he sat
he raised high his right hand and spoke.
In an assembly among the Greek forces at Troy, Agamemnon did precisely the same:[15]
Thus he spoke , and the well-greaved Achæans 
as the noble son of Peleus renounced his anger.
Then the lord of men Agamemnon addressed them
right from his seat , not even taking his stand in their midst .
The wider context of the Iliadic passage involves the assembly at which Achilles, in the wake of Patroclus's death, accepted recompense from Agamemnon so that he could reenter the war; this event in turn restored harmony within the Greek army. In addition to the similarity, verbal and conceptual, between Agamemnon and Heracles (both Agamemnon and Achilles remain seated, contrary to Homeric parliamentary practice),[16] we can observe several other incidental points of contact between the two passages: both assemblies are at the shore (cf. Il. 19.40–46); Heracles' speech lies between the two speeches of Jason just as Agamemnon's (ibid. 78–144) lies between two speeches of Achilles (ibid. 56–73, 145–53); in their second addresses, both Jason (cf. Argo. 1.351–52) and
Achilles (Il. 19.148–50) call for immediate action. Both passages, I would add, have to do with the assumption of heroic leadership at a pivotal moment in the course of events.
More important, the culmination of the Argonautic assembly can be seen to parallel that of the Iliadic: the restoration of honor and unity. In the Iliad , Achilles left the group because Agamemnon had taken his 
(ibid. 89), the girl Briseïs, thus robbing him of his honor (cf. Il. 1.503–10). Following the ignominious defeat at the hands of the Trojans, Agamemnon returns Briseïs to Achilles along with many gifts, which restores honor to Achilles and eventually harmony to the group. Heracles, on the other hand, right from the start of the expedition makes it clear that he will not accept the 
(345) that rightfully belongs to Jason. In this way, much like Agamemnon in his reconciliation with Achilles, Heracles restores to Jason the honor that the latter risked and effectively lost in the election. The inversion of the Homeric model is instructive.[17] Because Agamemnon had deprived Achilles of his 
, the Greek army risked being pushed back into the sea. In contrast to Agamemnon at the beginning of the Iliad , Heracles does not usurp Jason's source of 
, the leadership of the expedition, but rather confers this on the young prince. Reference, then, to the Iliadic scene of reconciliation bodes well for the Argonautic group, who in their very first encounter with each other act in concert. Through Heracles' influential vote, the group avoids the divisive conflict that was so costly to Agamemnon's Trojan expedition. Moreover, Heracles' refusal to act as captain and his insistence on Jason's leadership will result after all in the election of the man Jason described as the best leader. For as soon as he is elected, Jason turns his mind to the details needing attention prior to their departure (351–62, 460–61) and will soon after encounter a conflict ( 
, 492b) that he will settle, not among foreign peoples, but among his own men. As the audience will observe in the course of the expedition, between the man of strength and man of skill, between the man in animal skins and the one in an elegantly manufactured cloak, the captain best suited for accomplishing the
shared expedition to and from Colchis (the 
and the 
Jason refers to in his first speech) will prove to be the man of organizational and diplomatic skill.